The Celtics were in their house yet again watching another team put their feet up on the couch. The final quarter of their 111-91 loss to the Grizzlies last night almost had the feel of a scrimmage. Coach Doc Rivers began the period with his starters on the bench.The Garden was all yellow and black, more seats empty than occupied.
Hasheem Thabeet, the second pick in last year’s draft who was fresh up from a six-game stay in the D-League, was throwing dunks down and getting his confidence up. Manny Pacquiao gave the Celtics boxing gloves before the game. The Grizzlies never let them get a punch in. Gay scored any way he wanted, whether he was drilling threes (3 of 5) or cramming one-handed flushes, such as his huge dunk on a second-quarter breakaway that made it 50-31.
The Celtics had no answer for the Grizzlies on the boards, where Memphis dominated, 48-29, the worst margin since Boston was outrebounded, 55-32, by the Spurs in December. The Grizzlies seemed to feed off sucking the life out of the Celtics.
“It hurts when you give them spirit,’’ Rivers said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’re not going to get any quicker. You know when you give an athletic team that’s skilled — I mean they’re a skilled athletic team — when you give them confidence, the way we’re constructed, it makes it difficult.’’
The Celtics were in their house yet again watching another team put their feet up on the couch. The final quarter of their 111-91 loss to the Grizzlies last night almost had the feel of a scrimmage.
