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Knicks 101, Celtics 95: NY ends 10-game losing streak versus lifeless Boston

ESPNBOSTON

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- If you needed a snapshot from Friday's game that summed up the night for the Boston Celtics it came with about five minutes to play in the fourth quarter when reserve guard Marcus Thornton drove to the hoop and went up for a right-handed layup, only for the ball to get stuck between the side of the rim and the glass.

Yes, little seemed to go Boston's way on this night. Not that the often-lifeless Celtics did much to change their fortunes. They were content to shrug their way through Friday's game and offered little resistance as the New York Knicks snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 101-95 triumph at TD Garden.

Jeff Green provided the only fire as he tried to single-handedly will the Celtics back into a game that they trailed by as much as 15 in the fourth quarter. Green helped Boston surge within 5 in the final minute, but it was too little too late. He finished with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting with six rebounds and two assists over 38 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony scored a team-high 22 points for the Knicks, who got 20 more from Amare Stoudemire. Tim Hardaway Jr. (16 points) and Jason Smith (12 points) helped off the Knicks' bench.

• Trainer's room: The Celtics were already shorthanded with starting shooting guard Avery Bradley ill and rookie James Young sidelined with a right shoulder injury. Fellow rookie Marcus Smart departed in the second quarter with a strained left Achilles. The Knicks lost one of their starters when Iman Shumpert dislocated his left shoulder later in the second frame.

• Scoreless Sullinger: Celtics third-year big man Jared Sullinger is marred in a three-game funk. Coming off a pair of quiet 5-point efforts as Boston dropped two in a row on the road, Sullinger went scoreless Friday night against the Knicks. He missed all six shots he took and finished with four rebounds over 21 minutes. He was minus-9 in plus/minus.

• Loose balls: The Celtics ran with an 11-man rotation, but Gerald Wallace played only a first-quarter shift in which he did little to slow Anthony and Smart played less than four minutes before departing with the foot injury. ... Thornton provided a third-quarter spark and finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. ... Tyler Zeller added 19 points for Boston on 9-of-14 shooting. ... The Knicks shot 49.4 percent overall; Boston finished at 43.5 percent.

• What it means: Boston has lost three straight while falling to 7-14 overall. The Knicks improve to 5-20 while winning only their second road game of the season. The Celtics will get a couple days of practice before trekking to Philadelphia on Monday night.

112288
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Celtics lose third straight; fall 101-95 to the Knicks

CSNE

A. SHERROD BLAKLEY

BOSTON — Brad Stevens commented recently on how in watching the New York Knicks, they were a much better team than their woeful record indicated.

It was the kind of coach-speak you expect to hear, but Stevens' words proved prophetic on Friday as the New York Knicks defeated the Celtics, 101-95.

For New York (5-20), the victory snapped a season-long 10 game losing streak while the Celtics (7-14) lost their third-straight game.

After falling behind, 96-87, with about two minutes to play, the Celtics mounted a late-game surge to come within 98-93 with 52.8 seconds to play.

Boston had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but Kelly Olynyk's 3-pointer was off the mark.

The Celtics trailed for large chunks of the game, but started to make some headway late in the third quarter.

That momentum carried over at the start of the fourth quarter, which saw Boston cut New York's lead to just two points, 75-73, early in the quarter after a 3-pointer by Marcus Thornton, who had 13 points off the bench for Boston.

But New York, as they had done all game, had an answer as Shane Larkin drilled a 3-pointer that sparked a 9-0 New York run before Brad Stevens had seen enough and called a time-out with 9:17 to play, and Boston trailing, 84-73.

Here are some other keys to Friday's game:

WHAT WORKED

Tyler Zeller is starting because of his defense, but the 7-footer is becoming more and more comfortable with finding ways to impact the game offensively for the Celtics. He finished with 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting along with six rebounds.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK

The Celtics defense never established itself at any point in the game. New York got a ton of good looks, many of which came off of turnovers that they converted for easy baskets. It was by all accounts, a definite step back for a group that had made strides lately.

