OKLAHOMA CITYWhen you've won as many NBA titles as the Boston Celtics, a franchise built on pride and tradition, moral victories don't exist.
But make no mistake about it -- there's plenty for the Celtics to build on following Wednesday's 119-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In a game when they seemed ready to fold in the first half, the C's found another gear in the second and began to flourish.
They fell behind by as many as 27 points in the third quarter, only to cut Oklahoma City's lead down to as little as six points.
"We knew they were going to make a run," said Thunder guard James Harden, who had 17 points and seven assists off the bench.
Unfortunately for the Green, their second-half surge was too little, too late.
Still, it was the kind of effort that they need to bring to the floor more often -- and sooner -- if they are to have a turn-around from what all the C's agree has been a disappointing first half of the season.
As for Wednesday's loss, below we take a look at a few factors we identified going into the game, and check out how they actually played out.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Kevin Durant in full-blown attack mode. Although he's proven to be an excellent perimeter shooter, don't be surprised to see him look to drive the ball more to the basket in an attempt to not just score, but get the Thunder in the bonus early. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has no grand visions of stopping Durant.
"If you try and make a special defense for Durant, he's still probably going to score 30," Rivers said. "At the end of the day with Durant, you do your defense. If he makes shots, he makes shots. If he doesn't, he doesn't."
Durant comes into tonight's game as the NBA's No. 2 scorer, averaging 27.7 points per game
WHAT WE SAW: Durant had a typical Kevin Durant night, with 28 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. Keeping him from scoring was not going to happen. The goal was to make him a high volume scorer; that is, a player who has to take a lot of shots to get his points. The C's accomplished just that as Durant was 9-for-22 shooting from the field.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: Avery Bradley vs Russell Westbrook: With Rajon Rondo (suspension) out, Avery Bradley will once again get the starting nod. With teams doubling Paul Pierce and Ray Allen every time they touch the ball, Bradley will likely have a ton of good-looking shot opportunities.
"I gotta help my team out any way I can," Bradley said. "If that's me being aggressive one night, or if that's me getting us in sets one night, I'll try and do whatever."
Westbrook will be a handful, for sure. Not only has he improved his jump-shot, but his speed and power gets him to the free throw line a lot. Westbrook has been to the free throw line 188 times this season which ranks 10th in the NBA.
"Westbrook is a foul magnet," Rivers said. "He gets into your body. I wouldn't be surprised if Avery was in foul trouble most of the game."
WHAT WE SAW: The more you watch Avery Bradley play, the more obvious it becomes that no Celtic has made more strides this year than he has. Russell Westbrook had 31 points on 11-for-24 shooting, but few of those points came easily.
"He was terrific," Rivers said of Bradley's defense. "He was truly wonderful defensively."
He wasn't too shabby at the other end of the floor, either. He had 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting which included a dunk over a fellow University of Texas former star, Kevin Durant.
"We already know what he can do defensively," said Boston's Paul Pierce. "But each game he has gained a lot of confidence in his offense, th way he is knocking down shots and getting out on the break, his overall game is improving."
PLAYER TO WATCH: Kevin Garnett returns after missing two games to attend to a personal family matter. With the Celtics so short-handed in the frontcourt, whatever success they enjoy around the basket will likely be generated by Garnett the scorer, or Garnett the passer. And while his minutes will still be monitored closely, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he plans to let him play a little longer than usual tonight.
"We'll up his minutes by five minutes," Rivers said. "He's usually at 30. Today he'll play 35."
WHAT WE SAW: Kevin Garnett showed no signs of rust in his return, tallying his team-leading ninth double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 rebounds -- both team highs.
"He was terrific to watch," said Celtics Doc Rivers.
STAT TO TRACK: One of the best shots the Celtics have of pulling off the upset, will be to generate points from the miscues made by Oklahoma City. For all that the Thunder do well, turnovers remain a major weakness. They commit 17.1 turnovers per game, more than any other team in the NBA. A lot of that has to do with point guard Russell Westbrook, who is committing an NBA-high 4.3 turnovers per game. Teammate Kevin Durant isn't too far behind, with 3.7 turnovers per game that ranks 7th in the NBA. They are the only team with two players ranked in the top 10 in that category.
WHAT WE SAW: The turnover game never really factored into this game's outcome; at least not in the Celtics' favor. The Thunder turned the ball over just 14 times, which led to 16 points for Boston. The C's were not quite as careful, turning the ball over 18 times which produced 24 points for the Thunder.