01/15/2009 - 17:14
Back in a Groove
by
Andrew Mees
Paul and the Celtics are on another winning streak.
The Truth’s game-high 22 points lead his squad to a 118-86 blowout victory over the New Jersey Nets at TD Bank North Garden Wednesday night.
No. 34 got his night off to a highlight-reel start, pump-faking behind the arc to get his defender in the air, and slicing to the basket for an emphatic dunk to put Boston up four in the early going.
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| No. 34 goes for the jam (Getty Images). |
After the early-game fireworks Paul looked to get his teammates involved on the offensive end, his three first quarter assists helped Boston to jump out to a seven-point advantage at the end of the period.
Holding a ten-point cushion at the start of the second half, the Truth put a long-distance shooting display that effectively put to bed any hopes of a Nets comeback. The captain torched New Jersey for 18 points in the period, 15 of which came on 5-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
It seemed as if Paul had found his shooting touch in the locker room at halftime, after a 2-9 showing through the first two quarters.
“I don’t get discouraged by misses,’’ Pierce said of his first-half problems. “When we swung the ball (in the third quarter) I was wide open and stayed aggressive. I thought I was a little tentative in the first half.’‘
The sharp-shooting clinic gave the Celtics a 28-point lead through three, allowing Paul and the rest of the starters to get some much-needed rest in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we had a really big bump in the road these last couple of weeks with consistency,’’ Paul said after his team’s third consecutive victory, “Something we didn’t have a year ago. Maybe it’s something we needed to give us a gut check.”
“When you go through something like that, you really find out what kind of team you are.’‘
MAKING IT RAIN
The first half of the Celtics’ season came to a close Wednesday night, and one of the most prominent trends over the first 41 games has been the Truth’s ability to find his killer stroke from three-point land.
That’s been especially true over the last 13 games, in which Paul has nailed 31 of his 62 three-point attempts, according to a story published by the Patriot Ledger.
If No. 34 can stay on his current tear, the Celtics will surely surpass the 64-win pace they are currently on when the season is said and done.
NEXT UP
The Truth and his boys travel to New Jersey for a rematch against Vince Carter against the Nets on Saturday. Tip-off is at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
RELATED STORIES
Pierce leads Celtics past Nets (AP, January 14, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/games/20090114/NJNBOS/recap.html
With greatest of ease (Boston Globe, January 15, 2009)
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/01/15/with...
Pierce remains on a roll from 3-point range (Patriot Ledger, January 15, 2009)
http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/x815896071/Pierce-remains-on-a-roll-...
