Warriors erase 26-point deficit to edge scrappy Celtics
Brad Stevens deserves a medal.
The Boston Celtics traded their ostensible franchise player in December. They traded their top scorer a month later. Their most dynamic offensive forward has been on the shelf for weeks, and their most consistent producer is out for the season.
Somehow, without Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger, the Celtics are just a game out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
For the majority of their game against the league-best Golden State Warriors on Sunday, it looked like they'd finish the day in even better shape than that. The Celtics came out raining fire in the first half, taking advantage of a sluggish Warriors team winding down a six-game-in-nine-night road trip.
Behind crisp ball movement, relentless rebounding and a hail of 3-pointers, the Celtics built up a 26-point lead midway through the second quarter, and had the Garden crowd cooking at a full boil.
That was about when Stephen Curry and company decided they'd had enough. The Warriors closed the half on a 19-9 run to slash the deficit to a very manageable 16 heading into the break.
Still, even as they continued chipping away in the third, with Curry doing all kinds of Curry-ish things, the Celtics seemed to be keeping their cool, doing just enough to keep their nose in front. They clung to an 11-point lead at the start of the fourth.
That's when the Warriors' top-rated defense, which had inexplicably surrendered 86 points through three, clamped down. The Celtics managed just 15 points on 6-of-24 shooting, while the Curry and Draymond Green shot the Warriors back into the game.
Green scored 11 of his 14 points in the final frame, and a layup with just over three minutes remaining gave his team their first lead since 4-3.
After that, the Warriors trailed for just 18 seconds, when rookie point guard Marcus Smart drained a deep, gutsy 3-ball to put the Celtics up 99-98. Harrison Barnes quickly answered with a driving layup and, after a defensive stop, Andre Iguodala followed suit with one of his own.
Isaiah Thomas missed a potential game-tying 3 with 11 seconds to play, and the Celtics' major upset bid came up just short.
But what a bid it was. The Celtics had eight players score in double-figures, led by Thomas' 20. Jae Crowder ripped down a career-high 17 rebounds. And with a combination of uptempo offense, 21 offensive boards and just eight turnovers, the Celtics managed 109 field-goal attempts, the highest total in a non-overtime game since the Warriors themselves attempted 110 back in 2008 (h/t: Kevin Pelton).
It all might have been enough, if not for that Curry fellow, who dropped 37 points on 14-of-22 shooting and 5-of-8 from downtown.
Still, Brad Stevens deserves a medal.