Ainge: Celtics Making Big Shots 'By Committee'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics have found a way to close games as of late, and it's not just Isaiah Thomas hitting the big shot.
Whether it's Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, or Evan Turner, someone is knocking down a key shot for Boston each night, leading to wins in four of their last five games.
Brad Stevens' knack for drawing up the perfect play out of timeouts is a big part of Boston's late-game success, and a 9-3 record in February earned him Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors on Tuesday. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge joined Toucher & Rich on Wednesday morning to talk about his team's recent run of success, mainly their committee of playmakers.
"Regardless of the plays, you still have to make shots. We have had Avery and Isaiah consistently make shots all year. Crowder has been making a lot of big shots the last few months. And not just shots late in the game, but shots to stop runs and the other team's momentum. Jae has made those shots this year," said Ainge. "Evan Turner has made a lot of fourth quarter shots. We do it by committee. We don't really have one guy ... we have a lot of guys who are contributing down the stretch."
With Stevens at the helm and the team competing for one of the East's top spots, free agents may finally be looking at Boston as a destination. Thomas recently said he was asked about the organization by several players during the All-Star break, which is music to Ainge's ears.
"Brad is a big plus for us and our organization. Ultimately people are going to come if they get paid and they see an opportunity, but players that are considering coming to Boston want to come because we have a good team and they feel they can add more to our team," he said. "But they would ask Isaiah anything they can about the city, the coach, the organization as a whole. Isaiah was asked a lot of questions and that's a good sign."
Stevens set the social media world on fire earlier this week when he threw down a dunk after practice -- aided by a trampoline. Ainge said he also got a little help the last time he dunked, but would like to see Stevens add some more style the next time he throws it down.
"We have to work on that. He has to be doing flips and twists and going through his legs if he's jumping off a trampoline," Ainge joked, adding that he and Stevens won't be the halftime entertainment at the TD Garden anytime soon.
Ainge also gave a quick update on injured forward/center Kelly Olynyk, who he said is making progress but was not close to being ready when he received an update two days ago.
"We'll be safe with Kelly," cautioned Ainge.
The C's president also touched on whether or not he ever gets worried about his players and their off-court activities, such as visiting trampoline parks on off days. Listen to the full interview below:
