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Toucher & Rich: Danny Ainge believes in the Celtics’ bench

After the Celtics crushing 129-120 overtime defeat at the hands of the Nets on Tuesday, the team’s bench structure once again came into question.

Jan 13, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com

After the Celtics crushing 129-120 overtime defeat at the hands of the Nets on Tuesday, the team's bench structure once again came into question.

While many fans found themselves going back to the team's inactivity at last mont's trade deadline, Celtics GM Danny Ainge is sticking up for his group.

When pressed with the question of whether or not the team has enough scoring options off the bench by 98.5's Toucher & Rich Thursday morning, Ainge replied, "Yes is the answer. We were the number four or five rated scoring team in the NBA as of a couple weeks ago.”

Ainge redirected the narrative, saying that he cares more about the scoring than where specifically it comes from.

"Some teams are designed differently," he replied when asked if the Celtics are 'top heavy.' "Some teams bring their top scorers off the bench. Like Lou Williams, as an example. Like Manu Ginobilli. We’ve talked about Kevin McHale, John Havlicek, there’s a bunch of them and there’s guys around the league."

It's not like the Celtics weren't putting up winnable point totals, as Ainge reminded everybody listening. "We scored 120 points against Brooklyn. We had plenty. We scored 110 points I think against Houston. It doesn’t matter who scores the points if it’s your top five players, your top six players, or whether you get points from your eighth or ninth guy.”

So why did the Celtics slip up against the Rockets and Nets? Ainge attributed that do the team coming off of an extended west coast road trip and lack of rest. While there may be some validity to that point, the team will see plenty of travel and not a lot of rest come playoff time. Ainge makes it sound like his team couldn't rise to meet that challenge this week. Will they be able to come the spring?

You can listen to Danny Ainge's full conversation with Toucher & Rich here:

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Hate mail? Let him hear it on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at Alexander.Barth@bbgi.com.
Alex Barth is a digital content producer and on-air host for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Barth grew up in the Boston area and began covering the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox in 2017 before joining the Hub in 2020. He now covers all things Boston Sports for 985TheSportsHub.com as well as appearing on air. Alex writes about all New England sports, as well as college football. You can follow him across all social media platforms at @RealAlexBarth.