Strange game last night. The Celtics were down Al Horford ("lower back stiffness") and Luke Kornet (not with team for personal reasons). The Knicks almost seemed to have decided not to contest out to the three point line for most of the game. There was a brief period in the second quarter where they tried to extend out to the three point line and the Celtics responded by getting to the rim at will. On the flip sode, the Celtics interior defense was MIA for much of the game. The pattern of the game was for the Celtics to hit a few threes and buld a lead and then the Knicks to go on a run and erase it. The final score (133-118) makes this look like a blowout, but the Knicks trailed by only 2 with 45 seconds left in the third and by only 5 (119-114) with 4 minutes left in the game before the Celtics ended it with a 14-4 run to close it out.
Going into the game, the Celtics team record for threes in a game was 25 (I assume set during the Brad era) and the NBA record was 29. The Celtics hit 27 threes in this one (in 51 attempts), setting a new team record. Every Celtic who played hit at least one three, including the likes of Noah Vonleh and Blake, while the Celtics were led by Brown (6 of 11), Tatum (6 of 13), and Hauser (5 of 8). Brown and Brogdon (2 of 5) were the only Celtics who shot below 50% from three. When the Celtic opened hitting 5 of 6 from three and then immediately gave their lead back, I worried that this was going to be one of those nighs where the team was going to live or die based on its 3 point shooting. It was, but I needn't have worried.
Brown (30 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Tatum (26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks) led the way offensively. Marcus Smart was hitting from three (3-5, 5-9 from the field overall) and had 13 points and 11 assists (vs 1 turnover). Brogdon's shooting touch left him (5-14 from the field, layups that fell for him on Friday did not today) but he also had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and was tied for the team lead with a +20. Grant had a decent game, scoring 12 points and adding 4 rebounds, an assist, and 2 steals.
Sam Hauser scored 17 points in 21 minutes, most of which was his 5-8 shooting from three. He also drive a close out and layed the ball in just barely ahead of the help defense. And he had 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He does not automatically take every three he can - if the ball swings to him above the break and there is an open shooter in the corner, he will make the pass. He is now shooting 54.8% from three and is third on the team in makes (17 of 31).
With Horford and Kornet unavailable, Blake started and he, Grant, and Vonleh each played about a third of the game at C. In 15 minutes, Blake had 7 points on 3-4 shooting, 2 assists, 1 rebound against 2 turnovers. He was OK, and was +6 in his minutes. Vonleh, in 16 minutes, was also 3-4 from the field for 7 points, but he also led the team with 7 rebounds, and was +20 to tie for the team lead. He had 2 possessions in the second half where he just looked awful. One one, he got the ball in the corner, there was no closeout, but he passed up the shot and dribbled the ball off his foot instead. Laster in the game he got the ball in the corner and knocked down the three. But Vonleh was a positive overall in this game - the Celtics effort on defense and on the glass was lacking in this one, and he was out there working hard.
All in all, hard to read too much into this one, other than to say that the Celtics are a better offnesive and shooting team than they were last year.
