Full Court Press: 3/13/05 Celtics vs. Wizards
By Jon Duke
Celtics 105 - Wizards 101
“WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! - Ric Flair
It can’t be said any better folks. Your Boston Celtics just finished their first home stand following the Walker trade at 5-1 by defeating the Wizards tonight at the BostonSportsMedia.com Center. The profile and status of the Celtics has never been higher, or so richly deserved as it does right now. Even for men like Greg Dickerson and Peter May, who have lived in the “magical” 2002 Celtics season like Napoleon’s Uncle Rico, the past might finally be in the rear view mirror. The 2004-05 Boston Celtics are winning over basketball fans across New England, and creating an atmosphere that causes people in the city of Boston to once again care about NBA basketball. Something that seemed within reach two or three years from now, just 2 weeks ago.
Tonight’s game showed precisely why the Celtics are not only a solid basketball team that can compete with any team in the league, but one with an even brighter future. The Celtics faced a very good Washington Wizards team that can fill the basket at will, and has, what Doc Rivers calls “the best backcourt in the league”. Lofty praise for the Wizards, but after seeing Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes combine for 51 points (26 and 25 points respectively). And don’t forget Antawn Jamison who, while hobbled by with knee tendonitis, put up 14 points in 36 painful minutes. With that three headed monster, the Wizards are a very tough match up for any team, but this evening the Celtics were equal to the task.
To equal the fabulous performance by the Wizards’ troika of stars, one might assume that the Celtics Little Three (Pierce, Walker, and Davis) needed to play a huge game. But, that way of thinking is the old way of viewing the Boston Celtics. In the past, you get your scorers the ball, and have them win the game for you. We saw that worked quite well on Friday night against Detroit, but if one believes Danny Ainge and buys into “The Vision”, wins like tonight should become the norm. Six players in double figures, with Pierce and LaFrentz leading the way with 20 and 19 points respectively. The Celtics only had 13 fast break points, but the ball movement was excellent as the team worked to find the open man on every possession. Sometimes you can’t run on every possession, so if the team is forced into a half court set, passing and moving without the ball is key. Obviously the weak Wizards’ defense played a role in this, but the Celtics did their job to not help Washington’s defenders by remaining stagnant on offense.
For those who were unable to catch the game, they might ask, “Wha happened?” Well, after the starters struggled at the end of the 3rd quarter, Doc Rivers did as what many Celtics fans have been clamoring for weeks “PLAY THE KIDS!” Well, “play the kids” he did. Doc put Marcus Banks, Tony Allen, and Al Jefferson in the game to give the Celtics a much needed shot in the arm, after what must have been fatigue settling in after the double OT win 45 hours earlier. Once in the game, Banks became the catalyst for the Celtics turnaround, bringing the C’s back from being down by 10 points. Banks filled up the stat sheet (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) and played some much-needed tenacious defense on the thin Washington backcourt. Off of Banks’ energy, Al Jefferson (12 points and 8 rebounds in 17 minutes) and Tony Allen (12 points, a block, a steal, and 2 rebounds in only 11 minutes) picked up some crucial baskets while Pierce, Walker, and Payton got some much-needed rest. Without those contributions from “the kids” the Celtics lose this game easily because Rivers would be forced to go back to his starters much earlier, without much left in their gas tank.
The Celtics starters all had solid games with the exception of Delonte West, who got the start after Tony Allen was benched due to a “disciplinary issue.” West did some nice things on the court, but was really somewhat of a non-factor in the game. I can agree that West should be above Banks on the depth chart, but Marcus Banks deserves much more playing time than he has had recently. The kid can do some very nice things on the court, and no one on the team is as disruptive on the defensive end as Banks. His defense more than makes up for some of boneheaded decisions on the court, and if Doc needs to take time from Payton and West to give Banks more time, then so be it. The guy is multi-time “Tommy Award” winner for chrissake.
We shouldn’t forget to give kudos to Antoine Walker and Jared Jeffries today on the boards. Walker continued to give the C’s some much needed help on the glass, and Jeffries played as if Ben Wallace possessed his spindly frame. Both Walker and Jeffries may be disappointed by their respective alma maters showing on “Selection Sunday”, but they did more than their share of dirty work to help their team victory. The Wizards may no longer be the miserable Les Boulez, as dubbed by Tony Kornheiser, but they were not the better team this evening. Having three great players certainly helps, but a true T-E-A-M leads to winning. The Celtics may be in the process of building a team that can go much further than any reasonable person would believe just one fortnight ago.
