Q: Do you think Sasha Pavlovic shaves his head so people don’t mistake him for Sasha Vujacic?

A: Nah – he balls hard so people won’t mistake him for Sasha Vujacic.

On April 1, the Boston Celtics capped off a five-game winning streak with an absolute evisceration of the Miami Heat, scoring 91 points while holding their opponent to their lowest point total (72) and field goal percentage (34.8) since LeBron James and Chris Bosh started punching the clock for Micky Arison.  The victory announced the Celtics – who had entered the All-Star break left for dead at two games below .500 and now found themselves eight games above – as legitimate playoff noisemakers and dark horse Title contenders.

Nine days later, the Celtics vaporized any lingering doubt that they were for real by blistering the Heat with a staggering 60.6 percent shooting night on their way to a 115-107 win.  The C’s maintained a three-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for the Atlantic Division crown.  In just over a week’s time, they would clinch the Division with a 102-98 defeat of the Orlando Magic, locking up the playoff four-seed.

On April 24, the Celtics squared off against the Miami Heat once more in their second-to-last regular season game.  With playoff seeding assured, both teams elected to rest their weary and wounded key players.  LeBron James and Dwyane Wade suited up, but spent the night on the bench in sweats looking only mildly evil.  Chris Bosh rode the pine in a very smart-looking glen check suit, in recovery from a positively wretched-sounding case of “body soreness.”

The good guys limited Paul Pierce to 17 minutes and left Rajon Rondo (sore back), Ray Allen (sore right ankle), Mickael Pietrus (sore right knee), Greg Stiemsma (plantar fasciitis) and Kevin Garnett (just because) out of the action to prepare for the games to count again.

The starting lineups looked like this:

Things got ugly fast.

“Are we going to get to the first timeout without a bucket for the Celtics?  This is a tough start, here.” –Steve Kerr

The two teams combined to score 62 points in the first half, which we were told was seven points off the mark for the fewest single-half points in NBA history.  Together, they shot 36.1 percent from the field and turned the ball over 24 times.  Using quarter-by-quarter data mined from the very useful PopcornMachine.net and a formula we found here, we calculated that an estimated 92 possessions occurred in the first half.  Twenty-four turnovers divided by 92 possessions times 100 tells us that the Heat and Celtics spent more than a quarter of the first half (26 percent) giving the ball back to each other.

Everything you’d need to know about the first half occurred within its first two minutes, which went a little something like this:

11:41: On the game’s opening possession, Mike Miller attempts to dribble around a Udonis Haslem screen, gets his feet tangled up, and inadvertently flings the ball out of bounds.

11:32: Paul Pierce elevates at the wing and fires a pass to Ryan Hollins beneath the hoop.  The ball bounces off of Hollins and into the hands of Mike Miller.

11:20: Mario Chalmers reverses the ball around the arc to Mike Miller.  The ball slips through his hands like a fish and is recovered by Sasha Pavlovic.

11:15: Pavlovic advances the ball to Paul Pierce, who is stripped by Mario Chalmers on his way to the hoop.  At this point, 100 percent of the possessions have ended in a turnover.

10:57: Shane Battier knocks down a barely-contested corner three (MIA 3, BOS 0).

10:32: Ryan Hollins misses an uncontested four-foot baby hook.

10:10: Somebody named Dexter Pittman catches the ball off the low block and spins into an open look at a bunny J, taking about four steps as he does so.  Celtics ball.

9:57: Shane Battier punches a Paul Pierce pass attempt high into the air.  Ryan Hollins collects the loose ball and is immediately tied up by Dexter Pittman, who forces the jump ball.  The Celtics win the tip.  Paul Pierce misses the ensuing jumper.

And so on.

The Celtics trailed 17-10 at the end of the first quarter and 34-28 at the end of the second.

With a shot at home court advantage in the Conference Quarterfinals and probably a little bit of pride on the line, the Celtics were in desperate need of a second-half spark.  They got one.

“Remember, [Doc] said: somebody on the floor tonight is going to help us in the postseason.  Maybe it’s Pavlovic.” –Steve Kerr

Though he started the game, Euro sensation Sasha Pavlovic saw only 6:20 of floor time during the first half.  Apart from the gift steal described above, he was more or less a no-show, missing both of his shot attempts.  Sasha’s most memorable play occurred between 9:14 and 9:09 in the first quarter, when he sprinted out to contest a Mike Miller three-pointer and allowed his momentum to carry him out of frame-left into the back court.  The Heat collected the offensive rebound and swung the ball back to Miller for another try at a three.  A full four seconds after disappearing from view, Sasha sprinted back into the frame, running past Miller with a hand up as he missed his shot attempt.

