By Marc D'Amico | @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
June 14, 2018
BOSTON – What a season it was for the Boston Celtics.
Fifty-five wins. Another trip to the Conference Finals.
Rapid growth by budding stars. Continued improvement by established veterans.
It was impressive all around.
Along the route of Boston’s 101-game journey, many feats
were accomplished, some by the team, and some by individuals. Over the course
of this week, we will dive into all of the most notable accomplishments.
So far, we have covered the top accomplishments by the
team, by Kyrie Irving, and by Jayson Tatum. We’ll close out with seven more
accomplishments by Al Horford, Terry Rozier and Brad Stevens.
Horford’s No. 3 – Scoring 10,000th Career Point
Horford doesn’t care all too much about scoring. As such,
rarely does a moment arise during which his scoring is celebrated. However,
back on March 5, Horford reached a significant career scoring total that
deserves praise: he scored his 10,000th career point.
That night, during a 105-89 win over the Chicago Bulls,
Horford tallied 13 points in all, the seventh of which pushed him over the
10,000-point barrier for his career.
Reaching such a milestone requires longevity and
consistency. Horford has certainly provided both of those through the first 11
seasons of his career, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be slowing down anytime
soon.
Horford’s No. 2 – Earning a Fifth All-Star Selection
The NBA’s coaches selected Horford to his fifth All-Star
team this season, and his first as a member of the Celtics. Five All-Star appearances
pales in comparison to accomplishmnts by some of the megastars in the NBA, but
in the NBA landscape, five selections is quite impressive.
Here’s a list of notable and now-retired players who were
chosen to five All-Star teams: Chris Webber, Chauncey Billups, Tim Hardaway,
Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, Pete Maravich, Bob McAdoo, Reggie Miller, Chris
Mullin, Wes Unseld. And here’s a list of other current players who have played
in five All-Star games: Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Blake Griffin,
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love.
You’ve got to be really, really good to play in five of
these games, and Horford can now claim that he has done so.
Horford’s No. 1 – Being Chosen to the All-Defensive Second Team
Horford played a critical role in Boston leading the NBA
in defensive rating this season. He was awarded for his contributions by being
selected as a member of the All-Defensive Second Team.
The honor was a first for Horford, who finished the
season with a top-15 defensive rating in the league. He’s the first member of
the Celtics to have made an All-Defensive team since Kevin Garnett did so in
2012.
Horford was Boston’s defensive Swiss Army knife on the
frontline, as he was assigned to be the primary defender against everyone from
Giannis Antetokounmpo to LeBron James to Anthony Davis to Ben Simmons. He also
switched out onto guards and defended them at a high level, and these trends
carried through to the postseason.
Rozier’s No. 2 – Scoring in Double-Figures in 25 Straight Games
Double-digit scoring streaks are typically reserved for
starters, but Terry Rozier bucked that trend by notching 25 straight
double-digit scoring performances during the 2017-18 season.
Rozier came off the bench for 13 of those games before
assuming the starting point guard role in place of the injured Kyrie Irving.
During the 25-game stretch, Rozier averaged 16.4 points per game and broke the
30-point barrier twice (both were as a starer).
Prior to the onset of Rozier’s 25-game streak, he had
scored in double-digits only 16 times during the first 113 games of his career.
Rozier’s No. 1 – Recording a Triple-Double During First Career Start
Thousands of players who have started games since the
league began listing and tracking starters back in 1970-71. Not a single one of
them recorded a triple-double in regulation time of their first start – until
Rozier accomplished the feat Jan. 31 against the New York Knicks.
Starting for the first time in 165 career games, Rozier
played 33 minutes and tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to secure
the triple-double. He also added in two blocks and two steals for good measure.
A noteworthy aside is that Tony Wroten also logged a
triple-double during his first start back on Nov. 13, 2013, but his was tallied
during overtime.
Stevens’ No. 2 – Notching 200 Career Wins
Seventeen coaches have roamed the sidelines for the
Boston Celtics. Only seven of them, including Brad Stevens, have eclipsed the
200-win barrier. Stevens reached the 200-win mark with a victory over the
Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 11 in London.
After five seasons at the helm, Stevens is now the
seventh-winningest coach in franchise history with 221 career regular season
victories. He needs just one win to surpass Chris Ford for sixth on the list,
and with 22 more victories, he will pass Bill Fitch for fifth on the all-time
list.
Stevens’ No. 1 – Increasing Win Total for Fifth Straight Season
The Boston Celtics have displayed year-over-year
improvement during every season of Stevens’ coaching tenure. Their win total
improved from 25 in 2013-14, to 40 in 2014-15, to 48 in 2015-16, to 53 in
2016-17, to 55 in 2017-18.
Stevens helped to guide the C’s through
an incredible amount of adversity during that time, highlighted by roster
turnover. He has coached nearly 50 players since taking over the helm during
the summer of 2013, and each of those players improved under Stevens’ tutelage.
