BOSTON -- Bass over Sullinger? Sullinger over Bass? The debate of who should start at power forward for the Boston Celtics has been discussed since training camp.
The controversy is unusual for the Celtics, given that Sullinger is a 20-year-old rookie and Bass is a 27-year-old veteran in his eighth NBA season (second with the C's). Head coach Doc Rivers has experimented with different lineups, giving both players the nod in two of the team's first four games.
On Wednesday night, though, it wasn't about who started but rather who finished. Rivers turned to Bass down the stretch as the Celtics needed an extra five minutes to close out the feisty Washington Wizards, 100-94, in overtime.
"Brandon played huge for us," said Kevin Garnett.
Bass played a total of 33 minutes in the Celtics victory, including the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter (minus the last 10 seconds) and all of overtime. With the game tied at 92 points apiece, Bass drew a foul, made one free throw, and connected for a layup and fastbreak dunk over the span of two minutes to spark a 5-0 Celtics run.
"He was aggressive," said Rajon Rondo. "He didn't force any of his shots. He drove to the basket, drove strong and hard, got fouled, got a couple layups, and made some big plays for us."
Bass finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds. He remained modest when talking about his performance, focused on constantly improving to help the Celtics.
"I basically just wanted to bring a whole lot of energy and rebound the ball to the best of my ability," said Bass, adding, "I just think that's how I'm going to be at my best, when I'm out there reacting and defending with a whole lot of energy. That's what I tried to do tonight."
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