Marcus Smart Saves The Day And Perhaps The Season
Talk about wave of emotions. While most of you were probably watching Kentucky blow it, the Celtics had their biggest win of the season up in Canada. Let’s take a look at what we learned last night as we creep right back into the playoffs….
Playing in the second night of a back to back, I would say I was fairly confident even though that is completely ridiculous logic. Somehow, the Celts had won 6 in a row playing in this scenario which is legitimately impossible. Unfortunately, they would start flat. Maybe the worst shot you can take in the NBA is a long two, and the Celts have made it clear that they are going to live and die by that shot.
Offensively the Celtics really had nothing going on, and defensively was not much better as they would find themselves in an early hole.
Watching this game it was hard not to realize what an asshole Tyler Hansbrough is. For some reason he always kills the Celtics and last night would be no different. He is that player who tries super hard all the time, fouls all the time, but never thinks he did anything wrong. I don’t know why he bothers me but he does.
The tone of this game would change in the second quarter. Somehow the Celtics woke up and DESTROYED the Raptors in this frame. They shared the ball, played solid defense, and played with an energy that I wish they brought out in the third quarter against Milwaukee. Before we knew it that 12 pt deficit was gone and the Celts were right back in it.
Enough cannot be said about how well Tyler Zeller has played down the stretch. Another huge 20 pt 9 reb game you literally could not ask him to do more as he even hit huge FT when it mattered most. He is making it very hard for Trader Danny to not keep him around.
Interestingly enough, Evan Turner has been just as good, and believe me I am genuinely shocked. He has been on a tear and essentially kept the Celts in this game all by himself.
Before we dive into the man of the night, Isaiah is quietly avg like 24 a game over the last couple and looks 100% back to normal if you ask me. He takes a lot of shots, but his bench production is CRUCIAL if this team wants to make any noise.
Now, Marcus fucking Smart. The guy might have the biggest onions on the team, and they were on full display last night. We’ve seen it in the past, whether it was a huge three from the parking lot, or a huge defensive stop, this kid is going to be a legit stud. About three or four times he attempted what would have been a back breaking three, but missed, and I found myself praying that just one would fall.
Boy, were we rewarded. It would start with that heavily contested corner three with like 30 seconds left, swish. After Lou Williams hit a easy three himself it all came down to the last possession.
Coming out of a timeout, Brad Stevens has shown he is the best in the league. Only problem was once the Celts inbounded the ball all hell broke loose. Boy genius saved the day by calling a quick timeout with 2.3 seconds and well, the rest is history
With this win the Celts move back into the 8th spot and quite frankly the 7th seed is a legit possibility. They have now won 7 in a row on the second night of a back to back and if IND beats MIA today they will control their own destiny.
Hold on tight this is going to be a crazy finish.
Go Celtics.