Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Maybe this Cs team can defend
Over the eight games leading into Sunday’s exhibition, the Boston Celtics allowed their opponents to shoot over 50 percent from the field, and, during five of those games, they allowed their opponent to score 120 or more points.
Heck, this Cs team even allowed the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder to drop 119 plus points on them at the TD Garden!
Against the Knicks, however, the Celtics managed to hold them to 43 percent shooting from the field, and outrebounded them 46-37.
Of course, the naysayers would say the Knicks took this game for granted, and they would probably be right. Still, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Boston’s reserves brought energy and effort on the defensive end, kept the ball handler in front of them and even outrebounded a very good and physical New York team despite playing without Tristian Thompson and Robert Williams.
Yes, the Knicks did shoot 48 percent from deep, but the wide-open paths to the basket weren’t there and they even forced 10 turnovers with their efforts.
While the Knicks certainly aren’t as explosive as some of the other contenders in the East, this level of production by the Boston Celtics reserves was a positive sign that someone on the roster still actually has an interest in playing defense.