The Boston Celtics had their game of the season in a 17 point comeback win against the Grizzlies
The Boston Celtics traveled into Memphis Tuesday night to face the NBA’s top defense. This game was the second of a three game road trip for the Celtics, and was expected to be a tough game to get a win. However, the Celtics were able to come away with their best win of the 2016-17 season. This is the type of game that could ignite Boston’s winning ways once again.
Isaiah Thomas led the way against the Memphis Grizzlies with a career high 44 points. The little guy shot 10 of 16 from the field and hit all 17 of his free throw attempts. Couple that with seven threes, and Thomas had himself an extremely efficient night.
This game had everything you could want if you’re a Celtics fan. Boston overcame a 17 point deficit with excellent second half rebounding, defense and offensive execution. Al Horford had a great game on the glass gobbling up 14 rebounds. Avery Bradley also played superb defense on Mike Conley down the stretch of the game all while being in foul trouble most of the game. Brad Stevens was on top of his game too, as he drew up a ton of success out of timeout plays that led to crucial baskets.
Beating the Grizzlies on the road after being down as much as 17 points is a huge win for a Celtics team needing a signature win. This type of game can turn the Celtics season around. Thomas even said so when he told reporters after the game that “This might turn the season around, for real.”
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The Celtics’ season wasn’t headed for disaster, but the team was not producing the way they were expected to when the year started. I have preached patience with this team that has struggled with early season injuries. With their full roster intact, Boston is 10-3. The past three games have been very encouraging as the Celtics overall play has picked up on both ends of the court.
The upcoming stretch of games are tough. The Celtics travel to Indiana, and come back home shortly for a game against the Thunder before their Christmas day game in New York. Boston then gets the Grizzlies at home, and then go on the road again to face the Cavaliers.
With the next five games looking to be a substantial challenge, Celtics fans should be grateful that their team is playing their best basketball of the year so far. This upcoming stretch should be a good way gauge where the Celtics are compared to the NBA’s top level teams. If the Celtics can win three or four, out of the five upcoming games, they can use this successful stretch to make a move on the Raptors and Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference standings.
