Posted by Kevin Arnovitz
Typically, the storylines that dominate November basketball are an assortment of curiosities -- Is Flip Murray really this good? Can a Crimson Afro help Delonte West stop worrying and love the game again? November basketball is governed by Power Rankings rather than standings, by novelty not substance.
But every once in a while, a quick flyby to Channel 752 on League Pass becomes a full-service stop. You let the phone go to voicemail and set the rice cooker to 'keep warm.' Last night's Celtics-Raptors game demanded that kind of suspension.
Kelly Dwyer has a terrific recap of the game with all the storylines: The Celtics' second-half adjustment on Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono's rhythmic mastery, Paul Pierce foregoing any kind of rest -- or conscience -- in the second half. Pierce finished with 22 points in the final frame, during which the C's tightened the defensive vice and hopped on their captain's back.
The Celtics' spurt started in the 3rd. Paul Flannery at WEEI's Celtics Game Day blog i.d.s the moment:
There was a moment midway through the third quarter that looked the period and exclamation point on a Celtics loss. Chris Bosh got himself free behind the Celtics defense and sailed in for an easy alley-oop dunk off an uncontested feed from Jose Calderon. This kind of thing doesn't happen to the Celtics very much. The Grizzlies, maybe, but not the baddest defensive team on the planet.
Kevin Garnett, the closest defender on the play, raised his hand as if to say, "My fault. He left it up there a tick or two longer than was necessary, a strange sort of self-flagellation as if he wanted to be sure everyone in the arena knew it too. It was 59-46 and there wasn't a soul in the Garden who thought, "OK, now they start the comeback. But, that's exactly where it started.
As the Celtics picked up steam in the 4th and the crowd awoke, Garnett decided he wanted to defend the ball upcourt. He began to clap furiously in the face of Jose Calderon as the Raptors' PG scampered his way across the timeline. If you were unfamiliar with Garnett and what Free Darko refers to as Garnett's "point of near-explosion," you'd be terrified.
With their go-to guy marginalized on the weak side, their wings smothered, and the passing lanes clogged, the Raptors couldn't convert inside of three minutes. Assigning moral victories does seem like something you can do in November -- particularly on the road against the reigning NBA champions. But the effort offered no solace for Raptors Republic (PG-13), whose loathing of the Celtics' antics is surpassed only by his admiration for their fortitude:
Is it me or did you want to throw a brick at your TV when you saw KG trash talking Calderon as poor Jose couldn't believe it. Or how about Pierce crying out at the sky as he sinks another clutch jumper. Did you wish we had players that did that kind of stuff? Show outright emotion, play with their hearts on their sleeves, get pumped up and inspire their teammates, not settle for a loss and will their teams to big wins in big divisional games. I'm sad, it makes me sad that we don't have anybody like that.
You can check out the highlights here.
