After every game, we'll take stock of how each individual performance affects the player's overall value.
Starters
Rajon Rondo: Ho Hum, another double-digit assist night. And as a bonus, 9 of his assists led to makes at the rim. Very often, Rajon is assisting on long jumpers. It's nice to see a more uptempo game where guys are getting dunks. It's also nice to see guys running with him that can get to the rim for those dunks.
Paul Pierce: Even when his shot is not falling, Pierce does other things. He got to the line (and shot 7-7), rebounded (6), and got a couple of steals and a block.
Kevin Garnett: I'm sorry I called you old. I'm sorry I called you old. I'm sorry I called you old. I'm sorry I called you old (I'm supposed to write that 1,000 times as punishment)
Avery Bradley: He struggled with his shot, but he played a solid 43 minutes and he looked very comfortable playing down the stretch. I've gotten on Avery this season, and he's still got a lot to improve on, but he's maturing and turning into a solid player.
Brandon Bass: Nice distribution on his shot attempts. Sometimes jumpers won't fall, but I won't get on a good shooter for missing makeable shots. Bass is at his best offensively when he mixes it up and attacks the basket. Defensively, we may just have to accept that he's going to get lost sometimes.
Bench
Keyon Dooling: Don't look now, but Keyon is really starting to get productive. He hit a big 3 to break the 66-all tie last night, and 5 of his points were part of the 12-4 run that gave the C's some separation in the 4th quarter. We've given him a world of shit.. time to give him some credit.
Greg Stiemsma: I wasn't sure if I wanted to go positive or stay the same on Stiemer. 1 point in 19 minutes is tough, and I'd like more than 4 rebounds in that stretch. His rebounding rate (11.6) is not good enough yet. But four blocks and a charge… well… the kid's there for his defense. And I'm clearly feeling generous today.
Sasha Pavlovic: Now I'm just giving these green arrows away. Actually, Sasha did plenty in just 12 minutes. He hit 2 of the 3 shots he took, he grabbed 2 rebounds and blocked a shot. For a guy who gets no time, that's a nice little contribution.
Ryan Hollins: 7 minutes, 2-2 (both dunks), and 2 rebounds. His Per-36 numbers make that a 20-10 game for him!! Ok, that's an exaggeration, obviously, but he ran the floor, finished a couple of plays, and got a couple of boards in very limited time. What more do you want out of 7 minutes of play?
JaJuan Johnson, Marquis Daniels, E'Twaun Moore
Coaching
Doc Rivers: Let's give this guy credit. He's had guys come in out of shape, two guys go down with heart problems, key players go down with injuries all season long… and yet he's managed to keep this team together, manage minutes fairly well, and now hold a share of the Atlantic division lead. I think Doc is earning his money.
Overall
Let's just take a step back from the hyper-focused over-analysis for a minute. The C's are now 28-22 after a horrible 6-8 start. They've have two 5-game losing streaks. Yet they're now 6 games over .500, in a battle for the 4 seed and home court in the first round and, seemingly, gaining some momentum and getting contributions from all over the place.
Last night's win, despite the lapse that led to a tie game, was impressive in that the oldest guy on the floor was the best player on the floor, everyone did their jobs, and they pulled out a tough win, at home, against a good team.
I'm telling you… they're George Foreman against Michael Moorer. Old, finished, and seemingly out for the count… but they've still got a big knockout punch in them.
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