Who needs exercise when watching the Boston Celtics play a 53-minute game can get your heart racing to 200 beats per minute?
The Celtics once again inspired their fans to go through a world of emotion as they successfully defended Gardens in 101-98 against the Indiana Pacers.
How did the Boston Celtics fare against the Indiana Pacers?
It was a relatively slow game through three quarters, with the only scary moment being an injury to Marcus Smart. It must be nothing more than a minor setback as he has supernatural self-healing powers. I look forward to seeing him back in action for the next Celtics game.
The Celtics fed their fans as they entered the fourth quarter with a lead of only eight points as such a minimal lead often meant bad things to come. With 4:22 on the clock, Jalen Brown, as Brian Scalabrine described it, had a Ray Allen-esque moment, grabbing a three-pointer from a corner while coming off a pick with his feet barely set. it was done.
For future reference, the Boston Celtics might want to follow one of my basketball rules: Never let the most unpredictable player on the court get the ball in a close game. Since the home team ignored this, I believe this is why Lance Stephenson hit clutch three and then went on to his guitar-playing ceremony.
The Celtics were four down with less than a minute in regulation. Josh Richardson hits an amazing mid-range shot on Torrey Craig to bring us within two. With just seconds left on the clock, Jason Tatum channeled his Laker statue and made a graceful 20-foot jump, hitting nothing but the net. The Celtics escaped regulation.
On the back of offensive contributions from Brown, Tatum and Grant Williams, as well as defensive help from Robert Williams, the Celtics added a win to their record.
"Run through the tape."
My account doesn't even begin to describe how much this team cares for its fans. In a hypothetical situation where the opposition is down 12 and there is a minute left in the fourth, there is no 110 percent guarantee of victory. I would never suggest a fan to turn off their TV or go outside for a walk.
This game reminded me of the hilarious 100-yard dash between the crew of Inside the NBA. In that race, Chris Webber poked Kenny Smith's stomach out by running vehemently through the tape and then provided his golden words:
His performance that day could be a lesson for the Celtics to never lose their focus even at the last second. The Celtics always have to run through the tapes. Coming back to the present, this game perfectly demonstrates this adage as Josh Richardson delivers a misguided piece of advice just in time in a three-point attempt from Justin Holiday.
Despite the late-game theatrics, the Celtics won the game.
Both Jays ended the night with nearly double-doubles, with Brown having 26 points and 15 rebounds and Tatum's 24 points and 12 rebounds. Robert Williams is also becoming a stat-sheet nightmare for opponents as he also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He brought the fans back into the game by denying several shots.
This may be the most similar performance I've seen from both J's in a long time. Although I want them both to have 30-point double-doubles, this will work. In this showdown, Plan J was successful. The Celtics left for Indiana on January 12, hoping to beat the Pacers again.