Celtics – Magic: Three Stars
Nov 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Avery Bradley (0) drives between Orlando Magic small forward Maurice Harkless (21), center Nikola Vucevic (9) and power forward Jason Maxiell (54) during the first quarter of Boston
What a game!
If you are a fan of the Boston Celtics – and why wouldn’t you be? You’re here, aren’t you? – you had to enjoy Boston’s dismantling of the Orlando Magic last night. From start to finish, this was an impressive showing by head coach Brad Stevens’ bunch . . . and now I’m left, attempting to single out three players who stood out to me the most. Not an easy task, considering seven players managed to score in double digits, but I’m foolish enough to give it a shot, so let’s do this.
Third Star: Kelly Olynyk
Nov 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson (14) passes the ball between Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) and Boston Celtics shooting guard Jordan Crawford (27) during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Olynyk scored 16 points on a super-efficient 7-for-9 shooting performance. He also led all Celtics in rebounds (7) and had the second-most assists on the team last night (5). His hustle is going to make him a huge fan favorite, his ability to shoot the three is going to drive opposing big men crazy, and his ability to find open teammates is just delicious. Last night was Olynyk’s best game so far, and I expect to see many more games like this as the season progresses.
Second Star: Jordan Crawford
Nov 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Jordan Crawford (27) throws the ball between Orlando Magic shooting guard Arron Afflalo (4), power forward Jason Maxiell (54) and point guard Jameer Nelson (14) during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
What can I say about Crawford? Other than, “I’m sorry,” because you can make a legitimate argument that he was the number one player for the Cs last night. I’ll be writing a little bit more about Brad Stevens’ decision to make Crawford, not Bradley, the primary ball handler for Boston, but suffice it to say, Crawford is Boston’s best point guard right now. He was distributing the rock beautifully last night (10 dimes), and he wasn’t afraid to score when he had to, either. Hard to believe he wasn’t wanted in Washington, although that was a different set of circumstances. Like Tommy Heinsohn said last night, “We love him!”
First Star: Avery Bradley
Nov 11, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Avery Bradley (0) celebrates a basket and a foul on Orlando Magic shooting guard Arron Afflalo (4)during the fourth quarter of Boston
Yes, Bradley led all scorers last night with 24 points – but that’s only half of the picture. The other half looks something like this:
http://www.nba.com/video/games/celtics/2013/11/11/0021300101-orl-bos-play4.nba/
Bradley terrorized Jameer Nelson there, and was such a pain in he Magic’s hind-ends all night long, that I had to give him the nod today. Yes, the Celtics are going to have to score to win games, but their defense is what is going to define them this year, and if Bradley keeps playing like he’s is going to be giving every point guard in the NBA nightmares this season.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know! Leave your comments, or Tweet me @theamazingMrS! I’d love to hear from you!