If the Celtics play like this every night, they will be a very tough team to beat. They have played a full 24 minutes so far and lead the Chicago Bulls 58-46 at the half.
The two most important stats from the first half? The Celtics are shooting 60% from the field and only have 4 turnovers.
Here are some other thoughts:
* The Celtics set the tone very early on. They are playing an up-tempo offense with crisp ball movement. They scored a ton of points against a team that allows only 88 per game.
* Paul Pierce is picking up right where he left off Saturday night. He leads the team with 10 points. He's also doing a lot of other things as well, pulling down 5 rebounds, dishing 3 assists, and even blocking a shot.
* All that talk of the underperforming bench? Well, the Celtics are answering their critics so far in this one, outscoring the Bulls bench 15-11.
* Doc used 10 players in the first 14 minutes of the game, which is pretty unusual for him. But, nonetheless, it seems to be working.
* The first quarter really set the tone. The C's shot 64% and had 8 bench points compared to the Bulls 52% and 0 bench points.
* A couple injury notes: Jeff Green appeared to step on Kevin Garnett's foot midway through the second quarter. He has a mild right ankle sprain and is expected to return. Brandon Bass dislocate his right rind finger in the first quarter, but he returned to the game.
* Leandro Barbosa is aggressive tonight, attacking the left side of the basket really well. He has 6 points on 3 drives to the basket.
* Although the Bulls shot 45%, the Celtics are doing a real good job of contesting shots and making things difficult. The Bulls never had an answer, and they took a lot of bad shots late in the shot clock.
* After the Bulls cut the lead to 3 in the second quarter, the Celtics quickly responded with a 10-0 run.
* And yes, the Celtics are actually playing well without Kevin Garnett on the floor.
Tom Thibodeau will definitely get into his team, and the Celtics should be ready for a run from the Bulls.
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