Celtics Notebook: Brandon Bass Strikes A Low, Steady Tone

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Celtics Notebook: Brandon Bass strikes a low, steady tone
Ironman avoids spotlight





Photo by: AP photo
BASS: With his streak of 276 consecutive games played, the Celtics forward is one of the NBA’s more durable players.


Sunday, April 12, 2015
By:  Steve Bulpett



Brandon Bass is 6-foot-8 — a filled-out and strong 6-8. Although he can certainly hit the 17-footer with above-average regularity, Bass is not one of those slight forwards who spend their NBA nights on the perimeter trying to lure opposing big men away from the lane.

You’d think it would be hard to miss him, but it took sultan of stat Dick Lipe to offer a reminder that Bass has the third-longest active streak of consecutive games played.

Only DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers, set to play in his 320th straight last night and Cleveland reserve Tristan Thompson (284) are ahead of Bass’ 276.

“I didn’t know that,” Bass said. “But it’s cool to know. It just shows hard work, dedication, discipline and the great strength and conditioning staff we have with the Celtics to help me get ready every night.”

It also shows that Bass has been shortchanged in the numerous storylines that have enveloped the Celtics this season:

• Marcus Smart is the rookie elevated to a starting role by the trade of Rajon Rondo.

• Isaiah Thomas is the new guy — a little man flying to the hoop, sticking 3-pointers and adding a much-needed explosive scoring knack.

• Jared Sullinger, back before expected from a fractured foot, fights a battle common to fans who are trying to lose weight.

And so on.

The stories rarely get to Bass, and that’s more than a little unfair when you consider what he’s meant to a team desperately in need of an interior impact.

The fact he’s a quiet man makes the overlooking easier to accomplish, though that aspect of his personality also makes it less likely to bother him.

“I mean, I don’t mind flying under the radar,” he said. “You know, I don’t mind that at all. I just want to put my best foot forward every night I step on the basketball court. And I’ll get my just due. Eventually I’ll get my just due, but I’m cool with flying under the radar.”

You’d think that going incognito would be difficult when you consider Bass is good for 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 23.7 minutes a game.

Friday night in Cleveland, he made 6-of-8 shots, including a strong dunk conversion of a Smart miss. Bass also had five rebounds and three steals.

But he walked out of the dressing room undisturbed before being stopped in the hallway. On a Celtics team with humorists (Evan Turner, Sullinger), energy bundles (Smart, Thomas) and foreign ambassadors (Jonas Jerebko, Gigi Datome, Kelly Olynyk), Bass is the smooth construction worker with hardhat and lunch pail.

“Absolutely, and that’s the plan,” he said. “Every night I try to bring my lunch pail and put this team in the best position possible to win and just fulfill my role to the best of my ability.”

Asked from whence that approach came, Bass said, “You know what, that’s an attitude of me just appreciating my journey and accepting the cards that are being dealt to me and just trying to maximize it.”


2nd half soul search

The Celtics began to do well in January after getting past the trades of Rondo and Jeff Green, and have now won five of their last six to maintain a spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding with just three games left. But Avery Bradley believes the true change that has also resulted in six straight road victories for the first time since December of 2010 came the next month.

“I think it was the first game back from All-Star,” Bradley said. “Even though we lost [in Sacramento], you could see the energy. You could see everybody’s positive attitudes, how they wanted to change the season around.

“We actually sat down and told each other we needed to look at ourselves in the mirror and really think about where we want to take this season to. And since the beginning of the year, we always thought we had a chance to make the playoffs, always the second half of the season’s like a fresh, new start, and that’s how we looked at it and we were able to turn our season around.

“We’re just learning as a team every single game. It shows out there, and that’s why we’re able to get wins. Not only that, we’re just believing in one another and we have a lot of players making big plays.”



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