By Marc D'Amico | @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
June 14, 2018
BOSTON – What a season it was for the Boston Celtics.
Fifty-five wins. Another trip to the Conference Finals.
Rapid growth by budding stars. Continued improvement by established veterans.
It was impressive all around.
Along the route of Boston’s 101-game journey, many feats
were accomplished, some by the team, and some by individuals. Over the course
of this week, we will dive into all of the most notable accomplishments.
So far, we have covered the top accomplishments by the
team, by Kyrie Irving, and by Jayson Tatum. We’ll close out with seven more
accomplishments by Al Horford, Terry Rozier and Brad Stevens.
Horford’s No. 3 – Scoring 10,000th Career Point
Horford doesn’t care all too much about scoring. As such,
rarely does a moment arise during which his scoring is celebrated. However,
back on March 5, Horford reached a significant career scoring total that
deserves praise: he scored his 10,000th career point.
That night, during a 105-89 win over the Chicago Bulls,
Horford tallied 13 points in all, the seventh of which pushed him over the
10,000-point barrier for his career.
Reaching such a milestone requires longevity and
consistency. Horford has certainly provided both of those through the first 11
seasons of his career, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be slowing down anytime
soon.
Horford’s No. 2 – Earning a Fifth All-Star Selection
The NBA’s coaches selected Horford to his fifth All-Star
team this season, and his first as a member of the Celtics. Five All-Star appearances
pales in comparison to accomplishmnts by some of the megastars in the NBA, but
in the NBA landscape, five selections is quite impressive.
Here’s a list of notable and now-retired players who were
chosen to five All-Star teams: Chris Webber, Chauncey Billups, Tim Hardaway,
Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, Pete Maravich, Bob McAdoo, Reggie Miller, Chris
Mullin, Wes Unseld. And here’s a list of other current players who have played
in five All-Star games: Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Blake Griffin,
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love.
You’ve got to be really, really good to play in five of
these games, and Horford can now claim that he has done so.
Horford’s No. 1 – Being Chosen to the All-Defensive Second Team
Horford played a critical role in Boston leading the NBA
in defensive rating this season. He was awarded for his contributions by being
selected as a member of the All-Defensive Second Team.
The honor was a first for Horford, who finished the
season with a top-15 defensive rating in the league. He’s the first member of
the Celtics to have made an All-Defensive team since Kevin Garnett did so in
2012.
Horford was Boston’s defensive Swiss Army knife on the
frontline, as he was assigned to be the primary defender against everyone from
Giannis Antetokounmpo to LeBron James to Anthony Davis to Ben Simmons. He also
switched out onto guards and defended them at a high level, and these trends
carried through to the postseason.
Rozier’s No. 2 – Scoring in Double-Figures in 25 Straight Games
Double-digit scoring streaks are typically reserved for
starters, but Terry Rozier bucked that trend by notching 25 straight
double-digit scoring performances during the 2017-18 season.
Rozier came off the bench for 13 of those games before
assuming the starting point guard role in place of the injured Kyrie Irving.
During the 25-game stretch, Rozier averaged 16.4 points per game and broke the
30-point barrier twice (both were as a starer).
Prior to the onset of Rozier’s 25-game streak, he had
scored in double-digits only 16 times during the first 113 games of his career.
Rozier’s No. 1 – Recording a Triple-Double During First Career Start
Thousands of players who have started games since the
league began listing and tracking starters back in 1970-71. Not a single one of
them recorded a triple-double in regulation time of their first start – until
Rozier accomplished the feat Jan. 31 against the New York Knicks.
Starting for the first time in 165 career games, Rozier
played 33 minutes and tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to secure
the triple-double. He also added in two blocks and two steals for good measure.
A noteworthy aside is that Tony Wroten also logged a
triple-double during his first start back on Nov. 13, 2013, but his was tallied
during overtime.
Stevens’ No. 2 – Notching 200 Career Wins
Seventeen coaches have roamed the sidelines for the
Boston Celtics. Only seven of them, including Brad Stevens, have eclipsed the
200-win barrier. Stevens reached the 200-win mark with a victory over the
Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 11 in London.
After five seasons at the helm, Stevens is now the
seventh-winningest coach in franchise history with 221 career regular season
victories. He needs just one win to surpass Chris Ford for sixth on the list,
and with 22 more victories, he will pass Bill Fitch for fifth on the all-time
list.
Stevens’ No. 1 – Increasing Win Total for Fifth Straight Season
The Boston Celtics have displayed year-over-year
improvement during every season of Stevens’ coaching tenure. Their win total
improved from 25 in 2013-14, to 40 in 2014-15, to 48 in 2015-16, to 53 in
2016-17, to 55 in 2017-18.
Stevens helped to guide the C’s through
an incredible amount of adversity during that time, highlighted by roster
turnover. He has coached nearly 50 players since taking over the helm during
the summer of 2013, and each of those players improved under Stevens’ tutelage.