Squisy Sparks Win

November 6, 2010

The Celtics couldn't nail down their nail-biting victory over Chicago last night until overtime, when the big dogs came out and ripped a 110-105 win out of the hands of the Bulls.

But Boston's finest five only got the chance to put away the Bulls because of a standout effort by the second unit in the first half, when Marquis Daniels brought the team to life as he scraped out 9 points to spark a 22-3 run. The Celtics lost that big edge in points in the second half, but they didn't lose that feeling of driving past the Bulls, and that carried them through the game's final seconds



Daniels came into the game at 1:42 of the first quarter, subbing for Paul Pierce, with the Celtics trailing, 19-15. He dropped in a 6-foot jumper just before the end of the first quarter to close to 21-19. C.J. Watson picked up a basket for the Bulls, but then the Celtics shut them down for almost six minutes.

"With the team chemistry we have, we just have to find the hot man and that was Marquis," said Nate Robinson, who spelled point guard Rajon Rondo. "And Baby [Glen Davis, who had 8 points in the first half, 15 for the game]. We're just doing what we've been doing, playing the game

"It's kind of like wrestling, you've got to have a good tag team. My tag team is Rondo, I go in and try to do my job; Baby's is Jermaine [O'Neal], [Marquis] is Paul and Ray [Allen]. Then when everybody on the team gets back and healthy, we're going to be a well-oiled machine."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers described Daniels as "awesome, aggressive." "I actually thought he saved the game for us," said Rivers, "because I think that second unit, him, Nate, Semih [Erden] . . . I thought that stretch was the biggest stretch in the whole game for us. "It gave us some breathing room."

Daniels scored back-to-back baskets midway through the second quarter, following a 10-foot turnaround jumper with a reverse layup off an assist from Rondo. By the time Allen subbed in for Daniels at 2:19 of the second quarter, Daniels had 11 first-half points and the crowd was buzzing.

"I just wanted to come in and just use my energy," said Daniels. "I had enough of a mismatch on the offense and I wanted to use my size and take advantage of it. "I come in here whether Coach wants me to score that night, play defense, rebound, whatever it is, I'd be happy to do. I just come in and use my energy and take advantage of the minutes I get." Daniels was 5 for 6 from the floor and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. At halftime, he was the Celtics' leading scorer.

"My shots were falling in for me tonight," Daniels said. "They just kept going right back to me. It was just kind of a different situation, the pick-and-rolls [working] and just finding the open seams. We got some stops and were able to get out on a break."
Daniels may be on the second unit, but he brought first-rate energy to last night's difficult matchup with a relentless Chicago team. The tag team was ready to jump in.
"That's something we strive on," Daniels said. "We've got to come in and have the most energy. You know the talent is there, we've just got to have the right work ethic."