After every game, we'll take stock of how each individual performance affects the player's overall value.
Starters
Rajon Rondo: A 14-to-1 assist to turnover ratio is pretty damn good. Most of his passes were crisp and he played under control the entire night. No signs of rust from the wrist injury.
Paul Pierce: I generally don't hand out praise to a player who misses 12 of 18 shots, but Pierce nearly recorded a triple double (8 rebounds, 9 assists). I'll also cut him slack for playing under tremendous, Larry Bird-induced pressure.
Ray Allen: While he made just 1 of 5 from beyond the arc, Ray did nail 7 of 9 from inside the arc.
Kevin Garnett: Another great offensive game. 22 points in 27 minutes is a ratio I'll take every game. Missed a couple of bunnies. Seems like he's overly concerned of having his shot blocked around the hoop.
Jermaine O'Neal: 8 rebounds and 1 block in 19 minutes. He also played flexed his tough guy muscles on a couple plays.
Bench
Brandon Bass: 13 points on 5-8 FG. The only bench player to make a serious contribution.
Mickael Pietrus: Missed 5 of his 7 shots with 3 turnovers. Still love his energy.
Avery Bradley: More ball-hawking defense. A perfect 2-2 from the field.
Chris Wilcox: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 rebounds in 17 minutes. Not his best output, but decent numbers.
Sasha Pavlovic: Did you see that three pointer that barely caught backboard?
Greg Stiemsma, E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson: Not much to report in a combined 6 minutes.
Coaching
Doc Rivers: Aside from Pierce's 37 minutes, he kept everyone's court time down.
Overall
Should the Celtics have beaten Charlotte by more than 10 points? Yes, but this was a classic trap game (Lakers looming) with a major distraction (Bird's scoring mark).
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