With 8 minutes to go and a more than 20 point Knicks lead, undrafted and unknown rookie Chris Babb checked into the game. And all he did once he got on the floor was dominate.
Babb went 4-5 from 3 to score 12 points in those 8 minutes and help turn a 23 point deficit into a 2 point lead. He was joined by Phil Pressey (8 4th qtr points on 3-3 shooting) in the 4th quarter outburst, but his drive at the last second was blocked, giving the Knicks a 103-102 win.
The Green:
The comeback, obviously, was a LOT of fun. I honestly had chalked up the loss midway through the 4th quarter, but these undrafted guys had something to prove. I don’t think Babb won himself a spot anywhere on this team, but he did wake up the scouts that were in the crowd.
Gerald Wallace logged 16 minutes and finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. It’s already clear to me that the Celtics are an obviously better team with Wallace on the floor. Part of that is because he’s been in the league a long time, and he understands things about the game that a lot of these guys haven’t quite learned yet.
Vitor Faverani had a nice run where he had a couple of dunks and also a 3. I don’t want to turn this into Darko redux, but Fav is at least showing he’s got actual basketball skills and the ability to earn some minutes on this team.
Jared Sullinger, missed 3’s aside, once again had stretches where he was the best player on the floor despite him being out of shape. He was the team’s leading rebounder (6), and like Wallace, it felt like the team was just playing better most of the time he was on the floor. His conditioning will come back, the skills never went away.
Avery Bradley’s shooting touch looked great in a 10 point 3rd quarter outburst (the only thing good that happened in the 3rd, really).
The Gross:
Wallace’s left foot is wrapped in ice while he sits on C’s bench.
— Bill Doyle (@BillDoyle15) October 10, 2013
I hope this is precautionary.
The third quarter. That’s it. This section is called “The Gross,” and the third quarter was gross.
The comeback notwithstanding, the Celtics generally looked confused for large portions of the game. And while that’s to be expected, it’s still not easy to watch.
The Greenlights:
Vitor Faverani with the lefty poster…. and then a righty poster!
[youtube id=”eSIo2MsOGiU” width=”620″ height=”360″]What? A dunk party without Jeff Green? I don’t think so…
[youtube id=”FvfgwFxsWfU” width=”620″ height=”360″]The Grid:
- The Celtics out-rebounded the Knicks 36-34.
- Babb and Bradley were 6-8 from 3. The rest of the C’s were 4-16.
- Celtics shooting percentages: 1st Q: 33%, 2nd Q: 63%, 3rd Q: 42%, 4th Q: 59%
- Jeff Green was 4-10 for 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists.
- Brandon Bass had 5 assists, which would have been a career high if this was a regular season game.
Just some other quick notes:
Kelly Olynyk had some things happen in this game that were sort of “welcome to the NBA moments”… moves he made in Summer League that didn’t quite pan out here. His 4 point, 4 turnover, 1 rebound, 1 assist stat line doesn’t tell the whole story, but in many ways it’s a very accurate reflection of the adjustment he’s making as a rookie.
Up until that comeback, I was unimpressed with MarShon Brooks. He’s going to have to show more.
I know Kris Humphries played tonight, but I didn’t see a ton out of him. I don’t think that means much, but I’m sure someone who might not have seen the game might wonder why I haven’t mentioned him yet.
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