KEY PLAY/STRETCH:

A 3-pointer by Boston's Marcus Thornton cut New York's lead to 75-73. New York went on to score the game's next 11 points which put the Celtics in the kind of hole that they were never able to recover from and make it a game.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Celtics don't return to the court until Monday when they hit the road and take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

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OTHER NEWS

Smart (foot) departs vs. Knicks

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics rookie guard Marcus Smart suffered a left Achilles strain during Friday's game against the New York Knicks and the team announced he would not return.

Smart limped off the court early in the second quarter and was briefly attended to by team trainer Ed Lacerte on the bench. Smart appeared to test the foot on a courtside exercise bike before departing for the locker room with team physician Dr. Brian McKeon.

Smart missed 10 games in November after suffering a left ankle sprain and bone bruising after stepping awkwardly on an opponent's foot. The team eased him back in, but he played the best game of his rookie season in extended minutes on Monday night in Washington.

Smart drew a couple of charges early in Friday's game against the Knicks, which might have contributed to the injury.

Smart entered Friday's game averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.6 assists over 17.8 minutes per game in nine appearances. He was scoreless in four minutes against the Knicks.

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Young suffers shoulder subluxation with Red Claws

CSNE

WALTHAM, Mass. — Boston Celtics wing James Young has once again been bitten by the injury bug, suffering a subluxation (slight dislocation) of his right shoulder which will keep the 6-foot-7 rookie out indefinitely.

"I guess they're doing more tests to see the extent of the injury," said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.

The Celtics are hopeful that once they have more information, they can then get a better feel for what kind of timetable they're looking at as far as Young returning to the court.

The injury occurred during his most recent stint with the Celtics' Developmental League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

On Wednesday, Young was reaching back for an outlet pass when he was grazed by a defender. He soon landed on the floor and suffered the injury as a time-out was called with 1:23 to play in the third quarter. Young, who had 19 points and six rebounds, was unable to return to the game which Maine won 117-87 over the Delaware 87ers.

"Those can be very, very short term things or they can be a little bit longer," Stevens said.

This is the latest setback for Young, selected by the Celtics with the 17th overall pick in last June's NBA draft.

A car accident forced him to cancel some workouts leading up to the draft, which most likely was a factor in him sliding to the Celtics at No. 17 despite most league officials anticipating he would be selected among the lottery picks (top-14) of the draft.

That injury kept him out of all of summer league. He was sidelined earlier this year with a hamstring injury.

the way we're playing right now, Philly might get win #2.

I am now beginning to question the TEAM and STEVENS.

Hey, I get it, you may not have all the super stars and gifted talent.......but as a coach you can instill in your team that has good talent, to be FOCUSED, ALERT, and play with some sense of URGENCY on both ends of the court FOR A FULL 48 MINUTES!

I for one am not seeing this game in and game out.  Tonight was a sleep walk after starting fast the first 5 minutes of the game. Players standing around......not moving..........no focus ....TO's..........and what got me mad.....Rondo wasting so much time before getting into a set play!

Stevens was supposed to be stressing defense as one of the corner stones this year, yet the team has only shown such lock down defense in a hand full of games. Yet we are ranked 28th in the league...giving up 106.8 points a game, and 20th in the league in opp. shooting % at 45.9, and 29th in the league allowing our opp. to shoot 38.9% from 3 pt land. The only up category where we are placed 9th in the league is rebounds at 44.1 rbs.

So, is Stevens system working??????   Is he too easy and not getting his message through to his players..........perhaps the F BOMB may be required to get players attention.......I am just starting to wonder if his system of basketball works on the NBA level.

On offense...........sometimes we run and gun..............sometimes we don't..........if a team is being told to run and they refuse............you have to sit the player or players down who are not responding to your requests!

Perhaps that is why Rondo has been sitting of late?

Monday opens the door on the trading season, where you can trade newly signed players and rookies.

THE ONLY NEW BRIGHT SPOTS ARE  ZELLER & SMART TO GO ALONG WITH GREEN, SULLY, BRADLEY AND TURNER.

RONDO IS LIKE A YO YO.....UP AND DOWN.

