Boston Celtics: Three Stars on Opening Night
The Boston Celtics may have fallen on the road to the Toronto Raptors tonight, but they showed signs of life and backed me up when I argued that this team is going to be a tougher out than many people expect. Let’s look at my three stars for the evening.
Oct 30, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics forward Kris Humphries (43) dunks against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 93-87. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Third Star: Kris Humphries.
I was tempted to go with Vitor Faverani for this one, but Faverani got into foul trouble, and was a -17 for the evening, to boot. Humphries, meanwhile, wound up at +12 and took advantage of every minute he was on the floor. There he was in the second period, blocking a shot at the very last minute to start a Celtics’ fast break. When things were slipping away from the Cs in the fourth quarter, there Humphries was, hustling down the court to slam in a missed layup to keep the team’s faint hopes alive. Humphries was all energy, all night long, getting 8 pts, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. He earned some loving from Celtics fans tonight.
Second Star: Brandon Bass
Oct 30, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass (30) on the opening tip off during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Bass just turned in a solid overall game. The Celtics were +12 with him on the floor, thanks in large part due to his 17 points tonight. He was a huge reason why the Cs ended the third period tied, as his 10 in the period helped Boston claw out of a 16 point hole. He was super efficient on offense (6-7) and committed only one turnover, while stealing the ball twice. Really solid start from Bass.
First Star: Jeff Green
Oct 30, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green (8) battles Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 93-87. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Hey – will you look at that? Take Green, Bass, and Humphries, and you have the ONLY three Celtics who ended the night with a positive +/- rating tonight. What a coincidence!
Anyway, Green was the man tonight, a title which I hope he is ready to claim all season long. He led all scorers tonight with 25 points on 50% shooting; he attacked the rim and got to the line 9 times; he grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 2 dimes; and he even managed one steal and one blocked shot. He and Bass carried the Celtics in the third and made a game out of what could have easily been a blow out. In other words, he stepped up to the challenge tonight, which is what the Boston Celtics need him to do for, oh, only 81 more games.
No problem!
Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts with me below, or @theamazing MrS!