When the Celtics acquired Jeff Green as the centerpiece in the Kendrick Perkins trade, they knew they were getting a scorer. Doc Rivers also drew the comparisons of when he played James Posey at the four spot in crunch time during the playoffs. Now with Green, we can anticipate seeing a similar lineup.
During last night’s thrilling 107-103 win against the high octane Golden State Warriors, it was Green who got quality burn during crunch time. But that might be where the Posey comparisons can end. Posey was more of a lock-down defender whose main role on offense was to be a spot-up three point shooter. He was exceptional at both of these roles en route to helping the C’s capture banner #17. Green has a ways to go defensively, but his scoring is worlds ahead of anything Posey could do.
Green utilized several weapons from his offensive arsenal last night. Hitting mid-range jumpers off the screen, nailing jumpers off the dribble, driving to the basket, posting up and even getting initiated into Rondo’s prestigious alley-oop club. His scoring off the bench is something the Celtics have never had (not to this level) during the New Big Three Era.
If he can consistently provide this type of punch in the playoffs, it will be very beneficial in a lot of ways. Mainly, it will allow Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and even perhaps a little bit of Kevin Garnett to rest a few more minutes here and there, saving their legs from turning into jello too soon. It will also alleviate the huge burden that has plagued the Celtics: the second unit failing to keep a lead that the starters build up.
Green had a breakout game last night, albeit against a team whose defense doesn’t exist. Still, it’s very encouraging to see Green display his skills that most Celtics fans had no idea that he had. Check out the video below for a quick compilation of some of the things he did, and check out the second video to see clips from Green in every other game thus far as a Celtic:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4WNNR8WD-8]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bUNvq4IgmY]
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