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Paul Pierce, SF 34 MIN | 10-15 FG | 2-3 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 25 PTS | +10This was a bit of a vintage performance from Paul Pierce. He started out very hot with his outside shot but he didn’t get a lot opportunities to show just how hot. This was a GREAT thing. The Celtics didn’t fall victim to Pierce isolations like they have in the past when Pierce has it going. They ran the offense and they just ran. Period.It seemed like Pierce fed off the intensity, making strong moves to the basket and was aggressive with his jumper when it fit with the offense. I very much expected to see Pierce run isos in the last four minutes because a) he was hot, and b) because that’s what the Celtics do. Instead, they continued to run their offense. Specifically, they ran a ton of pick-and-pop plays with Kevin Garnett which were very effective. |
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Brandon Bass, PF 37 MIN | 6-16 FG | 0-0 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 12 PTS | +11While I appreciate Bass being active on the glass, and 10 boards is definitely a welcome sign, I just can’t give Bass a grade that his stat line might suggest. The truth is, Bass played pretty out of control on both ends of the floor. He was late on defensive rotations giving up wide open layups and had two big turnovers while trying to dibble through traffic. He also doesn’t seem to know when to make the right play (case in point: he grabbed an offensive rebound and tried to go up 1-on-3 instead of kicking the ball out and taking advantage of the new shot clock).Don’t get me wrong: Bass is a definite upgrade over Glen Davis and I would definitely love seeing him in a Celtics uniform going forward. I just also want to see him grow into the player he could potentially be. |
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Kevin Garnett, PF 31 MIN | 8-18 FG | 0-1 FT | 10 REB | 6 AST | 16 PTS | +6Speaking of Kevin Garnett, this is exactly the type of game you want out of KG going forward. He posted up, he hit open jumpers, and he was aggressive on the glass. Sure, he could have made a few more shots, especially some of the easy ones he front-rimmed, but 16 and 10 is nothing to sneeze at.KG definitely had the height advantage tonight so I’m interested to see if tonight’s aggressiveness was due to some rejuvenation of some sort or just a favorable matchup. Luckily, KG will have another height advantage tomorrow night against the Sixers. |
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Ray Allen, SG 25 MIN | 1-8 FG | 3-3 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | +4C-? What?! Ray Allen may have had a gawdawful shooting night (seriously, did you see the two straight three’s and missed banker in the same string of possessions?) but he was active on the defensive end. It’s important to remember that there are two sides of the ball when it comes to evaluating contributions. It certainly wasn’t completely his doing, but Allen was a big part of Monte Ellis shooting 6-for-18. |
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Rajon Rondo, PG 35 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-1 FT | 4 REB | 14 AST | 10 PTS | +8Like KG, this is the game you want to see from Rondo. He was aggressive to the basket but was still always looking to set up he’s teammates first and he managed the game really well. Sure, the *dominant* triple-double games are nice, but they usually indicate that the rest of the Celtics aren’t stepping up. |
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Keyon Dooling, PG 14 MIN | 4-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 8 PTS | +3Finally! Some signs of life from Dooling! I believe Doc expected more from Dooling this year. Like a true sixth man guard type role. After months of getting nothing, it was great to see Dooling play pressure defense and knock down open shots. |
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Mickael Pietrus, SF 20 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 13 PTS | +7Gotta love Pietrus. He was aggressive with his shot, and although the step-back long twos have the potential to become more annoying than cute, he still provides such a spark off the bench. He is exactly what the Celtics have been looking for since losing James Posey to free agency. He’s not big enough to play the power forward in a pinch role like Posey was, but he’s an excellent wing defender, an aggressive defensive rebounder, and a more-than-capable three point shooter.He had a lot of field goal attempts for 20 minutes, but he was still excellent. |
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Greg Stiemsma, C 24 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +1It’s pretty obvious that the Stiemah read what Ryan wrote about him after the Denver game. Due to a St. Paddy’s day scheduling SNAFU, I wasn’t able to watch the Denver game so I couldn’t tell you if Ryan was frustrated or speaking truth. Either way, Stiemah played great tonight. Because he’s a shot blocker first, he’ll never be a *dominant* rebounder. He just gets out of position too easily trying to block shots. Luckily, he is actually blocking shots. 5?! When have the Celtics recently had a bona fide shot-blocker? I think watching the StiemCleanah successfully block shots caused Tommy to engage in that early season hyperbole (blasphemy?) when he compared Stiemsmah to Bill Russell.The best part of tonight’s performance? 24 positive minutes. If he can do that consistently, the Celtics will be in great shape going forward. He can’t, but if he can at least approach it, the Celtics will take it. |
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Avery Bradley, SG 17 MIN | 1-1 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | +1Bradley’s defense on Brandon Jennings was awesome. Similar to the Stiemah, Bradley’s value tonight was in how many minutes he played. Usually, Rondo plays well over 40 minutes. Tonight, he only played 35 and Bradley’s effectiveness on Jennings and Ellis was a big reason why. |
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The Ticker
