Celtics hoping for turnaround after win in LA
DENVER -- In a scene reminiscent of what followed the Celtics' loss to the Warriors last week, Delonte West stood alone in an empty locker room at
Brimming with optimism, West offered some reflections that markedly contrasted his frustration following the Golden State game when he pronounced Boston was ''just good enough to lose." West saw the Clippers game as, arguably, the most significant win of the season, an opportunity to banish all the disappointment that had accumulated over the course of the trip and start fresh.
''I think tonight our season turned around," West said. ''I have confidence in my teammates. I like the look in their eyes. I like the feel that I was getting, even in the losses. I like the feel that was going on in the locker room on this road trip. Tonight what we were trying to accomplish we brought it out. That's not because of the win, but because of how we won. That [kind of win] is what we've been trying to get all year.
''Today is the day."
With the Celtics (12-17) shooting 57 percent and taking care of the ball (14 turnovers for 12 points), the Clippers never had a chance.
The numbers were even more impressive in the second quarter, when Boston broke the game open with a 19-4 run and outscored the home team, 33-15. The Celtics shot 61 percent from the floor, held the Clippers to 29 percent, and did not commit a turnover.
Also, to the Celtics' credit, they did not collapse when the Clippers closed within 10 points early in the fourth despite playing the second of back-to-back games. Instead, Boston responded with a 15-2 run to ensure victory.
But is West right? Does a win over the Clippers represent a turning point? Will the Celtics win a second straight tonight in Denver against the struggling Nuggets (14-17), who have dropped seven of their last nine games?
If past is prelude, probably not.
Boston has won consecutive games just once this season, at home against Golden State and Utah just before Christmas. The Celtics were the last team in the league to string together victories. Still, the consecutive wins did not generate any momentum as Boston lost its next three for its longest losing streak of the season. Turnovers, poor rebounding, nonexistent defense, and lackluster execution, especially in the fourth quarter when victories were not entirely out of reach, punctuated the losses.
And let's not gloss over the fact the Celtics suffered lapses in defense and concentration again in the third quarter Saturday night, committing seven turnovers and allowing the Clippers to shoot 57 percent.
Before the win over the Clippers, the situation seemed so desperate that executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge talked openly Saturday about making changes, internally in terms of the lineup and rotation and possibly with a trade. He thought Boston needed to use players who would defend and take care of the ball better, to try different combinations than the many already sampled by coach Doc Rivers.
Ainge, who had traveled to Los Angeles, watched the Celtics field a retooled starting lineup with Al Jefferson replacing Kendrick Perkins. It was the third non-injury-related change to the starting lineup this season. It also put Jefferson in the role many thought he would have when the season began. Jefferson is, after all, Ainge's most-prized draft pick.
In another change, energetic defensive specialist Justin Reed played the same amount of minutes (17) against the Clippers that he had in the previous 12 games combined. Rivers has said on numerous occasions he is ''not a big believer in change," though he plans to keep Jefferson in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future but remains uncertain what role Reed will play. Rivers said he would like to find playing time for Brian Scalabrine, a free agent Ainge proudly signed last summer, which may come at the expense of Reed's minutes.
All of this simply goes to show the Celtics are still searching for chemistry and consistency.
''I hope we're closer [to figuring things out]," said Paul Pierce. ''But it's just one win. We don't want to get overexcited with just one win. We're just trying to build some consistency. For us, to say, 'OK, we've got one win. We're closer to where we want to be.' No. We've got to string together a group of games and then I can tell you that."
That kind of realistic attitude may be the biggest reason Boston could finish the trip with a victory in Denver. The Celtics now, at least, sound like they know how hard they need to work to win. Plus, after two straight scoring performances below his average of 26.2 points (22 in Sacramento and 19 points in LA), Pierce may be due for another big night like the one at the start of the trip when he tied a season high with 43 points at Seattle.
The Celtics certainly believe they are due for some more wins.
