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The end result, then, was all too familiar: Another loss, this time a 94-88 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at TD Garden. Boston has dropped five of its last six, its only win coming after a rally against the winless Philadelphia 76ers. And yet the frustration that has permeated the team’s locker room after recent defeats was replaced with a curious optimism that, if Boston can continue to play defense like it did against one of the league’s most potent offenses, it’s going to give itself a chance to truly compete on a nightly basis.
“I don’t know that I’ve been as encouraged as this time,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I don’t feel the same because I’ve felt like we were kind of hanging onto whether or not we made shots, or how we played on the offensive end. And that wasn’t the case today, so that’s why I leave here encouraged. I think, as we enter a five-day stretch before we play two more contenders, we have something to build off of, instead of just trying to believe we can do it without any real proof. So today is good proof for us.”
Here’s Stevens’ proof: Boston’s defensive rating for the game was 95.3, or 11.6 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s head-shaking season average. Boston still sits 25th in defensive rating, but Sunday’s effort is something to hang its hat on considering the Blazers entered the game with the third-best offensive rating in the league. Over Boston’s last three games, the team’s defensive rating is 99.3, which would position the team in the top 10 in the league.
ESPN Boston – Defensive effort buoys Celtics despite loss
There are just two more games remaining in this brutal, November schedule gauntlet for the Celtics, which means hopefully we can stop writing about silver linings in losses as the opponents become a little less legit (that means you: Kobe, Swaggy and Robert Sacre). Stevens and the Cs do have reasons to be genuinely optimistic following last night, as it’s been the defense lagging behind a surprisingly potent, high-paced offense for the duration of the season’s opening month.
The defensive effort affirmed for many pundits and fans exactly what was expected on that end of the floor before the season started. The Celtics –even sans Marcus Smart– would guard the perimeter with tenacity (Damian Lillard and Wes Matthews were a combined 8/21 with 7 turnovers), yet struggle with back-to-the-basket bigs (36 combined for LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Kaman).
Let me be the 5,000th person in the last decade to reference Doc’s adage “it’s a make miss league.” Brad Stevens can live with a bad shooting half, which ultimately did the Celtics in against one of the west’s best. The strong defensive effort could lead to wins in December and Stevens is not the only one who is sanguine about the team’s immediate future.
Rondo, who has been a beacon of optimism during Boston’s struggles, remains convinced the team is close to a breakthrough.
“I’m always optimistic,” he said. “I truly believe in this team and we’ve got a lot of great pieces on this team. … We’re just going to stay consistent, stay positive and keep chugging away.”
The biggest question entering the season wasn’t if the Celtics would have a losing record come the end of November, but what morale would be like at the turn of the calendar. The captain, who is never afraid to speak his mind and show his frustrations, is on board.
Related Links: Mass Live – Brad Stevens: Boston Celtics can build off defensive effort against Portland Trail Blazers | NESN – Brad Stevens sees reason for optimism in Celtics’ loss to Blazers
On Page 2, Jeff Green clears the air
The other day, CSNNE.com quoted Green discussing his frustration with losing in Memphis. Because the article cited a league executive who considers Green’s trade market as strong as, or even stronger than, Rajon Rondo’s, the article was picked up by a number of other media outlets.
Somewhere down the blogging line, Green’s words were taken out of context. At some point, a fan tweeted this to Green.
That tweet may not have set the small forward off, but something did. Green normally changes before speaking to the media, but on this night, still in his uniform, he rushed to address the reporters assembled in the Celtics locker room.
“Before you start,” Green said, “I just want to clear the air about some B.S. rumor that came out. I don’t know if the person who made this article is in this (media scrum), but the rumor about me wanting to get traded is definitely false. I said I was frustrated with losing, not frustrated with the team. So the words didn’t come from my mouth. I’d appreciate it if you not write a dumbass article like that.”
Mass Live – Jeff Green squashes what he considers ‘B.S.’ rumor that he wants Boston Celtics to trade him
Well, that escalated, and then deescalated quickly. Strong words from Green, whose comportment off the court is usually consistent with his off-nights on the court– lacking aggression. These guys get interviewed by so many media outlets, whose stories are read by so many regular Joes, all of whom have liberty to post whatever they want on the web. Words are bound to be taken out of context. Jeff’s urgency in squashing the rumor gives his claim legitimacy. Hopefully this is the only time we’ll need to write about it this year, unless, of course, Trader Danny decides to make it a story at the trade deadline.
Related Links: CSNNE – Green Unhappy with report questioning his future with C’s | ESPN Boston – Jeff Green: trade rumor is false
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