Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“I think we play hard. Guys don’t like that in this league,” said forward Jae Crowder. “Guys want an easy, flowing game. But we play hard and a lot of guys don’t like it. I can say that.”
The Celtics completed perhaps the most satisfying back-to-back swing of the coach Brad Stevens era with wins both in Oklahoma City and in Houston. Go back to Friday’s triumph over Atlanta, and the Celtics have won three straight over teams that were high playoff seeds last spring.
However, it’s the way they are winning that is having a caving effect on the opposition. Howard, when asked if Houston gave the Celtics extra fuel by showing its dejection, agreed.
“The Celtics they fed off of that,” he said. “When they saw us with our heads down, saw us complaining to each other, they just took that and ran with it. Sometimes you have to have a better poker face.”
He was right. The C’s noticed.
“We can feel it, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Smart said about teams wilting under the Celts’ relentless defensive style. “Once we get on a roll like that in the defensive end, we lock down. We want teams to feel defeated. We want to keep our foot on the gas pedal and keep going.
“To a certain extent they do wear down. We’re sending fresh legs and different looks at them. It’s kind of hard for them to get a rhythm when we keep going hard at them like that.”
Last night’s blowout victory IN Houston may have been the most satisfying Celtics victory in two years.
Sure, the Rockets are an emotional mess led by a Kardashian wannabe and the ultimate front-running clown. But would anyone have blamed the C’s for packing it in after falling behind 15 points in the first half? They had exceeded most expectations by throttling Atlanta and Oklahoma City. They were on the second night of a road b2b and finishing up an exhausting 5 games in 7 nights. If you check the NBA rule book, teams are practically required to quit under such circumstances.
But not the Celtics.
And it’s not like they won by shooting lights out. That would have been easy.
The defensive effort was tremendous. And it’s not like the Celts were sneaking into passing lanes or making slick poke-away steals. They manhandled the Rockets. It was like watching a man rip the ball out of a child’s hands… repeatedly.
Remember that dust-up between Amir Johnson and Terence Jones in the 3rd quarter? Boston led 61-60 at that point.
“What bothered us was that we had a guy down, and their guy kind of straddled (him),” Jae Crowder said. “Wouldn’t let our guy up. A little sign of disrespect, you know? And we just came over to his rescue. And we just weren’t having it. So that’s what sparked it.”
The Celtics, in the midst of an 8-0 run, took the lead for good during that stretch. The C’s later strung together a 15-0 run over the last 3:24 of the third, and extended it to 25-2 to cover the first 2:43 of the fourth quarter.
Definitely a poke-the-bear moment.
The defensive numbers are staggering:
The Celtics’ defensive efficiency rating dropped to 94.1 after Monday’s win, tying them for the third-best mark in the league with the defending-champion Golden State Warriors. (Only the Spurs and Heat are better.) What’s more, Boston opponents own a turnover rate of 19.4 percent, far and away the top rate in a league where the average is closer to 15 percent. (Utah is second best, but 1.4 percent behind.)
“[Boston defenders] are in the right spots, they are very aggressive, they have great hands and they are playing really hard. If you do that, you have a chance to make things happen on that end of the floor,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “But it’s gotta be our DNA. If it’s not our DNA, we’re in trouble.”
Where LeBron at?
On Page 2, is Avery Bradley going to come off the bench regularly?
Surging with Isaiah Thomas in the starting lineup, the Boston Celtics may decide to keep him there for at least a little while longer.
Former starter Avery Bradley has been coming off the bench for the past two games after returning from a strained calf.
“I don’t know how we’ll continue to do that,” head coach Brad Stevens said Monday night after Boston smashed the Houston Rockets, 111-95. “We’ll see. I kinda look at it like I’ve said before, we’ve got five starters with those five perimeter players, Evan (Turner) and Avery included in that. We’ll just figure it out night to night.”
It could be tough to switch the starters with Boston on a 5-1 run, which includes consecutive wins against Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Houston.
Stevens is facing a tough call. I’m not sure he wants to disrupt the chemistry right now during this run, but I still like Thomas off the bench.
And finally, a quick check on Rajon Rondo.
Through 11 games, Rondo is looking like the rare Kings gamble that’s actually paying off. He’s averaging 12.5 points, 9.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game this season. Better yet, he already has three triple-doubles, all coming in the last five games.
“I’ve had different types of point guards than Rajon, [but] the only guy I’ve coached who orchestrates a team as well is Andre Miller,” Karl said Friday, via the Sacramento Bee.
Rondo once again looks like the player who helped end LeBron James‘ first run in Cleveland. His hulk-sized hands and octopus arms are everywhere, and he’s been calm when initiating the Kings’ offense. His array of scoops and awkward-looking floaters are making frequent appearances again.
Meh… triple doubles are overrated.
The rest of the links
CSNNE – Celtics limit Harden in dominant win | Motivated by disrespect | Globe – Cs stand firm, knock down Rockets | Mass Live – Draymond Green hates that IT doesn’t get more respect
