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BOSTON – While five of Boston’s core players sat out of Wednesday night’s regular-season finale against the Brooklyn Nets to rest up for the Playoffs, veteran center Aron Baynes took it upon himself to carry the load for the Celtics. The Australian big man wanted to put on one final show on Fan Appreciation Night at TD Garden, and he didn’t disappoint Celtics Nation.
Baynes erupted for a career-best 26 points and corralled a game-high 14 rebounds during just 20 minutes of play, to help guide Boston to a 110-97 win over the Nets.
In the process, Baynes became the first NBA player in more than 50 years to log at least 25 points and 14 rebounds while playing 20 minutes or fewer. He also became the first Celtics center to tally at least 25 points and 14 boards in a game since the legendary Kevin Garnett did so on Dec. 3, 2008.
“I’ll definitely take that!” a giddy Baynes exclaimed after being told of the company that he just joined. “It’s great to be in the same sentence as a Hall-of-Famer, so I appreciate that.”
Baynes fully deserved to have his name mentioned in the same sentence as KG, because he embraced a mindset Wednesday night that would have made the Big Ticket proud.
See, many had deemed the matchup a meaningless one for Boston, because it had already locked itself into the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Baynes, however, believed there was still something at stake.
Knowing that the C’s would be heading into the postseason shorthanded, Baynes wanted to make sure the role players in Wednesday night’s game were playing to the best of their abilities, because all of them will likely have an opportunity to contribute during the postseason.
“I wanted to go out there and try to set the tone because of the fact that we’re building towards something else,” said Baynes. “We’re not just going out there to go through the motions. We’ve got something to play for, and so everyone out there tonight had an opportunity to put something in coach’s head to let him know that we’re going to be ready whenever anyone’s number is called the rest of the season.”
Baynes’ effort certainly caught the eye of coach Brad Stevens, who has praised the hard-working big man all season long for his consistent, tireless approach.
“He’s done whatever we’ve needed to win, every single game this year,” said Stevens. “And I think one of the things that you think about is we were sitting some guys, and I can guarantee you it never crossed Baynes’ mind, like, ‘Do I get to take a night?’ Right?”
Added the coach, “He’s just a pro’s pro. He shows up every night. He shows up to play. He’s appreciative of the opportunity to play in the NBA, and to do this for a living, and he’s had a great impact on our team.”
Baynes’ impact changes on a game-to-game basis depending on what the team needs out of him. Most of the time, he’s asked to do the dirty work, like bang bodies with opposing bigs and set screens for his teammates on offense. On occasions such as Wednesday night, he is asked to take on more of a scoring load, while also being a leader on the floor.
Never had Baynes taken on such a heavy scoring responsibility as he did against the Nets. He came out of the gate and established a dominant presence in the paint, making six shots in the restricted area during the first quarter alone. He finished the opening frame with 14 points and seven rebounds, and he was only getting started.
By halftime, Baynes had already attempted 17 field goals – three more than his previous single-game career high. By the time he was taken out of the contest for good partway through the third quarter, he had already shot 12-of-23 from the field.
“I appreciate the guys on the team for getting me so many good shots and open looks,” Baynes humbly stated. “It’s a lot of credit to them.”
As modest as he may be, Baynes deserves much of the credit himself. He was aggressive, displayed great leadership, and remained hungry despite the fact that Wednesday’s game had zero impact on Boston’s playoff picture. He did all of this because he wanted get one final win while helping to instill confidence in some of Boston's inexperienced role players before entering the biggest stage.
And it didn’t hurt for him to make some history in the process.