Celtics Notebook: Brandon Bass Sees Opportunity For Young, Old

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2015/04/celtics_notebook_brandon_bass_sees_opportunity_for_young





Celtics Notebook: Brandon Bass sees opportunity for young, old





Photo by: AP photo
BASS: Looking forward to the opportunity for the Celtics to prove themselves against the Cavs.



Friday, April 17, 2015
By:  Steve Bulpett




CLEVELAND — There is strong evidence to indicate the Celtics aren’t just happy to be on their way here as they prepare back home to meet the Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Cleveland is a prohibitive favorite, which is understandable when you consider that, while the C’s did pull together and play well, their presence in the postseason is to some degree a measure of the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference.

And it may be simply a matter of semantics, but while Evan Turner, true to his easygoing personality, was playing the nothing-to-lose card and offering that the Celts are now using house money, Brandon Bass, owing to his basketball personality, was on a different wavelength.

“I definitely don’t look at it like that,” Bass said. “I don’t look at things like that. We’re definitely going to go in there and just try to be the best we can be, and let’s see what happens.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the team, for the organization. I think what Danny (Ainge) and coach (Brad Stevens) have been trying to do all year was to end it on this type of note and go in the playoffs and get all the young guys some experience. I think it’s good for the team and the organization.”


April honors

Stevens was recognized for his efforts yesterday, as the NBA announced him as Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.

Ainge’s other head coaching hire, Doc Rivers, won the honor in the West for the Clippers.

As noted in the NBA release, the Celts were 7-1 in April, with a 4-0 record on the road and six straight wins to close the regular season.

Rivers’ Clippers, meanwhile, were the NBA’s only undefeated team in the month with seven wins. They averaged 108.6 points and gave up 97.4, the second-best point differential in the league for the month.


More work for Sully

Jared Sullinger has played seven games since returning from a fractured foot, and his workload increased to 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Bucks. The 6-foot-9 forward had 11 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

He’s generally been on the edge of the rotation after coming back, and the question is whether he is physically prepared for a more significant role in the playoffs.

“About as ready as I’m going to get, so I’ve got to just keep plugging away,” Sullinger said. “Every day is crucial.”

As for how different he feels from his April 3 return, he said, “Oh, I know I can run longer than I did the first time we played Milwaukee. That’s all that matters. I felt good out there. I was able to move a lot better. I’ve still just got to get the rhythm. The shot wasn’t falling, but, hey, it is what it is.”

Sullinger has shot just 31 percent from the floor and averaged 5.0 points in the seven games, but, with Cleveland holding a size advantage, he may be called upon more.

“It’s whatever route coach (Stevens) wants to go, to be honest, when it comes to this series coming up. There’s going to be times where I’m going to have to play; there’s going to be times when I’m not going to play. But the main objective is to win.” . . .


Gigi Datome will be experiencing the NBA playoffs for the first time.

“It doesn’t change for me, my approach,” he said. “I try to do anything I can do to contribute. Coach, I think after two months, knows what I’m capable of, so he’s going to use me if he needs me. I’ve just got to be ready to help the team. It doesn’t change my approach.”



bob



.