The Boston Celtics signed Sasha Pavlovic on March 3, 2011 in an attempt to bolster an injury-depleted squad looking to jury-rig some rotation depth as the playoffs approached.  Sasha played in 17 games, averaging 1.8 points and less than one everything else in 8.8 minutes of action per game.  He wore number 77.  Gheorghe Muresan used to wear number 77.  Unfortunately, Vladimir Radmanovic wears it today.

Sasha switched to number 11 for the 2012 campaign.  For much of the season, he was used as something of a stop-gap solution to a preposterous string of injuries and miscellaneous absences that removed the likes of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Mickael Pietrus, Chris Wilcox and Keyon Dooling from the lineup in assorted combinations and for varying lengths of time.  As such, his minutes fluctuated wildly over the course of the season’s first three months.  He started the first three games of the season, and then played in 25 of the next 46.  He saw as little as 51 seconds of action against the Pacers in early January and as many as 34 minutes against the Magic three weeks later.

Since a late-March ankle injury to Ray Allen facilitated Avery Bradley’s move from the bench to the starting five, Sasha has seen his spot in the rotation stabilize and his performance improve accordingly.  In 16 games starting with the Celtics’ March 28 win over the Utah Jazz, he has played an average of 15.1 minutes per game and connected on 44.7 percent of his field goals, including a 45.5 percent mark on threes.  In the 28 games prior, he averaged 9.6 minutes and shot 36.1 percent from the field, including a 21.2 percent mark on threes.

“Sasha Pavlovic with that pull-up jump shot.  Very rarely do you see him shoot that kind of a shot.  He’s normally a catch-and-shoot guy, or driving to the basket.  That time, he put it down one or two dribbles, elevated and made it.” –Mike Fratello

Sasha checked in for his first action of the second half with 5:00 left in the third quarter and Boston trailing 46-40, joining Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, Ryan Hollins and Brandon Bass on the floor.  Forty seconds later, he caught a cross-court bullet from a driving Keyon Dooling and took it hard to the edge of the paint, putting up a beautiful, high-arcing pull-up jumper with just a touch of fade.  The ball splashed softly through the net.  Miami called timeout (MIA 46, BOS 42).  Here’s what happened next .

3:19: As the ball swings around the perimeter to Shane Battier in the corner, Sasha rushes out to defend.  Battier extends the ball before him, apparently preparing to send a pass to Joel Anthony just outside the paint.  Sasha darts a hand in, slapping the ball away and out of bounds.  Thirteen seconds remain on the shot clock.

3:09: After the Celtics knock the ball out of bounds a second time, James Jones sets up to inbound from beneath the basket.  Fronted by Sasha, he sends the pass to Norris Cole just inside the extended elbow.  Cole breaks for the hoop.  On his way in, Sasha pivots, sealing him off from behind, and elevates to swat the ball off the basket’s supporting arm.  There are just under four seconds left on the shot clock.

3:07: Jones is now set up to inbound from the sideline.  Fronted by Sasha once more, he looks to find Cole with an overhead loft.  This time, Sasha leaps into the air and spikes the ball back out of bounds.  There are now three seconds left on the shot clock.

3:04: The Heat finally manage to get the ball in play with time enough for Jones to badly miss on a contested three from 27 feet out.

0:30: With the score tied at 48, Sasha chases James Jones into the corner, where they are joined by Ryan Hollins.  Sasha and Hollins squeeze Jones tightly, wrapping him up and forcing the jump ball.  Sasha chases down the ensuing tip, but the Heat retain possession as it bounces out of bounds.

“Clear it out and give Sasha the ball in the middle of the floor, LeBron James-like.” –Mike Fratello

0:12: The Heat immediately turn the ball over to the Celtics on an offensive foul assessed to Norris Cole.  Off the inbound, Sasha advances the ball up the court, stopping just at the bottom of the Celtics logo at half court.  The Celtics have their shooters spread around the perimeter, which leaves the paint wide open.

Guarded by 39-year-old Juwan Howard, Sasha dribbles in place, taking time to consider his options.  With 15 seconds on the game clock, he slowly begins to walk toward Howard.  At the top of the key, he feints to his right, crosses left and drives hard at the hoop, easily beating Howard off the dribble on his way to a barely-contested righty lay-in.  The Celtics take the lead for the first time since the 7:48 mark of the second quarter (BOS 50, MIA 48).

