C’s keep pesky T’wolves at bay, claim “fouled-up” win

ANDY CLAYTON-KING – ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brad Stevens and Minnesota’s Ryan Saunders seem to be the NBA’s most easy-going of bench jockeys. Do you suppose the NBA assigned their three “most apt to be rusty after a lengthy break” refs to work a game for such nice guy coaches?

Consider that 34 of the game’s 208 possessions ended with two (or three) FT’s – 32 of them occurring in the final 36 minutes … that’s 16.3 percent of play being decided by a whistle.

By comparison, in 54 pre-ASB games with 10,755 offensive possessions, the Celts and their opposition combined for 1,097 Free-Throw Conversions – a mere 10.2 percent.

CARLOS GONZALEZ – STAR TRIBUNE

The officials weren’t the only ones struggling … Boston decided to extend its half-time intermission an extra five minutes, registering just two “stops” in their first TEN Q3 tries, allowing the home team to creep within two points of a lead the Celtics had assumed for good mid-Q1.

The KAT-less Wolves hung tough, getting as close as one point (108-107, 6:20 left), but were out-poised in a Q4 that featured 18 personal fouls and 30 FTA’s.




Boston 127

FG: C’s – 44-95, .463
3FG: C’s – 10-29, .345
FT: C’s – 29-37, .784 [17 conversions]
TS%: C’s – .571
OR: C’s – 16 + 3 (team) [minus 1 FT rebound]
DR: C’s – 42 + 1 (team) [minus 2 FT rebounds]
TO: C’s – 10 + 1 (team)
Poss: C’s – 104 {43 “Empty”}
PPP: C’s – 1.221
CV%: C’s – 61 / 104, .587
Stripes: C’s – 2 [1 conversion]
Adjusted CV%: C’s – 62 / 104, .596 {expected production, 124 points}


Minnesota 117

FG: Minn – 36-89, .404
3FG: Minn – 15-42, .357
FT: Minn – 30-35, .857 [17 conversions]
TS%: Minn – .560
OR: Minn – 8 + 4 (team) [minus 0 FT rebounds]
DR: Minn – 35 + 1 (team) [minus 4 FT rebounds]
TO: Minn – 8 + 2 (team)
Poss: Minn – 104 {51 “Empty”}
PPP: Minn – 1.125
CV%: Minn – 53 / 104, .510
Stripes: Minn – 10 [5 conversions]
Adjusted CV%: Minn – 58 / 104, .558 {expected production, 116 points}


Note re Calculation & Notation:

The number of “possessions” is an accurate count, not a formula-based estimated value. For purposes of clarity, the bracketed digit following the FT% is the exact count of “conversions” represented by those FTA’s.

“Possessions” calculation: FGA’s + FT conversions + TO’s – OR’s (including Team OR’s) – FT OR’s

“Conversions” calculation: FG’s + FT conversions

“Stripes” calculation: 3FG’s – missed FTA’s

TS% = True Shooting Percentage

PPP = Points per Possession

CV% = Conversion Percentage


Abacus Revelation for the Road

A very Happy 80th Birthday to an “Almost Celtic” – a Hall of Famer who would help Philadelphia end Boston’s string of eight consecutive championships back in 1967 before forming (in Chicago with Bob Love) one of the NBA’s most potent pair of “cornermen” ever.

If ANY team had been wise enough in the 1962 NBA Draft to select John Havlicek before the Celtics’ final pick in the first round, Red Auerbach often said he’d have snatched up the services of Chet “The Jet” Walker.