On the other side, having a collectively strong bench can have as much value as any superstar player. This was very much on display last night when the Celtics overcame a double digit deficit going into the fourth quarter and won 99-93, fueled mainly by the outstanding play of bench players Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and Jonas Jerebko.
Only one Boston starter played more than 35 minutes, Al Horford, while every Minnesota first unit player logged over 37 minutes. Why was Boston able to limit starters limits? Because, at least last night, there was no serious falloff in production between the first and second units.