The Celtics lost to the Raptors 110-107 in a game that was theirs for the taking. It was one of those games that reminds how much this team still have to learn. As frustrating as the loss was theirs still some bright spots, and some things that are correctable in helping us overcome games like this. Let’s get into the positives.
FOUR UP
1: Rajon Rondo
Rondo’s been flirting with triple double numbers this whole season, and tonight he finally notched his first one. It was in a losing effort, but he looked in total control of the offense and everyone around him looked better when he was on the floor. A healthy Rondo should keep the Celtics in every single game, and boy is he fun to watch when he’s pushing the pace.
2: Jeff Green is… Consistent?
I don’t know about you guys, but after Green’s big performance against the Mavericks I was expecting him to give us one of those vintage poor performances that he usually does after a good game. Instead, Green continued his good play scoring 20 points, throwing 3 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks though he did have four turnovers which we’ll talk about later. A consistent Jeff Green will be huge for Boston, not only does it make them a better team, but his market value could become huge come the trade deadline.
3: Marcus Smart making an impact offensively
We all know how gifted Marcus Smart is on the defensive end, but it was great to see him make an impact on the other end. Smart had back to back 3’s in the first half, and made another one late in the game that tied it up late in the fourth. Smart is continuing to show how reliable he is late in games, and it’s very positive to see. Though Kyle Lowry had his way with him at times, and he had a costly turnover late this in the game the overall the experience was good for Smart. A rookie getting to play in multiple late game scenarios is a big plus for development.
4: Owning the Paint
The Celtics owned the game in the post out-rebounding the Raptors 55-24 and 17-6 on the offensive glass lead by Sullinger who grabbed 16 rebounds. Boston had 3 player with 10 rebounds and more (Rondo, Sullinger, and Olynyk). Boston also outscored the Raptors in the paint 52-44, and this season Boston has scored 50 plus points in the paint in three of the four games. So much for living and dying by the 3 huh?
FOUR DOWN
1: The Turnovers
The turnovers were the number one reason the Celtics lost this game. Of the 27 turnovers the starters combined for 15 of them highlighted by 5 from Rondo and 4 a piece from Bradley and Green. Like the 1/25 game I don’t think that this would continue to be an overwhelming problem, but man did it ruin the perfect time to beat the best team in the division.
2: Evan Turner
After the preseason I was hoping for Turner to make big contributions for our bench, not the case. Turner doesn’t seem capable of running the offense from the point guard position highlighted by his five turnovers. And off the ball his spacing is horrible since he decides to just park in the paint till he gets the ball and settles for fall away jumpers. Turner was a -10 on the court, Only Bass was worse at -15. With four fouls, five turnovers, and twelve minutes of action it’s performances like this that make you wonder if signing him to a multi-year deal was even worth it.
3: Overall Bench Play
As much as I want to hamper down on how poorly Turner played, the whole bench with the exception of Marcus Smart didn’t look too impressive. Brandon Bass, Marcus Thorton, Tyler Zeller, and Evan Turner combined for -40 off the bench. Bass seems less aggressive, Thorton can’t find his shot, Zeller looks a step slow, and Turner just doesn’t look like he can play without the ball constantly in his hands. It’s only a matter of time before Stevens gets James Young some minutes who if nothing else can provide a scoring punch off the bench.
4: Defending Toronto’s Backcourt
One of the staples for the Celtics this season was supposed to be perimeter defense. Last night that just wasn’t the case. Lowry and Derozan tuned up the Celtics for 58 points. Derozan did struggle from the field shooting 9/25, but Lowry had his way with Rondo, Smart, and Bradley on his way to 35 points on 12/17 shooting. Lowry and Derozan are arguably the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference so shutting them down is no easy task, and shouldn’t be expected by any combination of players. However, their needs to be a better game-plan when defending the two or we won’t make be getting any wins against the Raptors this season.
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