Isaiah and Co. looking up
Chase after top spot
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
Isaiah Thomas put the Eastern Conference chase into words when, after the Celtics’ win in Dallas Monday night, he dared to think that his team could challenge for the top spot in the conference.
“We’re always looking forward,” Thomas said of starting Tuesday only two games behind the Cavaliers. “That’s the team ahead of us. I know my sights are set on Cleveland.”
Thomas was speaking for himself, not his teammates, though without a doubt they’re all thinking big. Yesterday’s news that Cavs forward Kevin Love will miss six weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee could change the face of the Eastern Conference race.
Meanwhile, Toronto is not quite ready to take a back seat. The Raptors’ trade for Orlando power forward Serge Ibaka —a veteran rebounder some had attached to the Celtics’ needs — signifies they mean business in the stretch run. They currently trail the Celtics by four games in the Atlantic Division.
But regardless of the bigger picture, and which team gains ground on which team, there’s a more immediate goal: Finish this week strong. With the All-Star break fast approaching, Celtics coach Brad Stevens doesn’t want anyone thinking about what happens after tomorrow’s game in Chicago.
“It still seems like a million miles away with two games left, but our team probably needs it from the standpoint of we haven’t been very healthy at all,” Stevens said. “But other guys have stepped up. This is a great opportunity for other guys. It’s a great opportunity for James Young to play a couple games and play well and help us win against good teams. So that’s encouraging.”
The Celtics’ just-completed 3-1 road trip has provided a nice springboard into the next two games against the Sixers (tonight) and Bulls.
“It’s big for us,” Marcus Smart said. “We would have loved to go 4-0, but things happen, but we bounced back, and that’s what good teams do, and we’re becoming a very great team with this coaching staff and Brad and the players doing their job. But it’s real good for us, especially going into the AllStar break. This is around the time when players start making excuses to kind of let up and let games fall, and those games come back and hurt you in the end.”
Threes a charm
The Celtics have made the fourth-most 3-pointers in the league, with 670, behind only Houston, Golden State and Cleveland.
After they hit 16 Monday night against the Mavericks, Thomas was asked if this is indeed who the Celtics are.
“We want it to be. Coach always talks about taking the right 3’s, taking 3’s and layups,” he said.
That means killing opponents with ball movement. And according to Jae Crowder, the Celtics’ ability to reverse the ball and find the open man is reaching a refined level.
“We’re playing the right way, especially late in the game,” Crowder said. “Guys are hedging really hard on Isaiah in pick-and-rolls, and we’re spacing the ball on the other side, getting the ball outside through our bigs. Our bigs have done a great job of knowing when they’re attacking and making the extra pass. That’s really playoff-type basketball, and I think we’re getting really good at that.”
Rozier steps up
Stevens received what he considers encouraging news about Avery Bradley this week.
“Every indication is he’s feeling as good as he’s felt right now,” the Celtics coach said. “What that means, I don’t want to speculate, nor do I know.”
There is no guarantee that when the Celtics come back from the All-Star break with a Feb. 24 game in Toronto that Bradley will be fully recovered from a strained Achilles injury that has forced him to miss 17 games.
In the meantime, the demand for increased minutes from Terry Rozier will continue. The Celtics guard is averaging 18 minutes per game, but 22.3 in the past three games — a trio of impressive wins in Portland, Salt Lake City and Dallas.
The results have been reflective of Rozier’s attempt to refine his game under crunch-time conditions, from an 11-point, 4-for-9, two-trey performance in Portland, to a 1-for-5 showing against the Jazz, to a stretch against the Mavericks in which his rebounding and defense had the greatest impact.
But Rozier is happy for the expanded opportunity, even if it’s likely to decrease when Bradley makes his eventual return.
“I definitely feel happy with it. Basketball and life is all about opportunity,” Rozier said. “You never know when your name gets called or know what the situation will be. Obviously no one wants Avery hurt. But it’s my time to step up, show what I can do and keep improving, make sure my minutes can stick.”