NBA
Celtics Extend Win Streak to Four, Defeat the Knicks 128-100
The Boston Celtics took on the New York Knicks for the second time in 15 days. The last time these two teams met, the Knicks embarrassed the Celtics on their home court. It was to the extent that the Boston crowd booed their players off the court.
However, things were very different this time around. The Celtics were able to capture a big lead early. As a result, they would expand upon that lead until the closing minutes of the game.
The Celtics offense was on fire. With the return of Jaylen Brown to the lineup the question was, will he come off the bench? Brown opted to come off the bench and relieve Marcus Smart of this duties. Unexpectedly, this is the formula to winning.
Brown came of the bench and scored 21 points. This is also in addition to the great games by all-stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. The Celtics weapons were overwhelming whether it was starting of coming off the bench.
Brad Stevens Has Found the Balance
Obviously, before the season it was easy to see that the starting lineup would take awhile to mesh. There were four ball dominant players, and two of them were streaky shooters. The defense also wasn’t there either. As the season progressed, it became apparent that change was needed. As soon as Brown went down with an injury, the complete overhaul of the starting lineup began
Now this new lineup is exactly what the Celtics needed. Smart and Morris starting adds much needed defense and grit to a starting lineup that had finesse players. It also allows Irving and Tatum to use their full offensive repertoires instead of having to pass off to the other wings. Hayward and Brown both bring a deadly punch off the bench that no other team can keep up with. Lastly, the best part is that there is no ego with the players being moved to the bench. It also shows that all 12 players are locked in, and are ready to win.
Player of the Game: Jaylen Brown
Obviously, Irving had the better stat line. However, Brown had the greater impact on the game. Brown’s 21 points were the most efficient that he has been all night. In addition, the energy he brought also ignited the team to go up big on the unfortunate Knicks.
Looking Forward to the Next Game
The Chicago Bulls will host the Celtics on Saturday. The Bulls have been a sputtering team that has just released their head coach. Their five wins underlines their tanking for Duke phenom Zion Williamson. With the Celtics on the hot streak that they are on, they should steam roll Chicago and move onto the next one.
Photo Credit
Highlight Store via Flickr
