Jae Crowder has helped will the Celtics to wins on multiple occasions during his career in Boston. He wanted nothing more than to do just that against the Atlanta Hawks Friday night, in celebration of his one-year anniversary with the Celtics organization.
Boy, did he come close.
Crowder scored a career-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds to complete his second career double-double.
His 3-pointer with two and a half minutes remaining in the game brought the C’s to within two points of the Hawks, but that was as close as they’d get. Crowder fouled out with 49 seconds left and Boston could not come back from what was then a five-point deficit. The Celtics eventually fell, 109-101, for their third straight loss.
Crowder, who wore his emotions on his sleeve throughout the game, displayed quiet frustration while addressing the media after the game. He did, however, take a moment to look past the loss and express the significance of the anniversary date.
“I woke up this morning and I said a prayer, thanking God to be in this situation,” said Crowder, “because a year ago today I was a little lost in this league.”
One year ago Friday, Crowder was desperately searching for his identity as an NBA player.
He had spent his first two-plus seasons riding the bench in Dallas and needed an out in order to establish his career.
He found that opportunity on Dec. 18, 2014, when he was shipped up to Boston as part of the Rajon Rondo deal.
Little did he know that in one year’s time he would go from a 10.6 minute-per-game role player, to a starter on a winning NBA roster.
During that one year, he established himself as a fan-favorite in Boston, signed a multi-year contract with the organization, and is even currently garnering All-Star attention for his tenacious defending and improved scoring abilities.
He has much to be grateful for, and attempted to display his thanks Friday night in the form of his best possible effort.
Unfortunately, Boston struggled as a unit to mirror that consistent energy. The C’s squandered a six-point lead late in the fourth quarter, and coach Brad Stevens said his team’s “collective spirit waned” during the final portion of the game.
The one positive Stevens pointed out during his short postgame press conference was Crowder’s outstanding effort throughout.
“I’d say there was no question he was competing at a high level,” said Stevens. “No matter who he was on defensively, no matter what he was doing offensively, he was really competing tonight and he kept us in the game in a lot of ways.”
Crowder shot 8-of-13 from the field, made all five of his free throw attempts and played a game-high 36 minutes and 50 seconds.
His competitiveness was at an all-time high, and was commended by his teammates.
“That’s what he does: He’s an energy guy,” said Isaiah Thomas, who scored a game-high 29 points. “He always has his hardhat on and he’s always gonna play hard. He made shots and he helped us out a lot.”
Those buckets translated into one of the best statistical performances of Crowder’s career, however, he said those numbers were meaningless due to the result.
“The loss ruined it for me,” said Crowder. “But at the same time I’m just thankful for the opportunity [to be here].”
It’s a gratitude that is mirrored by Crowder’s teammates and fans alike, who have seen him grow exponentially over the last year into a high-energy, clutch role in Boston.
At just 25 years of age, Crowder should have many more years ahead of him to celebrate with the C’s, as well as an abundance of opportunities to impose his will and energize this team to wins.
