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STEPHEN CURRY HANDS CELTICS SEVENTH STRAIGHT LOSS WITH LATE JUMP SHOT

WEEI

By Jackson Alexander  
 
Stephen Curry buried a long jump shot with 2.1 seconds remaining to break a tie game, and secure a Warriors 99-97 win over the Celtics, Boston’s  seventh straight loss.

Gerald Wallace had an opportunity to win the game for the Celtics with a 3-pointer on the next possession, but he clanked the shot off the backboard and Boston (13-24) dropped its 10th game in its last 11.

Andre Igoudala paced the Warriors with 22 points, and dynamic guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson added 19 and 17 points, respectively.

Jeff Green led the way for Boston with 24 points, and the Celtics got massive double-double from Jared Sullinger (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Kris Humphries (16 points, 14 rebounds).

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE CELTICS

Igoudala: It seemingly happens all the time: commit all your defensive effort on the top scorer(s), only to have a complimentary player step up and torch you. In the case of the Celtics Friday night, the team focused their game plan around curtailing the production of Curry and Thompson. But the added attention to the spectacular guard duo allowed Igoudala to step up for a huge game. Igoudala posted a team-high 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Guard woes: The main concern for Boston’s guards Friday was how they would perform on the defensive end, guarding arguably the NBA’s most lethal guard combination. Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford passed that test, containing both  Curry and Thompson. However, the failed when it came to the offensive side of the ball in a big way. Not only did they not contribute much in the scoring column (17 combined points), they hurt their team with poor shooting (6-for-24 from the field).

Bench reversal: Boston could thank a strong performance from its bench in the first half for trailing the Warriors by just after two frames. The Celtics outscored their own starting unit 26-23, and the Warriors reserves 26-6. But in the second half, the flip was switched on the C’s as Marreese Speights led a second-half push from the bench that helped propel Golden State over Boston. Speights tallied 11 second-half points, to lead a bench unit that outscored Boston 14-5 in the second half.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE CELTICS

Green start: The aggressive version of Green, the version that appears only occasionally and the version that so many Boston fans beg to see more of, showed up in the first quarter and decided to stick around for the rest of the game. Green poured in a quick 11 points in the first quarter on 5-of-6 shooting. His 11 points were highlighted by a pair of examples of his jaw-dropping athleticism: the first, a vicious reverse one-handed dunk, and than a seemingly impossible reverse lay-up shortly after. Green matched his first quarter point total in the final three frames and finished with 22. He also tied the score at 97 in the fourth quarter with 11.6 seconds left on a layup.

Sullly: In the Celtics’€™ last game, the benching of Sullinger did not elicit a break out game from the forward. Instead, Sullinger tallied just two points, and his only highlight was his league-leading fifth flagrant foul. However, a second straight game coming off the bench seems to have done the trick. Sullinger, after experiencing an incredibly rough stretch of play, lit the Warriors up for a 22 team-high points and contributed 11 rebounds. Sullinger also broke his streak of missing 13 consecutive 3-pointers. His previous eight games were marred by poor play (28.9 percent shooting) and questionable behavior (ejection versus Nuggets).

Humphries: The experienced forward played his second straight productive game from the starting lineup, notching a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Humphries added three blocks and two assists. Humphries erupted in the fourth quarter with 10 points. After sitting out the Nuggets game with an ankle injury, Humphries returned against the Nuggets and was inserted into the starting lineup. He rewarded coach Brad Stevens‘ decision with six points, eight rebounds and four assists in his first start of the season.
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Rapid Reaction: Warriors 99, C's 97

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

Rapid reaction after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 99-97 on Friday night at Oracle Arena:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Jeff Green put together a nice outing (team-high 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting with 11 rebounds), Jared Sullinger had his best night in weeks (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Kris Humprhries was a beast on the glass (16 points, game-high 14 rebounds), but Steph Curry made a clutch jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining and Green fumbled the ball on the final play, leading to a desperation Gerald Wallace heave as the Warriors escaped with the win. Curry finished with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while Andre Iguodala added a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting with seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals to pace the Warriors.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics were down 13 after an Iguodala dunk with 10:32 to play in the game, but made a late surge (riding Humphries to spark the initial part of the comeback). Green got going late and a strong drive produced a 5-foot jumper that tied the game at 97 with 11 seconds to go. The Warriors put the ball in Curry's hands and, when Humphries got switched on him, he drilled a long pull-up jumper for the deciding hoop. Boston got Green free on the final play, but he lost the ball while dribbling to his right and Wallace had to rush a final shot that was off the mark.

