Celtics call out the reserves
Bench does job in OT vs. Bucks
MILWAUKEE - With the playoffs in mind, Doc Rivers tested his bench down the stretch last night.
It eventually passed.
With home-court advantage clinched, the Celtics coach has said his main agenda the rest of the regular season is to get his bench ready for the playoffs. And with the starters resting for good after three quarters, the Celtics blew a 14-point lead before eventually earning a 107-104 overtime win over the Bucks at the Bradley Center.
"I just wanted to stay in Milwaukee a little longer," joked Rivers, an ex-Marquette star.
Kevin Garnett had 21 points, including 13 in the first quarter, on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 shooting from the line in only 20 minutes. Reserve guard Tony Allen had 17 points while reserve forward-center Leon Powe added 14 before fouling out. Five Boston reserves all played more minutes than any starter.
While the bench held on for the win, Rivers was not happy with their overall effort and the finger pointing.
"I just didn't like our body language," Rivers said. "Sometimes things don't go right for you. We came out of timeouts and didn't execute plays. We were missing guys wide open. But you can't get mad at each other. The opponent is in the other color.
"We had a stretch where we were so mad at each other after someone missed a shot or someone missed a play we forgot that they were our opponent, and that can never happen.
"It's probably a good lesson for us. What I loved about it was through all of it they found a way to win the game."
Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen all returned after being given the night off Saturday at Charlotte. Pierce had 14 points in 21 minutes while Allen had 11 points in 22 minutes.
Rivers accomplished his pregame goal of getting his starters to play 20-25 minutes, so the Celtics will visit Washington tonight with them rested.
"We'll probably play them a little bit more [tonight], quite honestly," Rivers said.
On watching the last 17 minutes, Garnett said, "It was a little nerve-racking because you want your guys and your teammates to play well, man. You just try to tell guys what you see during timeouts when they mess up. Or, when the energy was low, try to keep the energy high and the morale up.
"There were mistakes, the team stayed together, and we finished this game off. And I felt they did that. They made shots, figured it out, and got the win."
The Celtics were up as many as 25 points, 74-49, in the third quarter, and they entered the fourth with an 80-66 lead.
But Michael Redd's lay-in sliced Milwaukee's deficit to 99-96 with 21.5 seconds left. Celtics forward James Posey missed two free throws with 16.7 seconds left that could have sealed the game. After pump-faking a flying-by Tony Allen to get free, Redd nailed a 3-pointer with 10.5 seconds left to tie the game.
"It was a great moment for our team," said Redd, who had a game-high 25 points.
Pierce asked to come back in for the final play of regulation but was denied by Rivers. Eddie House missed a 3-point attempt with 2.8 seconds left that could have won it in regulation.
"They were trying to come back in, but I told them they weren't coming back in," Rivers said. "I told our bench, 'It's on you.' It was great; great lesson for them."
Said House, "We were up 25. We had no business even going in overtime in this game. We could have been on the bus and the plane to Washington. We were able to fight and still get a win."
The Bucks picked up their first lead of the game, 101-99, after a Desmond Mason jumper with 3:31 left in OT. But Posey responded with a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 102-101 lead. After Milwaukee's Royal Ivey and House exchanged 3-pointers, Boston held a 105-104 lead. Two Posey free throws gave the Celtics the 107-104 lead with 53 seconds left, and that's where it stayed.
"We were able to gut it out with mental toughness," Posey said. "We made plays when we needed to down the stretch."
Said Garnett, "It's good both ways. Like I've always said, rest is never a bad thing. Experience you can't teach. So for them to be in this game, getting the experience, getting the time, creates rhythm, flow, chemistry. It's a good thing."
