Celtics Player Grades vs Los Angeles Clippers

The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-104

ESPN Boxscore

CelticsLife Game Recap

Player Grades:
I grade on a curve!

Kevin Garnett: 12 Points, 5 Rebounds
Garnett's impact in this game cannot be measured by his points or rebounds. He didn't do too much in those department but his defense was stupendous. He completely did his best to take away a major weapon of the Clippers, the pick and roll. He swallowed up the ball-handler during the switches, and really limited the damage that potentially could have been done. Watching Garnett tonight was like reading a textbook on defense.
B+

Brandon Bass: 9 Points, 8 Rebounds
Bass had a great game today. He really brought energy, and that lead to a lot of good things. He rebounded well, was aggressive on offense, and also did a great job moving the ball. He didn't do a great job on defense, he was out of position multiple times, but he did go up against a very talented frontcourt. With a bit more breathing room in terms of minutes/role, Bass seems to have his head in the right place now.
A-

Paul Pierce: 22 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists
Paul Pierce continued his strong play today, with a good overall performance. He gave an efficient team-high 22 points, while crashing the boards hard. He made several timely plays to keep the lead, including the dagger at the end of the game. His defense was shaky and he made a bunch of poor decisions as a playmaker, but it is understandable due to his increased role. Overall a very good game for the captain.
A- 

 Avery Bradley: 4 Points
Avery struggled today, with his shot and defense. He deserved several calls that the refs didn't give him, but he also played out of control on several plays. He Not a great performance from him tonight.
B-

Courtney Lee: 7 Points
Courtney Lee had a similar game to Bradley, except for the fact that he got completely burned on defense. He got eaten up in transition and couldn't keep his man in front of him. It was a poor showing.
C+

Jeff Green: 14 Points
Jeff Green had another big scoring performance off of the bench. He put in a very efficient 14 points, through a multitude of ways. He scored in transition, with his hot jumper, and by getting to the line. His defense was also very good, guarding both wings and big men. Now it would be perfect if he could start contributing on the boards.
A-

Chris Wilcox: 4 Points
4 Points in 4 minutes is a pretty solid night.
A-

Jason Collins: 7 Points
Jason Collins came into the game and set the tone of taking hits and getting to the line. He spearheaded a team effort of drawing 27 free throws. Collins probably had his best performance of the season today.
A+

Jason Terry: 13 Points, 6 Assists
Terry continues to look comfortable with the ball in his hand. He hit shots (including some big ones) and did his best as a playmaker. His defense sucked but nobody thinks he is good on that end anyways. Great to see this from a guy that was legitimately struggling early on.
A-

Leandro Barbosa: 14 Points
Unleash Barbosa and let him score. He will most likely deliver. Barbosa continues to do all of what we know he can do, which is score by driving and hitting spot-ups. It is amazing how out of control he looks, but he is actually in control most of the time.
A-

Boston Celtics: 106 Points, 29 Rebounds, 23 Assists
The Celtics exploded offensively today but there were a lot of flaws with their play. They legitimately played terrible basketball in the half-court, they turned the ball over far too much, and they got crushed on the boards. Their defense was inconsistent, and they got lucky with the Clippers really struggling without Chris Paul. But how well they played on offense cannot be ignored. They drew plenty of free throws, they took and made a lot of 3s, and the transition game was magnificent. The Clippers paid every time they turned the ball over. It was a good win but against a better team these problems won't fly. The Celtics hope to continue their streak against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday (02/06/13), at Toronto.
B+

Your take: How did you feel about the game today? Sound off in the comments!

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