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. Â The Celtics were +12 with him on the floor, thanks in large part due to his 17 points tonight. Â 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. Â He was super efficient on offense (6-7) and committed only one turnover, while stealing the ball twice. Â 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. Â 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. Â He and Bass carried the Celtics in the third and made a game out of what could have easily been a blow out. Â 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? Â Disagree? Share your thoughts with me below, or @theamazing MrS!
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