Fourth Quarter, 6:35: Save a cookie-cutter assist on a give-and-go with JaJuan Johnson, Sasha is quiet for the next five-and-a-half minutes.  With 6:35 left in the game and the Celtics leading by four, Sean Williams corrals a blocked E’Twaun Moore jump shot, turns, and sends the ball to Sasha on the other side of the paint along the baseline.  Sasha smoothly knocks down the wide-open J.  Miami calls timeout (BOS 60, MIA 54).

5:16: With 10 seconds left on the shot clock, E’Twaun Moore inbounds from beneath the basket to Sean Williams in the corner.  Sasha curls around the paint, collects the pass near the elbow, then sort of lumbers at the hoop, elevating from the semi-circle for the two-handed slam.  When he hits the ground, his body appears to be constructed from several number 11s (BOS 62, MIA 56).

4:45: Off a Juwan Howard misfire, the Celtics run out into transition.  E’Twaun Moore sends the pass ahead to Marquis Daniels, who cross-courts it to a wide-open Sasha in the corner.  He is methodical in his set-up, taking the time to gather himself before calmly knocking down the three in the faces of Juwan Howard and Terrel Harris.  It was almost as if he wanted to give them some time to make a contest on the shot, you know, just to make things a little more interesting.

Avery Bradley loved it (BOS 65, MIA 56).

2:30: Sasha begins the process of icing the game, getting out in transition with Marquis Daniels off a Mike Miller turnover.  Daniels pushes softly into the lane and kicks out to a wide-open Sasha at the extended elbow for another three (BOS 71, MIA 60).

1:51: Mario Chalmers front-rims a runner in the lane.  The shot is rebounded by Sasha Pavlovic, who pushes it off to E’Twaun Moore to start the advance up-court.  At the other end, Sasha drifts into the corner, then pops out to catch a pass at the extended elbow.  Sasha up-fakes as James Jones rushes out to contest, dribbles two steps to his right and drills the wide-open 19-footer (BOS 76, MIA 60).

The Celtics would go on to win, 78-66.

Sasha’s 16 points on 7-10 shooting earned him a Game Score of 14.0, his highest mark since he went 4-4 from downtown on his way to 16 points and a Game Score of 15.1 against the San Antonio Spurs in April of 2010.

After clinching the Atlantic Division title and playoff four-seed with Wednesday’s 102-98 win over the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics elected to put their weary (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett) and ailing (Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen) stars on ice for Friday’s tilt against the Atlanta Hawks.  Keyon Dooling got his first start since January.  JaJuan Johnson played double-digit minutes for the first time since March 9.  Marquis Daniels saw more run (34:16) than he had in the past 16 games combined (33:22).  The Celtics lost, 97-92.

The game was essentially meaningless.  Its most significant impact was that it dropped the Celtics .025 points behind the Hawks in winning percentage.  Winning percentage, not seeding, dictates home court advantage in the playoffs, and though it is not yet ensured, it appears most likely that the Celtics will meet the Hawks in the Conference Quarterfinals.  A win on Friday would have given Boston an edge of .006 percentage points with two games left to play (three for Atlanta).  Win or lose, the two teams remain close enough in the standings that home court advantage may remain undecided until the season’s final day.

With the true implications of the game’s outcome unrevealed until a later date, and with so many players who will likely not figure in the playoff rotation dictating the action, there was little to learn or conclude from the team’s play, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a story brewing.

“Being a point guard in the NBA is a lot harder than college.  That’s something that was a challenge for me at the beginning.  I’m the general on the floor, and I have to put everybody in their spots.  It was hard for me.  I didn’t know what Doc wanted from me at first.  I’m a scorer; he wants me to run the team and be able to score.  Now, I feel a lot more comfortable out there with my teammates.” –Avery Bradley

One game after tying his career high in points scored (23), Avery Bradley surpassed it, scoring 28 points off a career-high 12 field goal makes on a career-high 22 attempts.  With the bulk of the Celtics’ offensive firepower either temporarily decommissioned (see above) or ineffective (Brandon Bass: 10 points on 4-15 shooting), the Celtics leaned on Avery to provide the bulk of their scoring.  He responded by playing aggressively and with confidence, using a potent mix of dribble drives and long-range shooting to tally a point total that was second only to Hawks guard Joe Johnson’s 30.