112288

I wish I could put some eyeballs on the games and try to figure out what is happening. I know all about our baseline defensive liabilities but when I keep seeing blogs and posters on this board using words like "lifeless" and "sleep-walking" and "lack of energy", that concerns me.

The funny thing is, of all the players, the only one who seems to be described as "lost" is Kelly and "Lost" is not the same as "lifeless". Only Smart seems to be bringing it every minute of every game. Green seems to be doing well, Steady Eddy seems to be doing his thing, Zeller is finding his niche. So, who are the malingerers?

Smart's recurring ankle area injuries are starting to make me wonder about his durability. There is a price to be paid for playing a speed position like guard with that much weight.



bob


.

Bob,

Did not know you were overseas.  

Smart has no structural problems with his feet except for a bad sprain injury which was a fluke.  He probably came back too soon and his feet were not strong enough due to being out almost a month.  

The malingerers?  It is not 1 or 2 guys but at time everyone.  It is not one thing but many and sometimes small things that add up to something BIG.

No lock down focus on defense, no boxing out for rebounds (See Red on Round Ball - rebounding), not putting a body on your guy under the rim and having him get the rebound and score through a tip in or slam dunk, not getting into your play set quick enough so you have time pressure and you are forced to take a low % shot, not knowing how to switch off your man to help out, guards not boxing out so they can help your forwards in rebounding.....etc...etc

112288

112288 wrote:Bob,

Did not know you were overseas.  

Smart has no structural problems with his feet except for a bad sprain injury which was a fluke.  He probably came back too soon and his feet were not strong enough due to being out almost a month.  

The malingerers?  It is not 1 or 2 guys but at time everyone.  It is not one thing but many and sometimes small things that add up to something BIG.

No lock down focus on defense, no boxing out for rebounds (See Red on Round Ball - rebounding), not getting into your play set quick enough, not knowing how to switch off your man to help out, guards not boxing out so you can help your forwards .....etc...etc

112288

112288,

Currently in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), Myanmar. I was in Vietnam before this and am leaving Myanmar tomorrow for Chiang Mai, Thailand until 1/11/15 (that's the date I leave Thailand, I'm just starting in Chiang Mai. US citizens can stay up to 30 days in Thailand without a visa and I'm going to take it up close to that. Real pain-in-the-ass keeping up with the market what with the time zone difference). Then Laos, then Cambodia, then back to Bangkok for the flight home on 2/19/15.

Smart's injuries might be flukes but they are recurring and recurring injuries take a cumulative toll. Remember Andrew Bynum? Laker fans were always saying that there's nothing structurally wrong with his knees, his injuries were flukes (e.g. tripping over Kobe) but eventually you become damaged goods because no matter how the damage is incurred your body is trying to get strong and not being strong. I'll feel better when I see him go a month or two without missing games from ankle injuries.



bob

One of the reasons I'm not sold on Smart as a floor general is because I'm concerned about his ability to guard other floor generals—especially quick, agile ones.  I saw Wall give him problems; and, although I realize that not every opposing "1" is a John Wall, it seems possible that a steady diet of guarding small guys darting all over the place could put tremendous pressure on not only his ankles but also his entire lower body.  Moreover, I think he shows more aptitude for developing his offensive game than for perfecting a playmaking skill and mentality.

I realize some people might wonder why he couldn't be a floor general on offense and a shooting guard on defense.  That sort of thing can sometimes work for a short period, but having to find your man on every defensive possession gets really old really fast.

I hadn't heard anything about his previous ankle injury being Achilles' related.  Whether or not this is something new or a recurrence, Achilles' injuries can be long-term proposition and can even be chronic.  I hope they'll give this plenty of time to heal, whatever the duration of the healing period.

Sam

The Celtics have enough difficulty defending the lane; but, with both Smart and Bradley out, their perimeter defense is also compromised.  That doesn't explain lethargy, and a fire should definitely be lit under some guys, including Rondo and Sully.  It's tough to run when you're always taking the ball out of the net, but you can still push the ball.  When they push the ball, their shooting percentages rise fairly dramatically.  And I have no idea where Sully was last night, but it wasn't near the basket very often.