HUMPHRIES AND SULLINGER ON THE GLASS
The Warriors entered the game ranked first in the league in defensive rebound rate and third in total rebound rate. Boston, a team that ranked 24th in defensive rebounding and 17th overall in total rebound rate, went out and won the battle on the glass, 49-46. Sullinger had five offensive rebounds while being particularly active early, and both he and Humphries worked hard despite giving up size to Golden State's big front line.

LOOSE BALLS
The Celtics ran with a tight nine-man rotation. Keith Bogans, Vitor Faverani, Phil Pressey and the recently recalled MarShon Brooks were all healthy DNPs. ... Boston's frontcourt was exceptional, though it's hard to ignore that Brandon was a team-worst minus-14 overall. He was efficient offensively, going 4-for-5 from the floor with nine points, but had three rebounds and three turnovers. ... After carrying the offense against the Clippers, Boston's backcourt of Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford combined to go 6-for-24 shooting for 17 points. ... The Celtics turned the ball over 17 times, while the typically fumble-happy Warriors gave it away just 11 times. ... Boston held Golden State to 41.3 percent shooting overall, including 30.8 percent beyond the 3-point arc.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (13-26) have now lost seven in a row and 10 of their last 11 overall. They wrap up this daunting five-game road trip on the tail end of a back-to-back on Saturday night in Portland. Things don't get much easier as they come back home with a visit from another strong Western Conference foe in the Houston Rockets. The Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors and the rival Los Angeles Lakers also visit TD Garden next week as part of a three-game homestand.

112288

One thing I did take away from the game........Golden State has fantastic and professional announcers!

They can call any Celtic game and I would be very happy!

Well one more game.......then bring the troops home!

112288

Couple of notes from the game:

-I strongly disagree with the way the Brad Stevens manages Jeff Green's game, and my contention is a BIG PART Green's inconsistency is because of poor substitution patterns and not running enough plays for him, especially when he is hot.  Once he is finally in the flow - he needs a shorter stay on the bench and more plays called for him.  

Tonight they made a concerted effort to get him the ball in the first quarter - and Jeff responded with 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting and 3 rebounds. It is clear to me that it takes Green a while to get into the flow of a game.  

Green was out of the box in the first so what does Coach do?  Sits him for the first 6+ minutes of the 2nd quarter, and when he puts him back in - not only is he cold, but Coach calls ZERO plays for him - as he had 0 points on 0 shots in the 2nd.

Just dont get it.  He needs to ball in his hands more.  He needs to be given the ball earlier in possessions more often and need isolation called for him on a frequent basis.  Green is inconsistent, sure.  But his inclusion in the offense is just as haphazard.

As for GS

They are one of the most talented and athletic teams in the NBA....but they are way too careless with the ball and their bench is a major liability.  I cannot see them beating SA / Portland / OKC in a 7 game series, but they are a fun team to watch.

Green has a post up game, he used to play the 4, I don't know why they don't post him up more in the halfcourt, hes got a 3 inch height advantage vs most SF's.

MRK,

Rookie coach....getting to know his players better.

I'll add this to Jordan Crawford. I think the stats are being kind to him on TO's as the stat does not figure in wild shots that have no chance of going in, yet does not show in TO stat. To me if you are out of control and jus fling a shot up with little chance of make it, it is as good as a turnover.

112288

112288 wrote:MRK,

Rookie coach....getting to know his players better.

I'll add this to Jordan Crawford. I think the stats are being kind to him on TO's as the stat does not figure in wild shots that have no chance of going in, yet does not show in TO stat. To me if you are out of control and jus fling a shot up with little chance of make it, it is as good as a turnover.

