homeytennis
Well-Known Member
Less than two weeks after he was in Reno, Nev., fighting for an NBA job, Chris Johnson was playing crunch-time minutes in Miami against LeBron James and the two-time defending champs. Johnson didn't just make his debut on Tuesday night; he held his own for 25 minutes -- including the final 14:37 of the game -- and provided a sparked off the Celtics' bench in the sixth day of his 10-day contract.
The 23-year-old brought to Boston exactly what he had been bringing to the best team in the NBA D-League, the 17-5 RGV Vipers, for the first two months of the season. A corner-three specialist who also thrived at getting to the rack -- as we pointed out in our Call-Up Breakdown -- Johnson made two corner threes plus two layups while going 4/7 with 11 points. He finished as one of two Celtics with a positive plus/minus at a team-high +7, a reflection of his energy on the defensive end, as well.
And it wasn't the first time he shined coming off an NBA bench: Combined with his brief stint with the Grizzlies following last year's Showcase, Johnson's last five NBA games have resulted in this line: 15/26 FG (58%), 8/18 3PFG, 39 points, 10 rebounds and a +62 in 95 minutes.
The 23-year-old brought to Boston exactly what he had been bringing to the best team in the NBA D-League, the 17-5 RGV Vipers, for the first two months of the season. A corner-three specialist who also thrived at getting to the rack -- as we pointed out in our Call-Up Breakdown -- Johnson made two corner threes plus two layups while going 4/7 with 11 points. He finished as one of two Celtics with a positive plus/minus at a team-high +7, a reflection of his energy on the defensive end, as well.
And it wasn't the first time he shined coming off an NBA bench: Combined with his brief stint with the Grizzlies following last year's Showcase, Johnson's last five NBA games have resulted in this line: 15/26 FG (58%), 8/18 3PFG, 39 points, 10 rebounds and a +62 in 95 minutes.
