Boston Celtics have their win of the season in a wild game against the Rockets
After dropping three straight games to team below them in the standings, capped off by one of the worst defensve performances of the season in an embarrassing loss to the Wizards, the Boston Celtics were up against one of their biggest challenges of the season against the Houston Rockets.
The game started up and down. Jae Crowder deserves a lot of credit for preventing James Harden from taking over the game on the offensive end, but the new starting lineup, featuring Jaylen Brown and Jonas Jerebko, looked far too sloppy on the offensive end.
The Rockets pushed the lead to double digits a few times, but the Celtics always contained it from there. The Celtics went into the half down by six, knowing they needed to step things up in the second half.
The Celtics came out with a little extra incentive after the debackle at the end of the second quarter. With multiple questionable calls on Jerebko and Marcus Smart, the Celtics were given three seperate technical fouls, including one for head coach Brad Stevens, maybe the calmest person in the NBA. The disgust by the Celtics was coming over from the lack of a technical given to Harden, for continually yelling at a referee as they ran down the court early on in the game.
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An Al Horford three to beat the buzzer gave the Celtics the momentum they needed, and a run to start the third made up the ground the Celtics had lost. The teams went back and fourth, and Harden made his biggest mistake of the game, swipping at Jerebko, leaving him with a bloody lip. With no call being made on the floor, the stadium absolutely erupted, giving the Celtics the momentum to go on their best run of the season.
The Celtics have been the most disapointing team on the defensive end in the NBA this season. They were coming off a season where almost every significant run they went on was instigated by their defense. The Celtics forced turnovers, allowing them to play with pace, keeping the defense chasing and eventually ending up in a great shot opportunity. And, tonight, the Celtics finnally got back to that winning formula, and it helped that they could not miss on offense.
Isaiah Thomas did it as a scorer and a passer, Smart was making plays on every single 50/50 ball that was on the court, and Crowder and Horford finally looked like the defensive tandem the Celtics were expecting this season. All game long they preventing Harden from really getting going, which allowed them to keep the game within striking distance.
The free throw disparity was shocking, but that was the only area the defense really struggled in. The Celtics ended with more steals and more assists than the Rockets, and that is how this team needs to play to be at their best.
The Celtics also had a truly rare night on the boards. Their 48 boards were 18 more than the Rockets, opening a glimmer of hope that maybe, after all this time, all the starting unit needed was Jerebko to rebound.
The Celtics never looked like themselves during their three game losing streak. Everything from their execution to their effort was at an all time low, and the results spoke for themselves. Tonight, the Celtics played with a different kind of intensity, and with TD Garden creating a playoff atmosphere, it was a perfect storm for the Celtics.
The Celtics will enjoy this win but they need to make sure that this is the new standard. Anything less than the effort and intensity they played with tonight will be unacceptable. Both the Raptors and the Cavaliers have been struggling too, and that leaves open the opportunity for one of these teams to gain strong ground on the others.
The Celtics get another set of back to backs, back to teams with worse records, however. That being said, the Celtics should have realized that none of that can be taken for granted anymore, and they need to look to dominate the Magic like they did earlier in the year.
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They need to get going and find their rhythm while Avery Bradley gets healthy. Then, once he returns, the Celtics will be ready to finally take down the division leading Raptors. With just two meetings left, losing another to the Raptors could easily be the difference for the number two seed and that division crown,