Celtics ease to 124-91 win at Olimpia Milano in Global Games

The chemistry was on full display this afternoon in a 124-91 romp of Olimpia Milan in which 13 of 14 Celtics registered a point.

The Celtics will return home with a pair of convincing wins under their belt. Isaiah Thomas also had a good game. “We know they are an experienced team that plays well together”. That’s just under a 55-win pace according to my calculator! The fact that they could shoot so well and still come out on top rebounding-wise, is a good omen for this team.

Lee made a big impact in all areas of the game, showing what he is capable of bringing to this young team. And then there’s the little three of R.J.

But the Celtics quickly racked up the points and led 34-20 at the end of the opening quarter.

Boston Celtics’ David Lee, left, drives as Olimpia Milano’s Robbie… The Celtics got killed on the glass in their series against the Cavs, and these two should help shore up that weakness. More notably, he played ahead of James Young in Stevens’ rotation, a telltale sign he’s been outplaying the second-year wing in training camp so far. Another positive was the form of the newest members to the team and the rookies.

But for Boston to dominate Real Madrid – the defending European champion – with such ease was a bit unexpected. Silver says he doesn’t think “it’s going to happen in the very near future”. The Celtics took Smart at pick No. 6, while players like Julius Randle and Noah Vonleh were still on the board.

The Celtics started off preseason on the right note but they have a long ways to go in establishing and maintaining that level of success against National Basketball Association opponents.

The victory was never in question and at no point was the game close to competitive.

Smart even shot 33.5 percent from deep last season, which was actually pretty impressive seeing that Smart was not a great three-point shooter in college. One of the best ways to do that is by taking more high percentage field goal attempts.

It’s easy to forget now, but when Bradley broke through during the 2011-12 season – essentially muscling aside Ray Allen for the starting shooting guard job – it was because he combined his calling-card defense with an offensive game that leaned heavily on cuts and corner 3-pointers. Still, the most important aspect of the game was their passing.

In addition to strong individual play from forwards and guards, ball movement has been a critical aspect of Boston’s interior scoring. They’re not afraid to criticize a teammate and they’re more willing to accept criticisms as well.

“Guys on the team get along well”.

There was one sequence in the first half in which he lost the ball in transition, but gathered it and delivered a spinning 360 feed to Thomas for a layup. He isn’t on their roster this season, however. If they’re healthy all year though, they should be better.