Skip to main content

Minus their "Iron Man", Celtics "Mettle" on display in 106-104 win over Toronto

 Mettle: (Definition)

"A person's (team's) ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way."


That about sums it up relative to the Celtics 106-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors. With their best player (Jayson Tatum) out of action with a sore wrist - and losing both Marcus Smart and Rob Williams to injuries in the first half - a number of players dug in and produced what was needed.

It starts with Jaylen Brown. His team-high 27 points were just the beginning. Eight rebounds, six assists and three steals were the frosting. Grant Williams put up a career-high 25 points, making 4-of-6 from the hinterlands.

Then came Malcolm Brogdon with 23 points and seven boards. And Payton Pritchard showed once again why trading him may be a bad move. He produced all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, hitting 4-of-7 from deep.

But perhaps Brown said it best following the game:

''To win in the NBA is hard enough, to win on the road down a bunch of guys is hard to do,'' Brown said. ''You don't want to take it for granted, but we definitely have enough on this team, enough in this locker room, to win games whoever is on the floor.''

"We definitely have enough on this team -- to win", with the key word being "enough" - and that includes the toughness - the "mettle" - that many, including myself, felt may be missing. Kudos to Coach Joe Mazzulla. It all starts with him.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo