Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“We’ve run it before … we just wanted to get it into Evan’s hands and then Avery had an option off of a single pin-down after Marcus Thornton had curled his guy to try to create a little bit of havoc,” explained Stevens. “Avery has scored off that play against Denver, to win … [and he] scored off that play against somebody else, a big shot late.
“Evan has the option to drive. And I knew when I told Evan he had the option to drive, I knew that he was not probably going to get rid of the ball. I thought he was going to try to take it and make a play. One thing about Evan is he’s big, with the ability to handle the ball, so he’s going to be able to get a shot like he got off, like that, from a similar area to where he beat us last year when he was playing for Philadelphia.”
Turner said he never fears big-game shots, and his only hesitation was the glare Bradley shot him when the ball didn’t come his way as he came off the screen at the top of the key.
“I made the move and [Bradley] was like, ‘S—, Evan!'” said Turner. “I was like, ‘You’re going to hug me in a second.'”
Turner, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer in Portland to ignite Boston’s recent stretch of close wins, said he was confident he could get a quality shot off by driving.
“I always feel like, once I [change direction], I have a defender where I want them,” said Turner. “I went one way, [Carroll] cut me off, and it’s pretty much a setup to get them on my hip or get my shoulder past their hip to get a shot.”
Evan Turner is one of the ultimate “what the hell are you doing?… that was awesome” players in the league.
There are (many) times where he dribbles around the court like a 5-year old dribbling with his palms. You can’t tell in which direction he’s headed or what he’s going to do with the ball.
But you gotta give the man his due. He’s clutch. How many game-tying or game winning shots has he made this season? 3? 4?
We are nearly two-thirds through this season and the C’s remain on the fringe (1.5 games out) of the 8th seed in the East.
I’m going to wait on the trade deadline before I fully embrace this playoff “run” and abandon all realistic hopes of a top-3 lottery pick.
On Page 2, no Rising Stars Challenge for Kelly Olynyk.
The sprained right ankle Olynyk suffered three weeks ago in Portland kept him out of his 11th straight game last night, and he has not made enough progress to participate in the league’s event, in which first- and second-year players will face off in a World vs. U.S. format.
“He’s not ready to play yet,” said coach Brad Stevens before the Celtics took on Atlanta. “He’s going to get treated again, just do his typical day (today) and then he’s going to head to New York City for whatever activities that he’s going to do for part of his NBA appearance with the game and being selected to the game.
“Then we’ll see him in Sacramento, and the idea is that hopefully he’ll be able to practice soon thereafter the All-Star break. Whether he’s able to practice Wednesday, we don’t know yet. That’d still be pushing it probably.”
…
This is not Olynyk’s first big ankle sprain, but it’s his worst.
“This time I couldn’t even walk or put pressure on it for four or five days,” he said. “The last one was a little bit better in terms of being able to get around and stuff.”
We knew Kelly’s chances of playing in this game were remote.
He’ll head to NYC, make a few league required appearances, hit Scores VIP room and then come back to Boston fully rested and relaxed.
And finally, Drake sniffs Paul Pierce’s jock.
The rest of the links:
Herald – Time for Celtics to show late fight from start | C’s hook biggest catch | Stevens eyes respite, stability | CSNNE – Suddenly playoffs in reach | Smart comes up big after tough first half | Globe – Celtics get past East leading Hawks | Extra downtime gives Stevens time to assess | ESPN Boston – Celtics soar into break thinking playoffs |
(image courtesy Boston Globe)
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