Recap: Boston Celtics Can’t Complete Comeback
By Jeremy Karll
It was a tale of two halves between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. A game that started 17-2, in favor of the Mavericks, ended up going into overtime. Boston ended up not being able to complete the comeback however, falling 118-113. The Celtics proved that you don’t try to get rid of a lead all at once, rather chip away at it. The comeback was a team effort as six players scored at least ten points. Also, head coach Brad Stevens did a terrific job making halftime adjustments to fix the first half woes.
The tale of two halves can be easily seen. Isaiah Thomas, a possible All-Star, for the Celtics only scored 2 points in the first half, and didn’t get that until 0.6 seconds remaining in the half. He finished tied for a team high, 20 points. Jae Crowder, a former Mav, was held scoreless in the first half. His shooting never picked up in the second half but he was able to get to the line and finished with a respectable 12 points and seven boards. Jared Sullinger was someone else who did not shoot well tonight for Boston. He only shot 3-12 from the field, but still recorded a double-double, 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the very poor shooting nights by Crowder and Sullinger, the Celtics didn’t shoot awful. Marcus Smart once again was aggressive and was able to finish with 20 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded two steals as well. Smart has played well since returning from injury and now that his shot is starting to fall it may be time to think about adding him to the starting lineup. He, Avery Bradley and Thomas already play a lot together; all three were top three in minutes played tonight for the Celtics.
For the Mavericks, Wesley Matthews scored 15 points in the first half, but was then shut out in the second half, despite recording 41 minutes total in the game. Deron Williams also struggled for most of the game, but then went off for 13 points in overtime, willing the Mavericks to a win.
The Mavericks started the game out 7-10 from behind the arc, but went 9-24 the rest of the way (16-34). Stevens and the Celtics did a great job of upping the defensive intensity after half and that was the main reason they were able to get back in the game.
The Mavericks started the game out on a 17-2 run. Wesley Matthews and Dallas could not miss from three. The Celtics weren’t able to consistently make shots until about three minutes left in the quarter. After that however, it was a pretty even last couple of minutes. Smart hit a buzzer beater to end the quarter, fitting considering the Celtics can thank him for not letting them fall to far behind.
Smart came off the bench and was an instant catalyst as he finished with 11 points on 5/6 shooting in 6 minutes for the Celtics. Boston did not play good basketball what so ever in the first, and as a result trailed 29-16.
The second quarter was as even as you can get, scoring wise. The Celtics looked like a comeback could be possible as they started on a 8-3 run, but Dallas quickly went on a run of their own. The first half was a lot like the game against Washington because Dallas always had an answer for the Celtics’ runs.
The whole first half was poor shooting and defense by Boston. They were slow on defensive rotations and that led to a lot of open looks for Dallas. On offense, no shots were falling for them; except for Smart, Bradley and Kelly Olynyk.
It seemed that a comeback was possible because Dallas was going to eventually cool off and the Celtics weren’t going to stay cold all game. The problem was the Celtics were down 52-39 at half, a 13 point deficit.
Olynyk finished with 17 points and five rebounds, he was also the only Celtic with a positive plus/minus in the game (+27). Bradley shot well in the first half, despite shooting poorly as of late. Bradley contributed 10 points and Smart had 12 at the half.
Boston was down against Washington at half but came out strong, which is why they were able to come back. Boston started out better in this game as well, however, was still slow on defensive rotations and weren’t boxing out.
Zaza Pachulia hurt the Celtics tonight on the boards, as he grabbed a game high 19 rebounds. He was taking it away from multiple Celtics because no one was boxing out. It led to a lot of second chance points for Dallas.
The game stayed like it was, Boston would go on a little run and then Dallas would answer. It wasn’t until Isaiah Thomas started heating up that the defense picked up and the Celtics finally took their first lead with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. Scoring is contagious and everyone was hitting shots for Boston at the end of the quarter. Boston was able to outscore Dallas 33-18 in the third quarter, giving them a 72-70 lead.
Bradley, Smart and Thomas were all on fire in the second half, which is why it surprised me that Thomas got over seven minutes of rest to start the fourth quarter. I thought Boston had a chance to pull away if Thomas was in to takeover like he was at the end of the third quarter. Bradley started the quarter out strong though, going to the line twice and hitting a big three.
The reason the Mavericks took a huge lead at the beginning was because they couldn’t miss. Their shots started to go cold and Boston was able to take a six point lead at one point.
More from Celtics News
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
The game changed momentum when Dirk Nowitzki hit a big three while getting fouled, for a four point play. Nowitzki finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds, channeling the fountain of youth. He also was a big factor for Dallas in overtime.
Isaiah Thomas, like a true All-Star, started to take over the game near the end. A weird play where Jared Sullinger tried a jump hook led many Celtics’ fans scratching their heads and losing hope of completing the comeback as the Celtics trailed 98-95 late in the game. However, Dallas fouled their former player, Jae Crowder, on a three-point attempt. Crowder hit all three free throws and sent the game to overtime.
Boston is now 0-2 in overtime after tonight’s loss and still has yet to win in Dallas since March 20, 2010. The reason? Deron Williams.
Williams had a solid game, but took off in overtime. He scored the first 11 points for the Mavericks and ended up with 13 in overtime. Nowitzki also had a big overtime, but two big three’s by Olynyk kept the game interesting until the end. The Celtics had no answer for Williams. It was almost fitting that the Mavs would finish the game shooting as hot as they started.
It was a tough game to watch as a Celtics’ fan. The beginning was brutal and they didn’t play particularly well during the comeback. A positive is that it was a team effort, and everyone proved why they’re getting playing time. It would have been nice to see them being able to complete the comeback, especially after taking a six point lead.
I think the Celtics have the right front court players playing at the moment, but the question of whether Marcus Smart should start or not is arising.
Next: Jae Crowder is Becoming a Star
The Celtics definitely need to tighten up on defense, and not give up so many open shots. Their defense has been lacking as of late and that has been the cause of close games and losses. It was nice to see the fight in the team though. Brad Stevens did a great job not letting his team get down on themselves.
The Boston Celtics fall to 22-20 on the season and 11-10 on the road. Their next game will be on the road again, in Canada. The Celtics will take on the 26-15 Toronto Raptors at 6:30 on Wednesday night.