Avery has thrived as an offensive player since replacing Ray Allen in the starting lineup.  In the 17 games since that event, he’s averaged 15.5 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting, including a mark of 55.9 on threes. Given the “featured” role against the Hawks, he positively exploded.  We were reminded of a post that Henry Abbott ran on TrueHoop, in which he recalled Avery being pitched to the Celtics by his agent as something “in the mold of Russell Westbrook or Jrue Holiday.”  A month ago, a comparison to Westbrook would have seemed outrageous.  Now, looking at Avery’s recent offensive performance through the prism of Friday’s game while factoring in his elite-level defense and eXtreme athleticism…we’re not saying he’s going to be Russell Westbrook, but it’s clear that he’s going to be a much different player from the undersized Bruce Bowen we thought he might turn out to be.

“We got a look at him against Orlando, where he had to play the point for the entire game.  He’s really matured to the point where his confidence level finally allows him to do that.” –Doris Burke

Avery Bradley scored 28 points, making 12 field goals (including one three) and three of his four free throw attempts.  He also racked up three assists.  Here’s how it went down:

First Quarter

11:26: Avery gets the first points of the game, using a pick from Greg Stiemsma to get from the wing to the free throw line for a pull-up jumper (Boston 2, Atlanta 0).

7:15: Runs a terrific pick and roll with Greg Stiemsma from the top of the key, using the screen to get just inside the arc, where he leaps and fires a bullet to the diving Stiemsma for an open lay-in (9-16).

6:50: Off a Joe Johnson three-pointer, Avery takes the inbound pass and pushes the ball up the court in an impressive display of raw speed.  He veers toward the sideline, muscles past Jeff Teague, then attacks the basket, slicing through Josh Smith and Kirk Hinrich to convert the contested lay-in (11-19).

5:51: Greg Stiemsma rebounds a Jeff Teague miss and pushes up to Bradley, who is once again running hard into the front court.  With Josh Smith to beat, Avery puts down a stutter-step hesitation at the elbow then drives to Smith’s left for another lay-in against a strong contest (13-21).

4:50: Set up on the wing and fronted by Kirk Hinrich, Avery deploys a jitterbug sidle-step as a feint toward the baseline, then runs his man into a screen from Ryan Hollins, getting a step inside the paint for a pull-up jumper (17-26).

“It’s just amazing, the presence about this guy all of a sudden.  He just looks different.  He steps between the lines with a different feel about him.” –Doris Burke

3:57: Less than a minute later, Avery collects an inbounding pass at the extended elbow and circles the arc toward a Brandon Bass screen at the top of the key.  Avery edges outward to drive around Josh Smith before pulling up for the 20-footer over Joe Johnson’s outstretched hand (19-28).

0:44: Avery does it alone again.  This time, after collecting the outlet from Sasha Pavlovic’s defensive rebound, Avery drives to a spot two steps to the left of the top of the key, where he is greeted by a double team from Josh Smith and Kirk Hinrich.  Avery crosses to his right and runs Hinrich into another Ryan Hollins screen, getting to within 10 feet of the hoop for a pull-up push shot from above the low block (27-32).

Second Quarter

8:28: From the bench, Avery demonstrates that he is a caring and supportive teammate, throwing up the three signal as E’Twaun Moore launches one from downtown.  It misses.

5:26: Avery tallies his second assist, this time in transition off a Vladimir Radmanovic turnover.  Keyon Dooling collects the steal and gets a pass ahead to Avery.  Streaking to the hoop with only a challenge from Vlad Rad to beat, Avery elevates and drops the ball off to a flanking Marquis Daniels who converts the bunny J (37-42).

4:11: Avery squares off against Jeff Teague from above the top of the key.  Teague crouches down, extends his arm and places his hand on Avery’s chest, which almost functions as a ready-set-go.  Avery puts the dribble down, jabs forward once, then uses a screen from JaJuan Johnson to explode to the hoop for an open lay-in, blowing by a “helping” Jason Collins along the way (39-48).

“He’s an explosive athlete.  You get a glimpse of his speed sometimes and it’s impressive.” –Doris Burke

3:03: Moving without the ball, Avery collects a bounce pass from Brandon Bass on a hard drive to the hoop.  He springs into the air on a dunk attempt over a strong challenge from Josh Smith.  Josh fouls Avery on what appeared to be a clean block.  Avery makes one of his two free throws (42-52).

0:25: As Marquis Daniels drives from the extended elbow, Avery cuts to the hoop from the opposite corner, slipping behind an oblivious Joe Johnson to collect the pass for a reverse lay-in (49-56).

Third Quarter

10:58: Avery collects a very nice transition bounce pass from Ryan Hollins on his way to drawing a shooting foul in the open court from Jeff Teague.  He sinks both free throws (51-58).