112288

I was thinking the same thing with Stevens. Rookie coach. But that said he has his system and is still tweaking it to the NBA. I don't want a cookie cutter coach that does things because the would appear to be the best way. There are already too many of those. I recycle what I can.... seems the NBA coaches get the same treatment. We have something a bit different I'm for giving him a lot of slack this season. Hey I remember several of us bitched about Doc not playing kids. Well Stevens may know what he has in Green and is trying different combos, good a guess as any. The end result being a win or a loss this season is really no the big issue. We all knew we were going nowhere this season. Although a win a little more often would be nice.

beat

Rather than to repeat it here, I refer people to my new thread entitled "Mr. Sneaky Consistent."

Sam

I suppose it is even possible the Jeff has medical restrictions where he needs X amount of rest at certain points in the game. But I think it is more about Stevens being a college coach growing into his new role. In college you often see substitutions based on the clock more than situation. These 3 guys come in with 5 minutes left in the half, no matter what.

We will see - but to me it seems that when the make an effort to get Green involved early, he has good games. When they dont he doesnt. Now part of that is on him, but as less of a 1 on 1 player and more of an open court player, he is more dependent on his PG to get him the ball early in transition.

Until the team fine tunes this - I dont think you can accurately judge what you have in Green as a player.

Just another reason why Rondo is the X factor this season. When he returns, everyone takes a step to the right (figuratively if not literally) and we will be exposed to the real yardstick of their development as a team and (hopefully) blueprints for the future.

Sam

First we can all agree that this was a very exciting and competitive game that could have been a W with better execution.

My player of the game was Chris Humphries.  He continues to show all of us that his double double numbers the year before last was not a fluke.  He is a solid player in multiple phases of the game.  When he gets minutes he produces at both ends and may be the best all around big on the team.  The ugly contract is not his fault but at least he comes to work and earns his money.

Other observations

The Celtics needs to identify who is hot and who is not.  Green was all the way live last night yet spent a large chunk of minutes sitting on the bench between the end of the first and 2nd qtr.  He sits until 5:52 is left in the second QTR.  Does he need a 6 minute blow plus the time between QTR's, time outs and dead time while the refs monkey around?

He is our # 1 guy and needs to be in the game

Jordan Crawford is truly the ultimate trick or treat player.  Still makes some timely three point shots and a great pass or two and still manages to take ill advised shots that are real momentum killers.  

AB misses a few shots that he has been knocking down with regularity.  If he hit a couple of those wide open looks we win the game.

Jared Sullinger again was all over the glass but he struggles to defend up top and while he may hit a deep jumper I would rather see him in the post.  Sully take your big ass down low.

Is it ok to criticize Steven's coaching?  Does not matter because I will do it anyways.

Vitor logged another DNP while rookie KO played 12 uninspiring minutes.  I hate to say this but getting stronger is not the only thing lacking with KO.  He gets rebounds but rarely in traffic and cannot rebound outside of his space.  Teams feast on him because his defense sucks and he has no touch shooting the ball which really should not be a surprise since he was not a great jump shooter in College.  He is no stretch 4 unless we are willing to stretch the truth and he is no center.  So what the hell is he?  I am going on record right now to state that DA a made mistake drafting him.  He will be nothing more than an average rotation player and you do not move up in the draft for the right to get him.  Stevens needs to wake up and smell the bacon.  Play Vitor and bench KO.

As we all know Brooks was brought back from D league purgatory to do what he did before he left...sit on the bench and bite his nails all night... And in the meantime we were treated to atrocious offense from AB, JC and JB (bay Leaves)  Stevens...if you are not getting offensive production from any of your guards how about giving Brooks a chance?  He could not possibly shoot worse than the rest of the guards did.

Steven what happened to the so-called uptempo game...How about letting the players that do not run spend more time on the bench....

Ok I am finished with my rant.

Go Celts..

dboss

Dboss, gulp a couple of aspirins, drink a julep or two, and call me in the morning.

I think your comments are right on target. What hurt most (although I'm not contesting it) was your characterizing Bradley's defense as "atrocious." It was, indeed, atrocious. i still believe that his defensive reputation comes mainly from his effort outside the three-point arc and not within it. I actually believe his offense is now more dependable and impactful than his defense.

