Celtics: Running Thread

by **MattyB** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:36 am

Celtics hold off Indiana Pacers

The Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-102, once again capitalizing on Isaiah Thomas' heroics in the fourth quarter.

Here are 10 things for Celtics fans to like/dislike.

In the first half, Isaiah Thomas was largely a distributor, operating in the pick-and-roll and dishing to teammates rather than looking for his own offense. It worked extremely well, particularly when Indiana had Al Jefferson on the floor -- the Celtics scored seemingly at will by singling out whomever Jefferson was guarding as the roll man in high pick-and-rolls.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.s ... ndian.html

by **MattyB** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 7:27 am

Boston Celtics fall to Oklahoma City

BOSTON -- The two most violent fourth-quarter scorers in the NBA nearly crashed into each other Friday night, but instead the wrecking balls passed by each other at different times. Isaiah Thomas struck first, Russell Westbrook swung next, and both of their teams must have felt petrified the entire time. Every night, it seems, those two menaces leave bodies behind them to bury. When they shared the court the earth did not tremble, the sky did not summon lightning and the clouds did not squeeze out rain, but the final quarter still turned into a most savage duel.

Thomas and Westbrook played downhill, angry basketball until the clock ran out and the Boston Celtics left the TD Garden with a 117-112 defeat. The guards would not have stopped for anything but the final buzzer, and even then one suspects they would have kept competing forever if somebody told them they could. That's just kind of what they do, no matter who steps in front of them. They scowl and scream and pile points on top of each other. When they did all of it on the same floor the theater cackled.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.s ... iver_index

by **MattyB** » Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:13 pm

C’s Hold On To Beat Knicks 119-114 In Christmas Thriller

Basketball fans got quite the present in the first game of the NBA’s Christmas Day slate.

The Boston Celtics outlasted the New York Knicks for a 119-114 win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in a game that featured highlight-reel dunks, a late Knicks surge and plenty of entertainment value.

Isaiah Thomas (27 points) led a balanced Celtics attack that saw six players reach double figures; Kelly Olynyk tallied 16 points while Al Horford stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/12/celtics-wrap-cs ... -thriller/

by **MattyB** » Wed Dec 28, 2016 7:26 am

Celtics continue hot streak, beat Grizzlies 113-103

The last time Isaiah Thomas played the Grizzlies, he dropped a career high 44 points. He didn’t quite match that, but he still kept up his “Eastern Conference Player of the Week” form. He extended his 20-points-in-a-game streak to 16, the longest in the NBA this season. He wasn’t alone though, as Avery Bradley (23 points) and Gerald Green (19) posted some nice scoring numbers as well.

The Grizzlies came into this game 8-0 in the second game of a back-to-back. They were without Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons, leaving them in need of scoring. Marc Gasol was ready to go though. Gasol was firing away from all over the court. Horford was in pretty good position defensively, but Gasol couldn’t miss. He finished with 12 in the quarter.

http://www.celticsblog.com/2016/12/27/1 ... es-113-103

by **MattyB** » Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:22 am

ZIZIC, YABUSELE EXPECTED TO PLAY FOR CELTICS NEXT SEASON

BOSTON -- Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele have put up big numbers playing overseas.

But will the Boston Celtics first round picks from last June do so in the NBA? We’ll find out next season, when both players are expected to be on the team’s roster.

“That is everybody’s plan right now,” Austin Ainge, Boston’s director of player personnel, told CSNNE on the CelticsTalk Podcast. “Things can change, but we really are excited about their development and their prospects for the future.”

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/ant ... ext-season

by **MattyB** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:42 am

Celtics comeback falls short in 124-118 loss to Cavaliers

CLEVELAND -- Incredibly, the Boston Celtics gave themselves a chance. They trailed by 20 points late in the third quarter and failed to get stops for most of the night, but flew back against the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers.

Late in the final minute, Isaiah Thomas raced around a screen, turned the other way and found teammate Jae Crowder open on the right wing. After a great comeback, Crowder's shot would have given the Celtics a one-point lead. Instead, it bounded off the rim and fell into Richard Jefferson's hands. The Cavaliers veteran hit two free throws with 8.5 seconds left, sealing the Celtics' 124-118 defeat.

