I re watched last nights game and here are some key points of the game i found.
1. Celtics defense was truly amazing. Outside of giving up a few easy baskets and the costly lebron three in the end of regulation, it was as shutdown d i have ever seen in my life.
2. The pairing of Lee and Bradley at the back court is going to cause hell for any backcourt opponents. Actually they are both such good defenders they are also able to guard sf's themselves at times. And like in hockey where good defense is just as good as offense, even if neither score more than 10 points each, they help you stay in games bc opponent guards are held to only making modest production.
3. KG and PP play are still two lethal players for their age, but without Rondo, their passing skills really shine. KG gave lee open chances after open chances and it was too bad he couldn't score a few more buckets. Bc that would of sealed the game right there. I'm sure lee who has been playing consistently good as of late will play better next game. Pierce also by habit , the whole game was thinking about making good passes, instead of getting passes and expected to make buckets with time winding down.
4. There was little time moving the basketball past the halfcourt, making the pass on top of the key, and making one or two more passes for a high percentage shot. The pick and roll especially was clicking at all cylinders, something we haven't seen in a long while. Miami's usually good defense looked confused bc each time up the court, plays where different.
5. Jeff Green was on fire. I don't know what is with him playing without Rondo, but he just plays better. We now have our man to defend elite sf's in the league. Guys like Lebron, Carmelo and Durant for example. I never knew he was this good of a defender before. He played a solid offensive game also and doesn't waste shot opportunities.
6. Still there are definitely a few worries when you don't have a natural pg. For example late 1st quarter, the celtics guards had trouble getting the ball in deep. Like hubie mentioned without rondo, now the passing creativity was missing. Also how will this defense play against a team with a legit pf/c that would give KG problems. A center like Duncan who can murder you with the inside and outside game. I would really like to see how we would fare
7. Last nights lineup looks ideal for the rest of the year. Sullinger as a starter is the right move. Bass did good coming off the bench. Terry hit some key baskets but he did miss quite a bit also. Barbosa is a much better player than we give him credit for. We can't forget he won the 6th player award in the past. Overall our bench outplayed the heats and its been honestly the best bench in the league since 10 games ago.
And unlike the last time , where god only knows how we lost to the Kings, i bet tomorrow we win and win big. I'm excited with the team we have now and looking forward to getting back to playing Celtics basketball. I strongly recommend to re watch last nights game if you got time, because again the defense was that great