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He tied his season high with 15 minutes. Not even the hard foul was going to bother him.
“He’s my young fella, I had him as a rookie,” Wallace said of Henderson, a player he used to mentor, after the Celtics’ 116-104 win over Charlotte. “There’s no hard feelings. It was a love tap. He probably missed me, that’s all.”
Make no mistake about the satisfaction Wallace carried out of last night’s game, though. The dunk, in particular, signaled that his surgically-repaired left knee may finally be feeling better.
“It was more of a heat check, I’d say, just to see how the knee feels, see what goes on,” he said.
“If I’m not able to perform or do what I’m used to, I’m going to rest myself. I’m not going to go out there and just play halfway. I only know how to play one way. I don’t want to go out there and jeopardize the team or the success that we’re having.”
With that in mind, Wallace wisely went for the less dangerous layup when alone under the basket later in the game.
“I thought about dunking,” he said. “But I’m taking it baby steps, one dunk at a time.”
All told, Brad Stevens’ hunch to go with his team elder was a good one last night.
“Sometimes as a coach you have to go with your gut on some things,” the Celtics coach said. “Gerald played here for a long time. Last year when we were here and won, Gerald played great. I always know what kind of boost he’s going to give us. We always want to play with a defensive mindset, and it felt this was a good night for him to come out and get us going. He was just really engaged.”
Props to Gerald Wallace for being a true professional and playing hard whenever his named is called. There are plenty of veterans in this league who don’t act this way.
But I sometimes wonder if Brad Stevens calls Wallace’s number just to send a message to the rest of the team. A message along the lines of – “You all are playing so bad, I have to play Gerald.”
I love how Gerald maintained his cool when Henderson threw that forearm into his ribs. That’s the kind of attitude you need to display in the playoffs. Play hard, but keep your head.
I hope Marcus Smart is taking notice.
Related: ESPN Boston – Wallace soars in limited role | CSNNE – Vintage Wallace makes appearance
On Page 2, we’ve located Marcus Smart’s offense.
In the five games prior to Monday’s matchup with Charlotte, Smart was shooting just 24.1 percent from the field and averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Smart had 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field along with four assists, three steals and a highlight reel-quality blocked shot.
“He was really good,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens who added that Smart had some late-game turnovers that “hopefully he won’t have in the future.”
But overall, Stevens was pleased with Smart’s play.
While the shot-making was certainly needed for both Smart and the Celtics, the true barometer for how well he plays has to be viewed through a defense-centric lense.
“Defensively, just helping my teammates, stopping my man here and there,” Smart said. “But what am I dong when my teammate’s guy has the ball. Am I in the right spot to help those guys?”
You’re not going to get far in this league shooting 24%, so it’s a relief to see Smart actually make shots.
But man, this kid’s defense continues to impress. Not only does he excel at the gritty, man-to-man defense, but he’s capable of making splashy plays, too.
This hustle block on Kemba Walker was a beauty.
And finally, Andrew Wiggins and Rudy Gobert take turns posterizing one another.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpynaCsKVo8] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgcn–ETtPo]Wiggins had another dunk on Gobert so he wins the match, 2-1. Wow!
The rest of the links:
CSNNE – Bradley doing his part to keep Celtics in chase | Herald – Celtics beat Hornets to bolster playoff chance | ESPN – Celtics set for 1st national TV game | Globe – Bradley, Celtics beat Hornets
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