Hours before his team gave up one 3-pointer after another throughout the first three quarters, Boston head coach Brad Stevens cautioned not to overreact to anything that happened in the game. Regardless of the score on a single night, Stevens knows, the Celtics are not ready yet to compete with the Cavaliers for anything that matters. Most of Thursday night's game suggested Stevens might know what he's talking about. The comeback, though, showed great spirit.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.s ... al_14.html

by **MattyB** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:33 am

Thomas drops 52 on the Heat in Celtics win

BOSTON -- The remnants of Isaiah Thomas' ice bath lay scattered across the Boston Celtics locker room. His teammates had decided to celebrate the All-Star point guard by dumping a bucket of ice over his head. Thomas' youngest son had been hit, too, but nobody seemed too bothered. Thomas shook his head and declared he did not like his first ice bath experience, but let's be honest: he would take one every night if he could always score so many points in a win.

"Damn, dawg," Gerald Green called out from across the locker room. "It's like that, I.T.?"

It was like that. With the Celtics threatening to drop the final game of a long December, Thomas erupted for 29 fourth-quarter points, giving him a career-high 52 for the night. None of his teammates scored more than two points in the final quarter, but it didn't matter because the King in the Fourth transformed into a waterfall of buckets. Only one player in NBA history had ever scored more points in a fourth quarter than Thomas conjured during the 117-114 win: Wilt Chamberlain on the night he totaled 100.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/index. ... oints.html

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celt ... _past_heat

by **MattyB** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:01 am

Celtics have to fix their rebounding issue

As Jae Crowder missed the potentially game-winning shot at the end of the fourth quarter and the Celtics fell 124-118 in a heartbreaking finish against the Cavaliers, one of the Celtics’ streaks stayed alive. Although they dropped this one and were out-rebounded 46-29, Boston remains undefeated when they win a rebounding battle against the opposing team.

As good as that sounds, it illustrates an underlying issue. In 33 games the Celtics have only won eight rebounding battles. That’s right, the Celtics are 8-0 when they out-rebound the opposing team, and it’s only happened in 24% of their games. They’re now 11-14 in contests where the opposing team hauls in more boards, though five (or 20%) of those games were decided by three rebounds or less.

http://www.celticsblog.com/2016/12/31/1 ... etball-nba

by **MattyB** » Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:50 am

Thomas has 29 points, career-high 15 assists as Celtics top Utah

BOSTON -- After Jae Crowder missed a close layup minutes into the third quarter, Isaiah Thomas spun toward the opposite baseline. Crowder got fouled on the play anyway, but Thomas appeared to share some words with his teammate from halfcourt. With a wave, he might have been asking, "How did you mess up that assist?"

As far as I'm aware, the Celtics do not have any internal beef growing. But they could joke with each other as they ruined the Utah Jazz's elite defense and tipped off the New Year with a 115-104 victory -- their largest win since Dec. 7.

Joe Johnson kept things from getting out of hand during the fourth quarter, but the Celtics replied every time Utah tried to seize a real comeback opportunity. Thomas swayed into a 3-pointer, Al Horford popped in a couple of key buckets, and Avery Bradley drained a pair of fourth-quarter triples to keep the lead near double-digits or above it. This wasn't the Celtics' most successful defensive effort, but it didn't matter because they never stopped scoring.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.s ... iver_index

More:

NBA Mock Draft 2017: Boston Celtics take Lonzo Ball in latest Chad Ford list: https://www.masslive.com/celtics/index. ... n_cel.html

Best Potential 2016-17 NBA Trade Deadline Targets for Boston Celtics: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2684 ... n-celtics#

by **MattyB** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:16 am

Crowder's Mixed Feelings About Celtics Fans Should Be Mutual

BOSTON—Every team in today’s NBA wants and needs someone like Jae Crowder. He’s strong and quick enough to defend multiple positions, and ignoring him beyond the arc has become a death sentence.

He's the epitome of an emotional leader who doesn't hesitate to call out teammates who aren't playing up to his standard. Crowder’s fire spilled onto social media after a 21-point performance against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night (in which he nailed a season-high five threes), when he felt disrespected by Celtics fans who cheered for Gordon Hayward during player introductions.

But the outburst doesn't change his up-and-down value to the Celtics.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2685 ... -be-mutual