The Celtics played fantastic basketball for 2 1/2 quarters tonight. The offense was crisp and efficient. They pushed the tempo. They relentlessly attacked the offensive glass. The result was a 22-point lead (72-50) midway through the 3rd quarter.
And then it all stopped. Everything stopped.
The Celtics offense devolved as the game wore on. The fast break opportunities disappeared. The half-court offense resembled a one-on-five contest. Meanwhile, the Bucks just kept chipping away. The Celtics frustration with their own play was enhanced by the Zaza Pachulia (20 points, 9 rebounds) flopfest. Milwaukee outscored Boston 34-15 in the 4th quarter en route to the 105-98 victory.
It’s impossible to win in this league without a point guard and an elite scorer. Even when the guys are playing tremendous team ball, they’ll inevitably need someone to control the offense and/or make difficult shots.
Did you see Gerald Wallace’s facial expression as the game ended? I bet he was thinking – “This is going to be a crappy season.”
The Green
Vitor Faverani! Holy sh*t, this dude can play. His stat line: 12 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Brandon Bass had 17 points (6-11 FG) and 9 rebounds. I loved the aggression on offense.
Rajon Rondo addressed the fans prior to tip-off wearing a fake beard. A bad fake beard, but it was a cool tribute to the Red Sox.
The Gross
Avery Bradley fouled out with 8 points on 4-14 FG. Jeff Green started strong but finished with just 13 points.
It’s not really fair to highlight two guys when the entire team collapsed in the 2nd half.
Greenlights
Faverani with the putback dunk
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkCVX_8MYWw]Bradley goes behind the back to Green
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv7nT1kJpG4]Fans give Bill Russell a lengthy standing ovation
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc0RF_Cj_CQ]The Grid
- The Celtics missed 12 FTs (26-38)
- Jared Sullinger played 10 minutes
- Kris Humphries DNP-CD
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