Amazing what a couple of days off can do, huh?
The Celtics picked apart the Jazz tonight with an attack that would make a boxer proud. They softened up the body by coming out aggressive and picking the Utah Jazz defense apart with lay up after lay up. And once they dropped their defense to accommodate for that, The C's threw the knockout punches from the 3 point line.
The final result: a 105-86 decimation of the Utah Jazz
The particulars:
Rajon Rondo took advantage of an ailing Deron Williams to get wherever he wanted on the court and pick the Jazz apart. He's just too fast for that team if Williams isn't healthy enough to stay in front of him. The final toll: 14 points, 11 assists, 2 steals in 31 minutes. He shot 7 of 11… but he didn't get to the line once. It's actually because he was too fast to get hit. I'm not kidding.
I'm quoting Mike Gorman by calling Paul Pierce's line "efficient." 13 points on 4-7 shooting (3-5 3pt fg). 2-2 from the line, 6 rebounds, 6 assists 3 steals.
The Jazz shot 47%, which is not great for the C's defense… but they missed all 10 of their 3's. The 21 turnovers is a good sign, though. So was the 28-18 3rd quarter for Boston.
The Celtics blew the doors off the Jazz while getting out-rebounded pretty handily. But the Celtics doubled up the Jazz in the assist column. 30 assists on 41 field goals made is a pretty amazing stat to me.
The Jazz just looked slow in this one. But they're a slow team. They're a half-court, grind it out, pick-and-roll team. The Celtics completely took them out of that tonight.
After the jump, the Rondo to KG alley oop.
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