Bench player pulls off NBA feat that hasn't been done since Robert Parish
Anytime a player is mentioned in the same breath as Robert Parish — especially in Boston — it’s a good thing.
The longtime Celtic, nicknamed The Chief, was an integral part of three championship teams and was voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
In 2003, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Nobody has played more games than Parish, who appeared in 1,611 contests.
All this to say that Friday night was one to remember for current Celtic Greg “Moose” Monroe, as he became the first Boston center to register a triple-double since Parish, who did it in 1987.
Oh, and Monroe accomplished this feat coming off of the bench.
The Celtics won a meaningless game over Chicago, 111-104.
But Monroe’s 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists put him in exclusive company with Parish.
“When you mention it in the same breath, up there, that caliber, it’s an honor,” Monroe said after the game, according to NBC Sports. “What he did as a player is unbelievable and one of the greatest players to ever play this game, obviously one of the greatest Celtics ever.”
Monroe is known as one of the better passing big men in the league, and that was on full display Friday night.
This clip below shows Monroe’s entire arsenal. Take particular note of his footwork; his great technique is what keeps him in the league, despite a lack of athleticism.
Greg Monroe finds a cutting Jabari Bird for one of his 10 assists in tonight's @JetBlue Play of the Game! https://t.co/3oCvd6u6BL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 7, 2018
After being bought out by Phoenix earlier this year, Monroe signed with Boston for what he hoped would be a championship run.
Injuries to Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart, however, have derailed the Celtics.
So, with just a handful of games left in the regular season, the team has little time to change its style of play.
Boston will enter the postseason as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, likely matching up against either the Miami Heat or another of Monroe’s former teams, the Milwaukee Bucks, in the first round.
For the undermanned Celtics to make any kind of run, coach Brad Stevens may have to turn the Moose loose.
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