BOSTON — If at the start of the season you heard the Boston Celtics would receive stellar point guard play in the playoffs, you probably wouldn’t have batted an eye.
The addition of Kyrie Irving was expected to take the Celtics to the next level, with a shot at the NBA Finals conceivably within reach. Boston is indeed receiving a great effort from its point guard thus far in the postseason, but it’s not coming from Irving.
Terry Rozier has taken the reigns in the starting lineup since Irving was shut down to a knee injury. In addition to Rozier abruptly being maneuvered from his usual sixth man slot into the starting lineup, his role was increased even more with Marcus Smart out of the fold following thumb surgery.
Not only has Rozier taken the pressure in stride, he’s elevated his game to new heights, and the Celtics have reaped the benefits.
The third-year guard clearly is playing with an unbreakable confidence in Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. After a rough start to Game 1, Rozier kept with it and found a rhythm in the second half, proving to be the catalyst for Boston’s overtime victory Sunday afternoon.
Rozier was strong again in Game 2, but this time it was a wire-to-wire performance for the 24-year-old. He dropped 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the Celtics’ 120-106 win Tuesday at TD Garden. Not to mention, he knocked down three of five shots from beyond the arc and dished out eight assists as well.
These stats pale in comparison, however, to Rozier’s efficiency while running the Celtics’ offense. He’s committed zero (!) turnovers through the first two games of the series, a stat a head coach only can dream of, especially in the postseason. But for Rozier, he’s just doing his job.
“I just got that confidence,” he said after Game 2. “My teammates, my coach, they trust me to get everybody in their spots, to run the plays. That’s just part of being a point guard, protecting the ball. I’m going to do what I can to protect the ball and get my guys open to make plays and put us in the position to win. That’s just part of it. I don’t notice stuff like that with the turnovers, but that’s a good thing to have and I just want to keep it going.”
If Rozier does, in fact, keep it going, Milwaukee might not be long for this year’s playoffs.
