Why is your best 3-pt shooter on the bench when that's what you need for the last shot?
After Brandon Knight's ridiculous step-back jumper gave the Bucks a 96-93 lead last night, the Celtics had the ball with 6.7 seconds remaining in the game. Brad Stevens called a timeout to set up a play, then here's what happened:
Instant reaction to Jae Crowder's miss was as follows:
Celtics lose 96-93. Three-game winning streak over. Contested 3 by Jae Crowder rims out while Marcus Thornton sits on the bench.
— Boston.com Celtics (@BDCCeltics) February 8, 2015
That was not an impressive final play. Unless somebody else is wide open, Thornton has got to be the go-to guy there.
— CelticsLife.com (@CelticsLife) February 8, 2015
I am a big fan of Brad Stevens but don't understand why he couldn't put Marcus Thornton in there on final two possessions.
— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) February 8, 2015
Where on earth was Marcus Thornton on the final play?
— Jared Weiss (@CLNS_JaredWeiss) February 8, 2015
I would've had Marcus Thornton out there in that situation.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) February 8, 2015
#celtics lost 96-93. Crowder forced to take contested 2 and misses. Not sure why Thornton wasn't in the game for final play.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) February 8, 2015
There's a bit of a common theme here, huh? On the floor for the last 6.7 seconds were Crowder, Evan Turner, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger. As you can see in the above screenshot, Thornton is on the bench, ironically directly behind Crowder as the ball bounces off the rim.
Thornton is shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc this season--Crowder is .327, Turner .310, Smart .353, Bradley .356 and Sullinger .287. So what's the explanation?
@LucidSportsFan not Thornton specifically but stevens said he felt good about having shooters with size to get a shot off
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) February 8, 2015
I'm not buying it. If that's the case, why not sub in 6'4" Thornton for 6'2" Bradley? Or how about going with 6'9" Tayshaun Prince? Prince has actually knocked down 19 of 40 (.475) threes this season. Rookie sharpshooter James Young is also 6'6", by the way...
Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan