Led by KG, the Celtics have newfound energy, especially at home, where they are now 22-2.
That game was textbook. The C's are now at 8 wins in a row after going 2-7. It'd be great to keep this energy up through the All-Star break in February.
First and foremost, the main worry going into the game was the matchup nightmare with Dirk Nowitski. Now, any fan of the game knows that this 7 footer has the ability to shoot the three as well as post up with the best of them. In fact, he's one of only half a dozen or so who has shot at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point land, and 90% from the line. Nash had done it twice, Larry Bird once, and Ray-Ray is currently doing it. So KG clearly had a big load to carry. And carry it he did. Dirk was held to 0-7 shooting to start a game, including missing a couple of bunnies after faking out smaller defenders. In all, Dirk was 4-17 (0-3 from downtown) and was a -23 when he was on the floor.
KG was nothing short of dominant in this one. He played only 25 minutes, yet shot 7-11 for 23 points. The game was over by halftime, which has become a common occurrence at recent Celtics games. We lead by 35 at one point and scored 74 points by halftime (season high for the C's...the Knicks had scored 82 in a half this season).
Basically everything was falling for us, too (65% in the first half, 54% for the game). Ray Ray was again on fire, possibly making a case for a reserve position on the All-Star team (to be announced this Thursday). He went off for 23 points on 4-5 from three and dishing out an uncanny 7 assists. Rondo again took control of the game and outplayed vet Jason Kidd. He shot 6-10, including a handful of pretty jumpers. When he shoots those with confidence, he can knock them down. He nearly had a triple-double with 13 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds, while sitting out the entire 4th quarter. This guy is so mature beyond his years, it's scary. His talent keeps improving it seems from game to game and it's only a matter of time before he's a household name around the country and an All-Star.
The C's tied a team record for three pointers made with 16. Eddie House, of course, made a significant contribution to that total, making 7-11, tying his personal best and coming one short of the most made this season (Ray Allen with 8). He also had 23 points in 28 minutes and is quickly proving himself to be a VERY dangerous (and efficient) scorer. Give him a good look these days (which for him means the defender only has to be about 7 inches away) and he'll knock it down.
Eddie House was so hot from long distance, he actually made this shot...
I love these blowout games, not only because we get the win, but also because we get to see the young players and what they can do. There has been an abundance of garbage time this year already and it's great to see the 10, 11, and 12 guys gaining more confidence. Remember, when Perk was out for a while and Scal got to start, his confidence just kept on growing. Before that, his scant minutes saw him airballing threes and making rookie mistakes. But because of those increased minutes, he has become a very underrated defender and once again a threat from deep (he was 2-3 today with 6 points). Big Baby is asserting himself more down low, scoring an and-one on a pretty layup in which he cleared out space from Dirk, causing the foul.
Gabe Pruitt is getting more playing time as of late because of Tony Allen's absence and from what I've seen, he's a great third option off the pine. His jump shot exudes confidence and he seems to bury it more often than not. He handles the ball up the court better than Eddie and has three point range. Bill Walker got some minutes tonight, and although there are signs he can be a very explosive player, he did seem nervous out there, fumbling a few passes and getting a layup blocked by Kidd. Patrick O'Bryant, one of the guys I'd like Doc to play more, hit a DEEP two (swish!), and his length is great for rebounding. He did try a hook shot, coming up a little short, but I have seen him hit that a few times and it is prettayyyy.
And how about the Leon Powe sighting! Does anyone know why he hasn't been playing recently?? I don't think he was hurt or anything...Anyway, he wasn't effective, to say the least, going 0-3, which was probably due to some rust.
Overall, great win by the C's yet again over a quality West opponent, proving that their stutter from the Christmas game was just that. They're still the champs and are still the team to beat in the Association. Until they're knocked off that perch, they will be the best team out there.
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