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.
Evan Turner, though, remains one of the most consistent Celtics in crunch time, especially with the ball in his hands. The swingman came off the bench with 20 points against the Lakers, was part of the rotation charged with guarding Kobe Bryant, and nearly salvaged the night with an 11-point fourth quarter.
Turner included his usual array of weapons in that attack — mid-range pull-up jumpers and twisting drives.
“I think sometimes I balance in between looking (to) pass and (the) first thing is flashing at the post and looking for my shot,” he said of getting started. “I got to the rim, I attacked, and I used my strong body and made plays.”
That’s when the results invariably come.
“I think once I commit to attacking, for sure,” he said. “I think fortunately enough I have a way I move so I can get any shot I want, to a certain extent. And I think when I put my shoulder down and go to the rack, I can finish decently well.
“Just attack,” said Turner. “I think I try to attack fast, make the most of out of it. And when I finished attacking, I tried to make the right play, getting guys for assists, and try to make it happen from there.”
Everyone loves to poke fun at Evan Turner but one aspect of his game that you cannot deny is his ability to perform in the clutch.
He practically carried the Celtics on his back in the 4th quarter of Wednesday’s debacle against the Lakers (I’m still fuming.)
The reason for Turner’s success is his mid-range game and ability to get to the rim. Yes, the same reasons that make him less desirable in today’s 3-point heavy game. Many guys fall into the hero ball trap of jacking up 3s. Not Turner. He stays with his game and works for his shot.
Don’t change, Evan. Okay, maybe change just a little.
On Page 2, Marcus Smart has yet to talk about the flat-tire benching.
#Celtics Brad Stevens said Marcus Smart reached out to team after flat tire, but bottom line was that rest of team was there, he wasn’t.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) January 1, 2016
#Celtics guard Marcus Smart was not available to fulfill media’s request for him to speak before today’s practice – having back treatments.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) January 1, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
We don’t know much about the pre-game flat tire that resulted in Smart’s 1st half benching. But I’m curious if Stevens would punish Smart had he called immediately and explained the situation.
And finally, is an outdoor game in the Celtics future?
One thing that Stevens did seem intrigued by was the idea of whether his Celtics could ever play an outdoor game in the region.
“I think it’s been talked about,” said Stevens. “The aircraft [Carrier Classic] game, there was moisture-on-the-court issues, and so I don’t know if they still do those or not. I know that was certainly something that was, from a fun event standpoint, and from everything else, it was a cool idea. And then obviously you want to create an idea that creates not a big threat of injury.
“But I’ve heard it being bounced around [the Celtics organization], that we would do an outdoor game in early October or something to that nature. And that’d be fun if it was done right and you could ensure that the playing surface was as good as the playing surfaces we play on every day.”
File under: I’m interested.
Happy New Year to all our readers. We appreciate you more than you know. Here’s hoping you can relax today and watch the Bruins kick some Montreal ass.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
