We often wonder what opposing teams, their beat reporters and bloggers are saying about the Celtics. Here’s a look at some enemy chatter from Philadelphia.
“Kevin Garnett was spectacular, he was great,” Collins said after his team fell to 11-9 on the season. “Our guys fought. We cut it to eight and Garnett came in and bang, bang, bang, he sort of put it out of reach. I guarantee you Kevin Garnett didn’t have the freshest legs out there tonight but his mind was the sharpest and that is what we have to build. But you only do it by going through tough competition. I was proud of our guys but Boston teaches you what the next level is about.”
“He has experience and a lot of it,” Jrue Holiday said of the 36-year-old Garnett, who is now in his 18th NBA season. “He has experience with championships and the Finals and a million playoffs and he probably has played a million-and-a-half minutes so he has a body of experience. He knows what to do, he knows how to get to his spots and he knows on back-to-backs what it is going to be like.”
“The difference between us right now and a team like the Celtics … the Celtics have a mental toughness born through championships, and night in and night out being the team that you have to play every single night, because teams come with their best efforts. They mentally have an incredible approach,” Collins concluded.
Not to take anything away from KG, but Doug Collins doesn’t have it exactly right. While Garnett did make a 17-footer and nail a technical free throw to expand the lead from 8 to 11, it was Jeff Green and Brandon Bass that really did the damage after Philly’s comeback.
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like KG is finally finding his range from 16-23 feet. Six of his nine field goals in this game came from his mid-range sweet spot. Garnett is shooting 43% from mid-range this season, the lowest percentage since coming to Boston.
On the flip side, KG is shooting 79% at the rim and 60% from 3-9 feet – his highest percentage in Boston.
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