Well......if you're not pumped for the second half, then you don't have a pulse.
After getting pushed around all first half, the Celtics finally punched back. Literally. And it is exactly the kind of wakeup call this team needed not just for tonight's game, but this may propel them for the rest of the season.
With 29.5 seconds left in the first half, Kevin Garnett was fouled hard by Kris Humphries and fell to the ground. Feeling that the foul was too hard, Rajon Rondo stepped in and had some words with Humphries and eventually shoved him under the basket. This led to complete mayhem, including ejections of Rajon Rondo, Gerald Wallace, and Kris Humphries.
Here are some thoughts:
* Jason Collins is alive and well. He made a rare appearance at the start of the second quarter after Jared Sullinger was struggling big time with Reggie Evans. So far, Collins hasn't done that much better.
* The dynamic duo of Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans are at it again. These two are absolutely killing the Celtics. Blatche has 10 rebounds in 13 minutes -- he had 8 of them in the first quarter -- and has 5 offensive and 5 defensive rebounds. Meanwhile, Evans is doing what he does best: being a nuisance.
* After shooting 64% in the first 5 minutes of the game, the Celtics dropped to 43%. Yet, they are still shooting better than Brooklyn, whose shooting 37%.
* The biggest issue so far? Turnovers. The Celtics have 13 turnovers and the Nets are scoring off them.
* In the first quarter, Brooklyn got a ton of open shots, and I mean a ton. The pick-and-roll defense that was stressed mightily during yesterday's practice was non-existent, and Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries got open layups down low and Gerald Wallace had plenty of open three-point shots. The Celtics tightened that up nicely, but they're going to have to continue that to climb out of this hole.
* The Celtics couldn't even break a full-court press in the first half. Around the 8 minute mark in the second, the Celtics turned the ball over twice with Leandro Barbosa at the point, and they couldn't even get the ball over half court. They're going to need to do little things such as this in order to go where they want to go.
* I've been very impressed with Brooklyn thus far. Not just in this game, but throughout the young season. They are balanced, talented, and work well together. The fact that 38-year-old Jerry Stackhouse is the team's leading scorer with 9 points, and the fact that every player that has gotten into the game for the Nets has scored at least 3 points goes to prove the balance on this team.
* With his ejection, Rajon Rondo's double-digit assist streak officially ends at 37 games. Quite a remarkable run, but a discouraging way for the streak to come to an end.
* Look for the Celtics to come out fired up and ready to give this their best effort. This should be a great second half!
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