Five Scattered Thoughts From Last Night’s Win

Posted by Brian Robb on Feb 17, 2011 1654221 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F02%2F17%2Ffive-scattered-thoughts-from-last-nights-win%2FFive+Scattered+Thoughts+From+Last+Night%27s+Win2011-02-17+14%3A26%3A19Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D16542

1) Pierce is feeling just fine
The C’s captain reverted into 2001 form for a lot of this one, set on redeeming himself after a putrid one-point performance Sunday against Miami. He took command from the opening tip, hitting his first four baskets in the first quarter and stayed incredibly aggressive all evening on his way to a 31 point outing. The aggressiveness really stood out on a night the outside shooting wasn’t work as Pierce took the ball to the hole consistently and tied a season high with 13 free throws, as well as one thunderous jam in the opening minutes. In short, the guy is clearly fine, so it’s nice to have to worry about the lingering effects for once.

2) Aggression is Good
The C’s have been a below average team all year when it comes to free throw rate, and that’s been a major factor in the team’s recent subpar offense. Last night however, keyed by Pierce, the C’s paraded to the line with a season high 39 free throw attempts, with the captain accounting for a one-third of those. Boston picked it up in this department in the second half of last year, so hopefully this is a sign of the same as falling into the jump shooting trap has got this team in trouble lately.

3) Von Wafer is getting consistent
It’s amazing what regular minutes and a few made outside shots can do for a guy. I’ve liked Wafer’s play all year, where he consistently was making the right play and pass, but the outside shots weren’t falling in his limited opportunities. With the shooting guard firmly entrenched in the rotation now though for the foreseeable future, he’s delivering for Doc Rivers on both ends of the floor.

4) Delonte’s Ok
No further damage on the x-rays from yesterday, just some soreness from a jammed wrist. Rivers was hopeful before the game West would return for the Golden State game, but this is obviously going to be a game by game issue going forward. We’ll keep an eye on it, but it looks to be a minor setback for now thankfully.

5) Semih’s Homesick

The Turkish center is back home and will be until next week to rest up his injured groin and get some time with his sick mother. Nice to see the team let him go back for now, as it has had to be a tough transition for the guy, especially on this roster this year.