A shame about Kelly, but I see what you do. He could feast on nothing but liquidified iron ore and become strong like bull, but I'm afraid he'd still have the same rather wimpy approach to rebounding (especially on the defensive boards) and defense. One of my candidates for line of the year is your "He is no stretch 4 unless we are willing to stretch the truth and he is no center. So what the hell is he?" I have this wish that, some night, he'd break out with five three-pointers, 18 rebounds, and seven blocks, impressing the opposing team so much that they'd immediately trade for him, offering in return an injured player with an expiring contract, a draft pick, and a partridge in a pear tree. One of the greatest liabilities on a team is a player who continually shows just enough promise to titillate management but never enough to make all that much of real a difference on the floor. I call it "GeraldGreenItis."

In Kelly's defense, I wish I had his hair. But then, I wish I had Charles Barkley's hair too.

Sam

Look for Danny to include KO in a trade...selling a team on his upside and low salary.


112288

I'm not so sure I'd give up on Olynyk yet. The cautionary tale I look to is J.J. Redick, who was a fine shooter in college, looked like a wasted pick his first couple of years in the league, and has developed into a valuable, well-rounded pro. What it took for him to develop was time, patience, and hard work.

Of course, there's also the tale of a similar player drafted the same year, Adam Morrison, who never developed into anything.

The question is how to figure out which road Olynyk's career will take. But I do think it's too early to tell.

Kelly is earning 2 M per for the next 3 years.  In NBA terms, you cant buy a bag of basketballs for 2 M per.

He has shown a lot of impressive skills for a 7 footer.  Great passer, good shooter, good footwork, good feel around the basket on offense, good court vision, smart player in terms of knowing when to foul, who to foul etc. D  and rebounding is an issue, but he has good instincts - just no the physical tools to compete.  That can be changed with diet and work outs.

Let him learn and work out with pro level nutritionist and strength coaches - and see where he is in a year or two

There is no reason to cut him loose anytime soon.

You know what I have a problem and a simple question. Ok you draft someone and you know he is going to make the team. 

Why wasn't the Celtic strength coach working with him since June to reshape his body to NBA level?

I will going further...............

Why did the strength coach for the Celtics not work with Vidor Fav.....my daughters have better toned arms then this guy because they workout everyday in the gym......he has no upper body strength.....none what so ever!

Somebody missed the boat on this...either the players, coach or both!

112288

KO should be fine. In some games he's flashed his potential. At worst, he's a nice complement to Sully. It's too early to give up on him especially considering other first round picks we've given up on too early in their careers (Joe Johnson, Chauncey Billups).

Golden State is one of the hottest teams right now, and are a legit contender out West. Boston gave them all they could handle.


A few notes...

1. Going Green

See what happens when you get Jeff going early and often? It pays off. Big time. Green finished with 24 points on 11-17 FG and 11 rebounds.

Green is the kind of guy that you have to get involved early and also throughout the game. It will almost always pay off to have him playing a significant role in the offense. I know a lot of people have been saying "Where's Jeff?" but the answer has been "uninvolved." It's not fair to expect Green to perform at his greatest when he almost always gets the ball too far from the basket. It expends a lot of energy to create offense that way. Instead, try to get him some easy looks and matchups.

I'm not sure if Stevens realized before what he had in Jeff, but after last night, the cat must've been let out of the bag. Going forward, stick with Green. He has the tools to be a force on this team.

2. "SullyHump"

These two both posted a double-double last night and were highly active in the post. Golden State has some very good interior players and Boston's undersized front line basically fought them to a draw.

3. Misfire

Crawford, Bayless, and Bradley were a combined 7-30 from the field last night. If Boston is going to win some close games, their guard play has to improve. A lot.

4. So... about that rotation...

Brooks still posted a DNP, despite the fact that their guards had a horrible shooting night. Faverani also didn't get any minutes.

If there is any glaring flaw in Stevens' approach, it's in his rotations. He hasn't consistently stayed with the hot hand, or sometimes he leaves the cold hands in too long and doesn't allow the opportunity for the others to show what they can do.

