Showing Some Love For Sasha Pavlovic

I've been pretty hard on Sasha this year. I guess that's what happens when one of my binkies (Delonte West) gets passed over and an afterthought to last year's squad gets the last roster spot. Prior to this week, he was so far down the bench that I might have actually forgotten that he was still on the team. But let us give credit where it is due. The guy played well the other night.

Sasha shines in spot start - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

And, yes, it took injuries to a third of Boston's roster, but Pavlovic got thrust into the starting lineup Monday against the Magic, occupying a didn't-expect-to-see-that backcourt with Avery Bradley. And all Pavlovic did was chip in nine points on 4-of-9 shooting with four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals over 34 minutes. What's more, his defensive intensity aided Boston in limited the Magic to record lows in offensive futility in an 87-56 triumph at TD Garden.

With Ray still out and other guys banged up we might yet have need of Sasha on Thursday. Nice to know that he's at least capable of some good things.