Green benched in the 4th quarter, and was that a good thing?

Brad Stevens made a bold statement to Jeff Green last night after he benched him for the entire 4th quarter, or he just rode the hot hand with the rookie Kelly Olynyk. The sitting of Jeff Green has opened up a mini controversy early in the season, but I think the sitting of Green was a great statement by Stevens whether he knows it or not.

MassLive.com

Asked about his late lineups, Stevens told reporters in Detroit, “Those groups were doing a great job. They gave us a chance to win and then we turned it over because we were moving too fast. But we were getting looks that we wanted, we were getting opportunities that we wanted, guys were playing hard, fighting for rebounds. I was pleased with the last group and the end of the game. I just thought they gave it everything they had. For whatever reason we fumbled the ball a little bit at the end, but we really did that all night.”

According to the Boston Globe’s Baxter Holmes, Stevens added that his playing time decisions were “just based on who I felt like was playing well at the time."

In years past with Doc Rivers I always felt that he should have done this with the "Big 3", and some other players on the team through the years. Even if Stevens didn't intend to bench Jeff. I liked his choice to ride the unit that got him there in the 4th quarter. Brad Stevens is justified a bit, the Celtics went on a 13-0 run after Jeff went out late in the 3rd quarter.

The benching of Green could mean something, or it could mean nothing. I think it's up to Jeff Green to decide that. After his 25 point performance in the season opener. He's faded into the background once again. For a player that's supposed to be the second best player, he doesn't show it often. Green will have a chance tonight in Memphis to move on, and to show Brad Stevens that he's learned a lesson.

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