Celtics news & rumors: Stevens hypes team ‘energy’; Al Horford reunion
The Boston Celtics got back in the win column Sunday night with a 134-107 victory over the hapless Houston Rockets, but it didn’t start off so great until the bench entered the game and changed the energy of the game.
Led by their two All-stars, Jaylen Brown with 24 points and Jayson Tatum with 23 points, the green team eventually rolled, but it took a spark from the reserves to get things heated up.
Down by as many as eight points through the first seven minutes of the game, the Celtics allowed the Rockets to explode for 26 points in that same time frame. It was looking to be one of those frustrating games where the C’s play down to their opponents.
But, entered Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Semi Ojeleye who not only changed the complexion of the game, but injected an energy the team needed to turn a close first quarter into a one-sided affair.
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Boston Celtics smoke the Houston Rockets
Making the right moves at the right time, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was very complimentary following the game of the team’s level of energy starting mid-way through that first quarter and influencing the rest of the game.
"“Our energy has been really good in the last couple of days in the gym. When we came back from All-Star break, I thought we looked like we were refreshed,” Stevens said following the game, as transcribed by NESN. “Obviously, winning those last four games before we left (helped). I thought we played with good energy against Brooklyn, just need to clean some things up, and then guys have been really good the last couple of days. I was glad we were able to withstand that early on slot, play well the rest of the game.”"
Led by Williams who continued to show his upside with 16 points and 13 rebounds, the Celtics bench was the reason the team made easy work of the Rockets on this night.
Looking ahead, the team will need more of this type of aggressive energy from the bench to be able to compete with the top teams in the Eastern conference, especially if the team does nothing at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Speaking of which:
NBA trade rumors: is Al Horford the savior?
Will Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge do something big with the $28.5 million traded player exception (TPE) at the NBA trade deadline or will he wait for the offseason?
The fear is that Ainge may see a better opportunity following the season which would mean in the eyes of Celtics fans that he does not believe in the team as currently orchestrated.
With rumors flying everywhere, the team could turn to a familiar face to help the team this season. Yes, we are talking about Al Horford.
Since spurning the team for the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 2020 NBA season, Horford hasn’t had that same impact on the court.
After an underwhelming season in Philly, Horford was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he has found his grove again, averaging 14.3 points and 6.8 rebound a game. He is also shooting 37.2 percent from behind the arc which would make him a great stretch big for Brad Stevens.
Besides the Celtics and Horford being very familiar with one another, a Horford reunion would be intriguing because that puts him in the lineup with Kemba Walker along with All-Star versions of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
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Depending on what the team would have to give up for Horford, that would be an upgrade all around as the bench would become stronger as either Theis or Horford would come off the bench. It would also inject more veteran leadership and front court help on the team.
The only question is would Ainge use almost all of the TPE on Horford?
That would really tell the story on how far trader Danny feels the team can go this season.