But in all fairness, he does a lot of testing to see what works, and he will learn in due time how to fine tune his rotations to give the team a better chance to win.





KJ

In reality no player is as bad as we may think he is.

If I had to be wrong about one player I hope it is Kelly.

And maybe he puts in the work to get better...to get stronger and maybe he can be coached up.

I hate to see players miscast.  I think that Steven's rushed him into the starting lineup too soon and did so at the expense of Kris Humphries.  

Some people think he is a good compliment to Sully but I just don't see that.  How is it that he compliments Sully's game???  Sully perhaps is more important to KO because Sully is a willing participant in hard nose, down and dirty, bump and grind physical basketball in the post.  Theoretically this should open up a lot of open looks for KO to score the basketball from the elbow out.  But Kelly was never a jump shooter.  In College he only took 19 jump shots in his last year.  He is indecisive at times and really does not have that distinctive shooter's stoke. It just does not look natural.

The worst thing is to try to fit him into a role that is not conducive to his skill level.  

In my opinion Kelly has the potential to be a specialty player if he is playing in an uptempo game where he can utilize his ability to run the floor, pass the ball or make cuts to the hoop.

They put the kid in a half court game where he has a difficult time getting his shot off.

KO is not going to be a compliment to any player but he certainly can be a compliment to a style of play where his skills as a big man can be maximized.

His MPG have gone down but that seems only fair because he can't play center post defense and Sully, Hump and Bass are all so much better than he is at this stage.

Sometimes you can miss on a player and that will happen when a GM or coach envisions them in a role that they may not be suited for. If the player has some skills then they need to identify how to put that player in a position to be successful.

You can build muscle but you cannot really teach aggression.  The reason why we love the way Sully plays is because Sully wants every single rebound and is willing to sacrifice his body to go in there and get it.  But it is not just Sully's aggression that makes him a good rebounder.  Sully is an instinctive rebounder that knows where the ball is coming off the rim.  KO is a passive spectator.

dboss

It's rather ironic that, for years, we've heard people claiming that Doc's too slow to use young players and now we're hearing people claiming that Brad's too quick to use a young player.

Sam

A few interesting stats...

Steph Curry was held to 7-18 FG.

Andrew Bogut was 2-6.

Klay Thompson was 5-17.

So Boston's defense was very good against some of their main players. Iggy got 9-14, though.



KJ

KJ,

Boston played a fine game, but Golden State was a worn out bunch. They'd been on a road trip where they played seven games in 11 days, took a cross-country flight from New York after playing the Nets on Wednesday, got home in the wee hours on Thursday, and played Boston on Friday.

The first game back after a long road trip is a vulnerable one for the home team, especially when it comes so quickly after the last road game. The Celtics will be in pretty much the same situation when they play Houston at home on Monday, one day after returning home from a road trip with five games in seven days.

Bob,

Klay Thompson started the season off blazing hot, but he's been up and down since then. Still, he's shooting 44.8% on the season and 41.4% on threes for an effective field goal percentage of 54.4% (which adjusts for the increased value of three-pointers). Considering he's averaging 19.2 points per game, I'd say that level of shooting works.

But what has impressed me most this season is his defense. He's become a valuable defender, and he uses his 6'7" height and 6'9" wingspan to great effect against other guards, he uses his feet well to stay in front of his man, and he and Curry are a good combo where he applies pressure and Curry plays the passing lanes and gets steals.

Where he has the greatest room for improvement is in his ancillary numbers -- assists, rebounds, and turnovers. But considering that this is only his third year, there's no reason to think that won't happen. He could be an asset for any team, but he has a particularly effective synergy with Curry, and I agree completely that Mark Jackson would strangle the GM who traded him or allowed him to leave.

As I said in my previous post, I wouldn't put too much stock in the Warriors' performance in this particular game considering the timing relative to their road trip, but MrKleen astutely identified their primary issues -- their bench and turnovers. They are among the leaders in a variety of categories, including defensive ones, but they are dead last in turnover rate. Their starting five of Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Lee-Bogut is remarkably effective, but the bench loses leads that the starters build. I can live with the turnovers, especially since the Warriors are good at generating turnovers from the other team, but they do need to add a consistent bench scorer.