Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
By the time the smoke cleared, Golden State had pushed a seven-point halftime lead to an 84-51 advantage, and the rest of the game was glorified garbage time. The Warriors won the third quarter 31-9.
MassLive
So it finally happened. For the first time in five matches against Golden State, Boston got boatraced.
Meh. In the grand scheme of things, what are you gonna do? Smart, Crowder and Horford were all unavailable by that point–which leads to…
Page 2: Isaiah Thomas was upset about how it all turned out
“At that point, the game was turned around, and I guess we gave up, coaching staff as well,” Thomas said. “We started subbing. It was bad. Especially, I only played 27 minutes. We gave up.”
MassLive
I get that Isaiah Thomas is upset. Isaiah’s a competitor.
But here’s the math:
Say the C’s are running a ten man rotation.
They’ve played 12 games.
That’s 120 man-games.
They’ve already missed 26 man-games to injuries (Horf: 9, Crowder: 8, Olynyk 6, Smart 3). That’s over a fifth of their available rotation that’s been gone so far this season due to injury.
So when the team ends up behind by 30, no, Brad’s not going to leave the starters, or even many of the second-stringers out there and risk even more injuries.
Bad enough Smart went down with another ankle injury, even though this one is allegedly not serious.
Page 3: Where Jae and Al are feeling better
The good news is that both players will travel with the team when they play at Detroit on Saturday, the first time both have been on the road with the team since October 27 at Chicago.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has been hesitant to put too much stock in Horford’s workouts since entering the NBA’s concussion protocol program on Nov. 2.
But it was obvious that Horford’s progress makes him more probable for Saturday’s game than not.
CSNNE
And that’s basically why I’m not too concerned about how this game ended up. I’m not thinking like the Celtics were ‘exposed’ or ‘humbled’ or whatevered. They went in undermanned having spent the whole season undermanned. Figure that playing Cleveland tight was the one ‘way over their heads’ game they were going to get during this streak of injuries, and this one wasn’t.
The rest of the links
Stuff you might enjoy reading:
MassLive: Steve Kerr still remembers first greeting from Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird: ‘Oh my God, Larry knows my name’ | Kevin Durant explains why he was ‘really impressed’ by Boston Celtics in free agency
CSNNE: Horford: ‘I’m starting to feel more like myself again’
Boston Globe: Brian Scalabrine ‘destroyed’ for Klay Thompson trade rumors
Depressing game coverage:
MassLive: Jaylen Brown: Zaza Pachulia’s dance against Boston Celtics ‘a little disrespectful’ | Golden State Warriors dominate Boston Celtics: 10 things to like/dislike from an early-season letdown | Marcus Smart injury: Boston Celtics don’t think ankle issue is serious
NESN: Zaza Pachulia’s Wild Dance Celebration Didn’t Sit Well With Jaylen Brown | Celtics Wrap: C’s Lose Steam Vs. High-Octane Warriors In 104-88 Loss | Celtics Notes: Isaiah Thomas Calls Out Coaches After Loss To Warriors
Boston Herald: For Celtics, ugly third quarter leads to lopsided loss to Warriors | Celtics can’t keep up with Golden State | Buckley: Kevin Durant is new Celtics villain in town
ESPN Boston: Thompson, Durant lead Warriors to 104-88 win over Celtics | Visit from Kevin Durant, Warriors sounds alarms with Celtics
CSNNE: Durant, Thompson shine as Warriors beat Celtics
Serial Crotch Puncher Gives Life Advice Section
MassLive: Draymond Green: Boston Celtics fans who booed Kevin Durant need to evaluate their own lives
(yeah other media outlets covered this, but I don’t think Green’s comments are generally worth the attention that his athletic ability gets them)