Big Performance by Bass Sparks Celtics Game 5 Win

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When you think of the Boston Celtics teams of recent years, you probably think of the Big Three first. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett are all great players and should be Hall of Famers in my opinion. Then, you have to think of Rajon Rondo next. Rondo runs the show from the point guard position. When he is on his game, he ranks among the best in the game. The Celtics second-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers was tied at two games a piece coming into tonight. With the Celtics trailing at halftime, they needed someone to step up in the third quarter. That someone turned out to be the fifth member of their starting lineup, Brandon Bass.

Bass came to the Celtics in a preseason trade with the Orlando Magic for Glen Davis. Expected to come off the bench, Bass was pressed into starting duty following an injury to veteran Jermaine O'Neal. The Celtics were the real beneficiary as Bass steadily produced in his starting roll. During the regular season, he averaged 12.5 points per game along with 6.2 rebounds per game. Bass has the ability to spread the floor, which was evidenced by his making 48% of his shots from 16-23 feet during the regular season. This also provided a great compliment to Garnett's play.

During their Game 4 loss, Bass scored 15 points, but only played 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Following the game, head coach Doc Rivers admitted, "Honestly, if we made one mistake, we should have gone back to Bass." Bass made sure that didn't happen tonight. In the third quarter, he simply took over. Using a mixture of mid-range jump shots and drives to the hoop, Bass kept the Sixers defense off balance. His 18 points in the quarter outscored the 16 put up by the entire Sixers team. Bass also got the crowd into the game and the rest of his team into it with their energy.

The Celtics closed the third quarter on a 10-2 run, and then, opened the fourth quarter on a 16-6 run to grasp full control. The Sixers never recovered, giving the Celtics the 3-2 lead in the series. Bass matched his regular season career-high with 27 points. People may not have known his name before tonight, but they certainly do now. Brandon Bass is a starter for the Celtics for a reason, and he just showed everyone why. When asked about the performance by Bass, Rivers stated, "I thought the big difference was his energy. He played with a force. I thought he let himself go." The Celtics would be fine with Bass continuing to let himself go. If he continues to play like this, the Celtics will be a though team to beat.