I thought Zeller, Turner, Thornton, Green and Pressey played pretty well.  Olynyk had his moments and at least seemed to be trying.  But the rest played so far below their potential that it was embarrassing.

There's plenty of work to be done with this group.  In particular, the bench has outplayed the starters rather dramatically for several games now.  In the two games before this one, the five starters were a collective -140, and the bench was a collective +100.  Last night, the starters were -49 and the bench +19.

Sam

Before the game Stevens said the one thing he stressed to the players was "pace". Apparently Rondo thought that meant "slow the pace down" because that's how he played.

I know the loss wasn't entirely on him, but a good part of it was. I'm back on the Trade Rondo Bandwagon. Or we need a new coach. Rondo and Stevens seems to me to be like fire and water. They cancel each other out.

I'm glad someone else pointed out Sully's offensive funk the past couple games. If Sully (or Kelly) are not scoring, having them in the game is useless as BOTH of them are liability's on defense.

Rondo was almost at half court on a couple times down the court for our offense late, so he wouldn't get the ball and be fouled. Why is he even in the game then?
NOT for his defense, as he hasn't played any all year!

And yes Stevens needs to throw a couple chairs in the locker room...pick up a phone and make a Loud /fake call to Ainge and tell him to trade for some players that WANT to play, get loud, get ugly if need be. right now this team is just walking thru the games.


and finally Ainge does need to trade Rondo for whatever he can get at this point. We ARE a better team without him, as he either doesn't want to be here or he's lost whatever made him a quality player in the past. NO defense at all....can't shoot......NO leadership.....what's the point?


play Bradley, Smart, Turner, Young and Pressey from now on. Time to see what the young guys can do.

UP front, Zeller, Green and Bass are playing well and shuld see the most minutes until they play themselves out of time. Kelly is up and down and Sully is in a funk. back up minutes for both until they improve now.

give Powell some time.

and for god sakes DUMP Fav!!
He is of no use to us, so send him back to Euro ball and sign some young/ hungry guy from the d-league who at least will WANT to play in the NBA.

OK, rant over for today.

KDP

I would suggest attaching this post to your letter for toys to Santa.

No coal please!

112288

I would use Sully in a trade package for a great talented center. He is playing well now and has value in a trade.

Problem with Sully, he plays below the rim because of his weight and height 6'9" maybe, and in the 4/5 position you need to be playing above the rim in this league. Simply put he is not athletic.

Get Greg Monroe for your PF position. He is a much better shooter then Sully and athletic ........he can run the floor.

112288

112288 wrote:KDP

I would suggest attaching this post to your letter for toys to Santa.

No coal please!

112288

LOL....well the way this team has played the past couple games I even read on the other board where they were throwing out trading FOR Melo...and I said that rondo and Green for Melo even up works salary wise.




I didn't say I was for that though.....just stirring the pot a bit over there.

Well, that was tough to watch. Even an ancient Amar'e is too much for Sully. Can you imagine the Amar'e of old against our forecourt? I'm picking on Sully because I thought of him as a building block, but without an aggressive center behind him, he's too short and slow to defend, (or at the other end score against), tall, mobile forwards.
Kelly did have a nice little stretch, but mostly he's Swiss cheese and opponents can't get enough. Seems that just having Kelly on you improves your shot because even when he's on time, the ball has radar.
Lackluster Rondo was ready to pass to anyone, but not much motion in the motion offense. I think Rondo should plan to shoot every third trip, and not to initiate the offense. Now when he shoots, it's only as a last resort and that's no way to find your groove.
Green was excellent, no complaints with Turner or Thornton.
Zeller continues to impress. Love his two-man game with Rondo, but when only two are playing, the other team will catch on, which happened last night. I've been wondering whether, when we get another center, Zeller could play some power forward. He runs, he's an improving defender. (I know we're overloaded with bodies at PF, but they're all slow or short, except Powell. And I'm ready to see more of Powell.
Bass always tries hard, but is the odd man out in a season of testing newer resources. I say let the testing continue all the way down the bench.
With Smart healthy, I think we would have won last night. Maybe Bradley would have made a difference. But winning a squeaker against the Knicks this season is not necessarily a step forward if our goal is to fully assess what we have, and build on it.
Bottom line: not much energy or focus by our guys, and Zeller needs a backup center or center to back up. Any way we can unload Fav. and bring back Iverson for the rest of the season? Hawk




