Ladies and gentlemen, the Philadelphia 76ers! The Celtics had the honor of meeting the NBA's current version of the Washington Generals tonight at the Wells Fargo Center and after a sketchy first quarter (where they trailed 27-22), Boston (4-6 overall, 2-2 away) rallied for a 101-90 win over Philadelphia (0-11 overall, 0-5 home).
The Sixers are a complete nightmare, they appear well on their way to another 26-game losing streak like last season, haha why not 0-82 this time? Now that is something to shoot for, they finished 19-63 in 2013-14. And we thought being a Celtics fan these days is rough (it usually is) but how about Sixers fans? Seeing that sorry team, you understand why nobody in such a great sports town goes to see them anymore or remotely pays attention to their constant losing ways.
I feel bad for Massachusetts natives Michael Carter-Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Nerlens Noel (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) who are in their second and first seasons (Noel missed all last season recovering from a major knee injury) respectively with this D-League squad. It's silly to think that all this losing and constant talk of tanking won't have some negative side-effects on such impressionable young guys. They are both immensely talented and it would be a real shame to see it go to waste for much longer (MCW was the Rookie of the Year last season).
After going 0-3 on a painful homestand, the Celts just needed a victory especially considering the minefield they face in their next four games: at Memphis, vs. Portland, vs. Chicago and vs. San Antonio. With no real size inside for the home team, the Celtics' big guys were able to take advantage. Brandon Bass had a game-high 23 points and six rebounds off the bench while Jared Sullinger added 22 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Thornton put together his best game as a Celtic with 13 points and four steals off the bench and Jeff Green scored 11 points. Rajon Rondo had nine points, 13 assists, five rebounds and two steals.
If you play Fantasy Basketball, Sixers reserve guard Tony Wroten (21 points, 7 assists) is definitely an under-the-radar player that you want to own. Other than MCW, Noel and him, it's a team of journeymen nobodies like Henry Sims (14 points) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals).
In the first half, I briefly entertained thoughts of Boston losing this game and it nearly drove me to tears (not really but you get the point). The C's woke up in the second quarter (24-19) to enter halftime tied at 46. Boston's defense held Philadelphia to 22 points apiece in the final two quarters while they put up 27 and 28.
Keeping Philly to just 90 points represented Boston's best defensive outing of the young season. The Celtics shot 9.9% better from the field (49.4-39.5), dished out 10 more assists (season-high 32-22), scored six more fast break points (24-18) and eight more points in the paint (54-46).
In a hilarious scheduling quirk, the Celts' mini two-game road trip takes them from facing the worst team in the league to the best. The Grizzlies lost 96-92 tonight in Toronto but they still have the best record in the NBA at 10-2. If you decide to watch Friday's (8, CSN) game from the FedEx Forum, make sure that you have plenty of alcohol to get you through what could be a very ugly contest (if you support the Celtics).
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