Considering that only three of the 21 players who saw action wound up making more than half their shots, it was only fitting for the match to end with a couple of misses. Never mind that they were taken by leading lights Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. As with just about any other field-goal attempt of significance during yesterday’s affair, the potentially game-altering three-point heaves were contested, underscoring the defensive nature of the proceedings.
That said, the efforts were expected to meet with success, and not simply because the All-Stars burned rubber in familiar confines. Certainly, the National Basketball Association has played host to high scores through the first week of the season, in no small measure due to a preferential option by game arbiters to call fouls tightly. In any case, Irving and Hayward’s heaves were short and left, respectively, allowing the Magic to leave TD Garden with a victory they worked hard for from the get-go.
Meanwhile, the Celtics’ ultimately futile rally left them with as many triumphs as setbacks after four to start the season, a slate that could just as easily have been one and three. They escaped with a close win against the supposedly lowly Knicks at the Garden on the second night of a back-to-back stint over the weekend. Even as the development isn’t really cause for concern given the long road ahead, it nonetheless reflects their position as wanting relative to the thriving Raptors, who have yet to succumb to failure in as many outings.
Make no mistake. The Celtics can and will be better; they’re too deep and, under head coach Brad Stevens, too disciplined not to cement their place among the league elite. How far they can go will, however, depend on how fast Irving and Hayward can shake off the rust borne of long layoffs due to injury last season. And, moving forward, the hope is that they’ll make plenty more than they’ll miss in the crunch.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