he's on time,

112288,

Maybe I misunderstood, but did you say Sully's playing well now and has value in a trade? He's never played more poorly in a Celtics uniform, and I have to believe his trade value is plummeting as we speak. Other teams notice the same things we do; and that includes Sully's current slump at both ends and his defensive struggles against big men.

Sam

Sam,

You pick a few games to stress, but here are his stats so far 2014-2015 as compared to 2013 - 2014 & career:

Pts - 14.1
Rbs - 8.3
Ass. - 2.5
Blks - .7
FG% - 45.3%

compare it to his stats last year 2013 - 2014

Pts - 13.3
Rbs - 8.1
Ass. - 1.6
Blks - 0.7
FG% - 42.7%

Overall Career

Pts - 11.1
Rbs - 7.4
Ass. - 1.5
Blks - 0.6
FG% - 44.3%%

One pathetic team played another pathetic team.  That combination should have led to an exciting game but instead we were treated to perhaps the most boring game of the season.  The Celtics never had a collective energy out there.  

With Avery Bradley sidelined with a stomach virus, Even turner started at the 2 guard.  Funny how one change can impact both the starters and the rotation players.  Oh...I'm not talking about Turner.  I'm thinking of Bradley.

No one can or should define the position abilities of a player too soon but since I fell off the cliff over a month ago, I'll take a crack at it.

Evan Turner is a player Without a starting position.   He's not a starting point guard, he's no starting 3 and his play last night at the 2 was revealing.  He cannot make a spot up jumper because his range is limited and he just doesn't seem comfortable as a catch and shoot player.  His 5 turnovers reflect how inconsistent he is when handling the ball.  He's often too damn cute with the ball and makes an easy play look difficult.  Stevens will be challenged to find the right mix for Turner.  Last night I thought that brad should have went with Thornton.  

Zeller played very well again and despite a disappointing night from Rondo, his chemistry with Zeller continues to impress....that's a glimmer.

KO has been lost in space and Jared Sullinger went to look for him and has not been seen since.

Sully envisions  himself as a stretch 4 and after missing 2 three point shots early in the game, he was never heard from again.  Yea the pace was bad last night and Sully was one of the guys that could not get up and down.  Bottom line Sully has some skills rebounding and scoring but overall his inability to play defense, lack of post offensive moves and inconsistency shooting deep balls presents an issue at PF.  We can talk all day long about the 5 spot but our PF spot is not championship quality.  

Sully needs to slim down.  His big fat ass cannot run the court.  he is a prime candidate for knee problems down the road.

Smart's injury ( was it the ankle or an achilles strain) opens the door for Pressey to get some minutes (the kid plays hard every game).  Smart has not played enough games for me to figure out what his positional values are.  He is however a really good defender.  He is not super quick but anticipates things well.  The questions remain about his ability to quarterback an offense, score outside and penetrate the lane and most importantly, run the pick and role.

Jeff Green looks better offensively than he ever has before...that's a glimmer.  Over that past 5 games he is averaging 23 and shooting almost 50% from the field.  

Bass was out of rhythm all night.

Next up the 26 sixers...

dboss

Yeah Sam,

All you have to do is look back to the Pat Riley/Magic Johnson Lakers to learn how to pull the ball out of the net and start a fast break from a made basket. Those guys were absolute MASTERS of that trick and gave our team fits in the 80's! You look back on that footage and whoever was under the net for the Lakers that gave up the basket literally had the ball in his hands before it was completely out of the net, jumped out of bounds, turned around and had the ball passed halfway up the back court in less than 2 seconds.

When your team missed the basket, it was even worse!

db