The Celtics were simply overmatched in their 102-93 loss against the Clippers in the Martin Luther King Day afternoon special. It was a disappointing performance for most of the game, but the Celtics made a little bit of a comeback at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth, cutting the Clippers lead to single digits. That being said, if Doc didn’t have to play his bench players, the Celtics may have lost this game by 40. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had no problem with any of the Celtics frontcourt players, as Griffin finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists and Jordan had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks.
For the Celtics, Marcus Thornton did his best to make a game of it in the fourth, scoring 10 points in the quarter, but when the Clippers went back to their starters the Celtics weren’t able to get enough stops to complete the comeback. Olynyk and Smart played well, finishing tied for a team high in plus/minus with +11. Smart scored 14 points to go along with 7 assists and Olynyk had 11 points and 7 rebounds.
This was the type of game (and I’m sure there will be more throughout the road trip) that makes you wonder how many wins the Celtics would have if they played in the Western Conference. The Clippers are currently ranked 6th out West, and they handled the Celtics with relative ease despite some hot shooting late by the Cs.
The Green
The Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk combination is fun to watch. Smart is a defensive wizard. His instincts are on the level of an NBA veteran on that end of the floor. He’s still taking too many shots from long range (7 of his 8 shot attempts were from 3 today) but he’s showed that he’s capable of setting up his teammates and knocking down some shots. Once the 20-year-old adds some more dribble penetration to his game, he will be a dangerous player. Olynyk, I would argue, is the Celtics most important offensive player. When he’s on the floor the Celtics perform markedly better on that end. So pairing Smart’s defense and Olynyk’s offense on the second unit really makes a lot of sense.
Evan Turner quietly had a solid game, notching a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while adding 6 assists. He shouldn’t be a starting point guard in the NBA, but he may be building a role for himself as a solid back up point who can do a little bit of everything. Whether he carries on his starting role with the Celtics or is picked up by another team remains to be seen.
Speaking of trade value, Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton both helped themselves out today with nice performances. Both of these guys could help a contender, the question is what would the Celtics get in return. No one is going to surrender a first for either, and a second round pick from a contender is bound to be a late pick. Both are on expiring contracts as it is, so Boston wouldn’t gain anything by swapping them out for some other expiring deals without getting something more. As the deadline approaches, it will be interesting to see what kind of interest these two get.
The Gross
The biggest thing that jumped out at me during this game was that the Celtics don’t have anyone in the frontcourt who can even compete with the league’s best. They had no answer for Griffin and Jordan, who looked like men amongst boys. Hopefully a game like this will provide motivation for Zeller and Olynyk to hit the weight room. Still, the Cs badly need some athleticism up front.
Jae Crowder only played 13 minutes today. Tayshaun Prince, meanwhile, saw 19 minutes in his Celtics debut. Since Crowder had his breakout game, he hasn’t done a whole lot. It’s interesting to see Stevens going away from him when he praised Crowder’s presence on the court so much initially.
Avery Bradley had a disappointing game, scoring 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting. He has been getting better, but can’t seem to shake some inconsistent performances, which isn’t surprising for a guy who is a streaky shooter and rarely gets to the foul line.
The Greenlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s15KhzDgvaE
The Grid
- The Celtics shot just 29% in the first half
- The Celtics second unit outplayed the Clippers second unit, as Smart, Thornton, Prince, Bass and Olynyk all had positive plus/minus ratings
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