Pressey impresses, but Celtics fall late to Knicks

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
October 10, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/10/boston-celtics/pressey-impresses-but-celtics-fall-late-to-knicks/

Preseason Game 2: New York Knicks 103- Boston Celtics 102
Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.

Quick Game Notes:- Celtics Guard MarShon Brooks returned to his college home of Providence, where he led the Big East in scoring his senior year. Brooks finished the game with 8 points on 3-6 shooting.
- Celtics Guard Jordan Crawford did not make the trip due to a death in the family.
- Celtics trailed the Knicks 79-65 after the 3^rd Quarter.
- Brandon Bass, Jared Sullinger, Gerald Wallace, Avery Bradley, and Courtney Lee were the starters. Kris Humphries and Jeff Green came off the bench after starting the first preseason game vs the Raptors.

Celtics MVP of game: Phil PresseyBeing given the chance by making the training camp roster, Pressey did not disappoint. Pressey put in a 13 point effort to go along with dishing out seven assists. Along with being efficient on offense, Pressey was putting in the work on the defensive side of the ball as well tallying two steals as well. With a log jam at the guard positions, Pressey is taking the right steps in order to make the Celtics.

What the Celtics did well: Resilience
Although this is a preseason game, the young Celtics looked hungry come the fourth quarter. After giving up 34 points in the third and being down 14 going into the final quarter, the Celtics rallied back. Boston scored 37 points in the final period, and even grabbing the lead with a Pressey layup with 22 seconds to go. Although coming up short, the Celtics showed a never say die attitude, which will likely carry over into the regular season.

What the Celtics can improve on: DefenseThe defensive side of the ball was a flaw. The Knicks were able to shoot the ball over 50% in their first game of the year, which is alarming because rust from no games should show. Knicks guards Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr were able to shoot a combined 13-17, 6-8 from beyond the arc. With the NBA becoming more of a scoring and shooting league, the Celtics will need to improve on this.

Who’s next?The Celtics will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, Oct. 11 The game will be played at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of Delaware University.

For full box score please visit: http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400491519