Party full of novelties in the Garden. Almost everything that happened can be considered surprising: Tacko Fall played his first game of the season, Ricky Rubio started for only the sixth time this season, the Cavs lost and the Celtics won. A compendium of things that have not been entirely common so far this year and that also had the added attraction of Joe Johnson’s return to the NBA. The guard, who did not play a game since May 28, 2018, while wearing the Rockets jersey in those famous Conference finals, against the Warriors. Now 40 years old, comes out of retirement to return to the North American competition, in which he averaged 25 points per game (in 2006-07, when he was a member of the Hawks) and to play seven All Strars, among other things. It is what the coronavirus has.
To all this, the victory went to the Celtics: they led the first half with solvency, they came to command by 23 points and they dedicated themselves to managing the advantage in the Garden to add their 16th victory of the season, same number that they have in the loss box. The Celtics are eighth in the Eastern Conference, they are half a game behind the Sixers’ seventh place and they still do not convince in a season in which no one convinces and that is already drenched in coronavirus, a huge condition that is not being managed. Something that also affects greens but does not hide its reality: that the moment they live is bad, the project hangs by a thread and there is no special optimism for the future. The general situation allows not to talk too much about Ime Udoka’s team. But it is obvious that the situation in the Garden is not at all positive.
Against the Cavs, Jayson Tatum had one of those games in which he plays the same as when he plays well, but playing poorly: 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists with 6 of 19 in field goals and 2 of 8 in triples, well in defense but very primed in attack. The hero was Jaylen Brown, with 34 points, 12 of 22 on the shot and 5 of 10 from the outside. It doesn’t look like the Celtics and their conservative tradition are going to make a big splash in the market, but there are already some fans who stick with Jaylen before Jayson. YIn the midst of all this, Robert Williams had 21 points and 11 rebounds with 10 and 12 in shots and it was the differential element and the inner power that the Celtics have lacked for quite some time. In addition, Joe Johnson played less than 2 minutes and scored 2 points. The expected prominence.
The visitors did not hit the key again and parked their streak, coronavirus through, of six consecutive victories: they remain 19-13, in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and they are trying by all means that the pandemic does not stop its meteoric progression. The difficulties are great, but this defeat is, like any other, within logic. What’s more, what is not logical was everything else. Ricky went to 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, Tacko added an acceptable 4 + 10, Garland was the best with 28 points, Osman added 13 and Kevin Love continues to enjoy his second youth and contributed a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. A bit of everything for the Ohio franchise, which continues with its particular revolution And now he plays against rivals he can add to: Raptors, Pelicans, Wizards, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies … A good schedule, which is what they have. The rest, We’ll see.
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