Your Morning Dump: Where the Celtics are Rounding into Form

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.

“I was really pleased,” Stevens said. “I told them in [the locker room] they showed a lot of toughness over the last few weeks but certainly [in the last few days]. We played three games in 60 hours in three different cities. There was never an excuse. We were just going to play as hard and as well as we could.”

The Celtics sleepwalked early with the noon start, trailing, 37-31, midway through the second quarter before a 24-9 run gave them the lead until that final minute. The reserves were critical to the victory, as Smart and Kelly Olynyk combined for 31 points on 12-for-18 shooting, while little-used Gerald Green came off the bench with 8 points in 12 minutes.

Thomas has carried the Celtics in final quarters this season, tallying 18 against Oklahoma City in the fourth Friday. But he was just 2-for-8 shooting with 9 points in that span Sunday, though it seemed the Celtics would coast after Amir Johnson grabbed a Smart pass and scored a dunk for a 109-96 lead with 4:58 left.

Boston Globe

Despite some late game miscues, the Celtics emerged with a 119-114 victory versus the Knicks. In what was the first Christmas Day game in the Brad Stevens era, the Celtics blitzed the Knicks with a balanced scoring attack that had five players in double figures. They forced 17 turnovers, dished 25 assists (to the Knicks 11), and outscored the Knicks in bench points 41-19.

Kelly Olynyk had one of his best games of the season, scoring 16 points on an efficient 7/9 shooting. He previously had his season high against the Knicks on November 11th, scoring 19. Marcus Smart added 15 points and 7 assists, drilling the go-ahead three with 47 seconds remaining after Boston had squandered an 11 point lead, as they scored only one other field goal in the last five minutes. Smart shot 56 percent from the field, tying his highest mark of the season.

There was a brief scare at the end, as the Knicks scored 11 points in just over a minute and Isaiah Thomas took some late ill-advised shots. For a moment, it looked like the Knicks would steal the game. Instead, the Celtics improve to 18-13 with an eastern conference best 12-7 record on the road.

Related: MassLive | ESPN | Providence Journal | CSNNE | NESN

Page 2: Where The League is Noticing Avery Bradley

“I still think it’s hard for people to believe it,’’ he says of the talents that are emerging now, at age 26, in ways that cannot be ignored. “Because I am so quiet, you don’t really know what I’m thinking. You don’t know if I’m working hard on my game, you really don’t know.’’

…

“Growing up I was a different person than I am now,’’ Bradley says. “Now I’m the quiet, laid-back one, but I used to be the wild one in the group. I was like the bully. I got in a lot of fights growing up, and not just basketball fights.’’

…

“When you find players that are true two-way players, it’s pretty rare,’’ says Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “A coach can’t make that happen in somebody. They either do it or they don’t, and most don’t. It’s up to that individual who has the character to want to reach a certain level of competence at both ends of the floor. Avery is one of them, Kawhi is another one of them, and it is a coach’s dream when you have somebody like that.’’

NBA.com

These are just a few of the quotes from Ian Thomsen’s outstanding feature on Avery Bradley. It includes quotes from Gregg Poppovich, Doc Rivers, Brad Stevens, Danny Ainge, Isaiah Thomas, and Terry Rozier.

The article goes into Bradley’s journey to the NBA and his ascension to the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Bradley, while usually reserved, opens up about his struggles in some of the early years of the NBA. He also talks about some of the hazing he experienced in his early years. He was a rookie on a team with KG, Pierce, Ray Allen, Shaq, and Jermaine O’Neal. One can only imagine what he had to endure.

The article reaffirms everything we’ve seen from Bradley this season. He has emerged as one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He’s also proven to be more of a vocal leader this season, a sharp deviation from the quiet, soft-spoken player Boston has embraced.

Related: Fox Sports

Page 3: Where Marcus Smart is Finding his Niche in the Post

“We’ve talked a little bit about it — the ability to post Smart is helpful,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said after Smart notched 15 points and seven assists in a 119-114 win against the New York Knicks. “And when Smart can post on 1s it’s different than posting on wings.”

The Celtics went to a steady dose of Smart in the low post during a key first-half run. He drew a foul on the block, drilled a fadeaway jumper over Justin Holiday, and facilitated a whole bunch of offense for other guys. Even when Isaiah Thomas returned to the court, the Celtics continued to feed Smart close to the basket. Twice in a row, he drew enough defensive attention to free Thomas on the perimeter.

MassLive

Brad Stevens has increasingly leaned on Marcus Smart post-ups, and it was on full display during Sunday’s game. Against smaller guards Brandon Jennings, Derrick Rose, and Justin Holliday, the team seemingly relied on Smart to either score or pass out of post-ups whenever they needed a key bucket.

For the season, the Celtics are averaging 1.14 points per possession on Marcus Smart post-ups. He is shooting 63 percent on field goal attempts out of the post. Additionally, the team’s 59.1 percent scoring frequency from Smart post-ups ranks in the league’s 93rd percentile.

It’s no surprise that a 6’4” 230 pound player should have success bullying smaller guards closer to the basket. In order for these plays to be most effective, Smart should be playing point guard so smaller opponents are guarding him. That may mean fewer minutes for Terry Rozier, who received his first DNP-CD of the season against the Knicks. Coach Stevens could still continue to use his “power guard” Marucs Smart in creative ways, such as serving as the picker in the pick-and-roll.

And Finally…

Check out BBALLBREAKDOWN’s analysis of the Thunder-Celtics last five minutes from Friday. It details Steven Adams’ game-saving defense, some defensive lapses from the Celtics, questionable no-calls, among other insights.