Boston Celtics prove to be worth their cookies, hold off Philadelphia 76er's 107-96

At the end of a dominating first half by the Celtics, Tommy Heinsohn expressed concern. Referencing Philadelphia, he stated that any team worth their salt would make a hard charge at closing the large gap in the second half. Brain Scalabrine questioned the meaning of someone being worth their salt, to which Heinsohn responded, “well, worth their cookies”.

Maybe safe to state that the 76er’s are, perhaps, worth their cookies, but only if those cookies are Hydrox.

A starting five consisting of Smart, Bradley, Turner, Sullinger and Bass was active early, with Bradley being the early catalyst. Starting at a personal pace that had this over-reacting blogger wondering if he would challenge Klay Thompson’s recent single-quarter scoring record, Bradley masterfully guided numerous jumpers gently into the net.

With unselfish ball movement, Boston’s quick passing put to comparative shame the sloppiness with which the Sixers handled their offense. At one point near the end of the second half, the road team had more turnovers than field goals.

Celtics led at halftime 60-42.

But even bad NBA teams are NBA teams, and any lead can be lost underneath the weight of an aggressive run, which the Sixers put together in the third quarter. Outscoring the Celtics in the quarter 27-15, Philly upgraded the worth of their cookies by entering the fourth quarter still behind, but only 75-69.

Unfortunately, a game that seemed at one point to be maturing into a one-sided dunkfest had suddenly devolved into a potential embarrassment.

Boston’s attempt at reclaiming dominance in the second half was built upon carpet-bombing the basket with three-point shots, which effectively contributed to an overall lack of energy that was enjoyed in the first half. Midway through the final frame, quick-shooting Marcus Thornton dropped a couple of the bombs, giving the C’s a bit more breathing room than the slim three-point margin they found themselves with.

Perhaps due to the urgency of almost dropping the contest, the Celtics regrouped and displayed grit in further asserting their dominance, finally separating themselves near the end for a 107-96 victory.

Jared Sullinger led the way for the Boston with 22 points, 8 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

The Celtics next game is tomorrow night in Milwaukee against the Bucks.

Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images)

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