10:08: Inbounding from underneath the hoop, Sasha Pavlovic sends a pass to Ryan Hollins at the wing above the arc.  Hollins returns the ball to Pavlovic at the top of the key, then drops down to set a screen for Avery, facilitating an open three from the extended elbow (54-58).

7:34: Avery gets his career-high 24^th point on a pick and pop that he opts to keep for himself.  Set up at the top of the key, Avery calls for a pick from Brandon Bass, using it to drive to an open space near the corner.  Josh Smith stays with Bass to defend on the pop, so Avery takes the shot himself, knocking it down from 20 feet out (58-62).

2:44:  Collecting a pass above the block outside the paint, Brandon Bass draws a double team and immediately kicks out to Bradley at the wing.  With Kirk Hinrich defending, Avery throws down a cross that propels him two steps forward and into another 20-foot make (63-72).

1:25: Dribbling in place three full strides above the perimeter, Avery gets a back screen from Brandon Bass, using it to drive into a pull-up jumper just off the elbow (66-72).

1:10: On the subsequent Hawks possession, Avery gets into the front court to defend, then leans down to tie his shoe.

Trapped in the back court by E’Twaun Moore and Ryan Hollins, Kirk Hinrich assesses the best way to advance the ball.  He spots a seemingly open Ivan Johnson at the front court arc and sends the pass his way.

Of course, the shoe-tie was a ruse (or at least we like to think so).  Avery springs forward and intercepts the pass, taking it all the way back to the basket, where he hits a trailing Ryan Hollins with a lob.  Hollins lets out an emphatic “yeah!” as he slams the ball through the hoop (68-72).

0:51: On the next trip down, Avery once again leans down to tie his shoe, this time with the Hawks in the middle of running a half-court set.

As Josh Smith looks to create something off the dribble, Avery finds himself at the rear end of the action, presumably out of the play.  He’s essentially employing the same kind of disappearing act he uses to get himself buckets off back door cuts, drifting away from the action (or letting it drift away from him), then using his speed to reintegrate.

Ryan Hollins, Marquis Daniels and Brandon Bass converge on Smith as he approaches the paint, leaving an “open” space for Ivan Johnson below the rim.

Smith sends the pass his way and Avery strikes, curling around the back end and springing forward to collect his second consecutive steal.  E’Twaun Moore turns it into a three-pointer, cutting the lead to one with 0:39 left in the quarter (71-72).  Unfortunately, one point would be the closest that Boston would get to the lead for the rest of the game.

Fourth Quarter

Avery scored 0 points and dished out 0 zero assists in the fourth quarter.

Here’s his line from the game:

Apr. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers on the sidelines during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Earlier today it was reported by Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that the Celtics wouldn’t be playing any of the big four versus the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen did not travel with the team to Atlanta and Doc Rivers said he will likely sit Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

This move seemed rather odd to me because, of course, Boston is the four seed and Atlanta is the five seed. Atlanta currently has homecourt advantage over the Celtics with a 37 and 25 record while the C’s sit at 37 and 26. In the NBA, seeding does not determine homecourt advantage in the seven game series. It is determined by the two teams records instead. In other words, if Boston finishes the season with a worse record than the Hawks they won’t have homecourt advantage throughout the postseason barring any upsets to Miami, Chicago and Indiana.

I thought that the move showed a confidence about Boston that not many other teams have. This club is 15 and 17 on the road for the year, and that record could get worse after tonight. They are resting their starters against the team that they will likely see in the postseason. It’s a potentially huge gamble to possibly surrender homecourt to the Hawks.

This team is coming off of an 11 game stretch, including a back to back to back, in 15 days. They obviously need the rest, but the question is why tonight? Doc is confident in his squad and their postseason experience. He knows that they’ll keep their composure when in the playoffs just as they always have. Its a different ball game when you get there. What this move shows us is the confidence that Doc has in his squad and how little he is worried about the Atlanta Hawks.

What worries me, though, is how some of the Celtics will react to their first taste of real postseason action–Avery Bradley in particular. He has veterans that are long in the tooth to keep him grounded, and he’s seen how its done before. He knows the history of the Celtics and knows what is expected of him, but again, its going to be different once he hits the floor. Will he be able to keep a cool head about him? The same should be asked about Greg Steimsma. They are the glue to Boston’s success and they’ll need to play consistent in their rolls for Boston to have a chance at the Larry O’Brien in June.

It’ll be interesting to see how this scenario plays out for the Celtics. I have confidence in the team though, and a little rest sure wouldn’t hurt here. Especially when you have key players like Rondo and Allen nursing injuries–you want to go into the post season as healthy as can be. Otherwise you’ll be knocked out anyway.