Here we are 70 games into the season and your rebuilding Celtics are currently in the playoffs after last night’s win. After a rocky road trip, and a surprising loss to the Pistons, the Celtics were in danger of being leapfrogged by the Brooklyn Nets with a loss at Barclays. But behind a strong team effort ,the Celtics were able to defeat the Nets 110-91. Here’s what we liked and didn’t like.
UP
1. “Welcome Back Kelly Olynyk”
It’s been well-documented how much Kelly Olynyk has struggled to get his offensive groove back following his return from the ankle injury. Last night Olynyk looked like his old-self, stretching the floor, making the right basketball plays, and he even had some impressive defensive efforts that got the Celtics going. We know he’s an up and down player, but hopefully he can maintain this high to finish out the season. He finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
2. Tyler Zeller
He’s been really showing up this month and it’s been great to see. Zeller is starting to make a living feasting on slow-footed bigs, and Brook Lopez was his next victim. The young center went toe-to-toe with Lopez and although Lopez won the scoring battle (31 points), Zeller won the game, and made more of an all-around impact. He finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
3. Gold grills and Triple-dubs
As the primary ball-handler, Evan Turner made amends in a big way for his horrible outing against Detroit. He stayed in control, got to his spots on offense, found open teammates, and played some pretty solid defense. It was one of those nights that reminded you that this dude used to be this guy. Turner finished the game with an impressive 18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, and showed off an awesome gold grill during his postgame interview.
4. “As Probable as you can be”
Wednesday night could be the night Isaiah Thomas returns and it would be against the Miami Heat, the last team he played against. The Celtics have survived his absence (going 5-3 during the stretch) and now sit alone in the 8th seed. They control their own destiny, and will need all hands on deck to solidify their playoff push.
DOWN
1. Brook Lopez
He torched Boston for 31 points while shooting an efficient 12/19 from the floor. He was Brooklyn’s best player by a mile, but for some reason they turned away from him late in the game.
2. Brandon Bass
I’m sorry it had to be you bro.
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3. Free Throws
The Nets shot 30 free throws to the Celtics 14. Officials were a little unfair with the whistle, but thanks to some horrible Nets shooting (1/17 from three), it didn’t have much of an impact.
4. No GiGi??
Stevens went with a tight lineup today choosing to go with size and rebounding over offense which meant no Luigi Datome. Watching Twitter erupt everytime he hits a shot is one of the more entertaining storylines of the season. Hopefully we get to see him Wednesday night against Miami.
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