Based on the way the Boston Celtics' veteran duo of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett ran out of gas down the stretch of their Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks, it's clearer than ever that Jeff Green has to play like a star for Boston to avoid an early playoff exit.
Green played an excellent game—certainly the best of any Celtic—against the Knicks, tallying 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks on 8-of-15 shooting. In addition to his stellar, stat-stuffing effort, Green made Carmelo Anthony at least work for his 36 points.
Anthony hit just 13-of-29 shots from the field and buried a number of difficult, contested jumpers in isolation situations. In many instances, Green was as close to Anthony as he could have been without fouling on those jumpers. With a player as locked in as Anthony is right now, the best most defenders can hope to do is to make things as difficult as possible.
Green did all he could on D.
And there's a reason why Green drew the daunting assignment of checking Anthony.
In contrast to Boston's aging tandem, Green's youth and energy set him ap ...
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Article written by Grant Hughes
Jeff Green Is Boston Celtics’ Last, Best Hope to Carry Team to an Upset
April 20th, 2013 by Grant Hughes Leave a reply »
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