Chris Wilcox only played 43 seconds during Sunday's Game 4. The last 0.4 seconds were most important.
BOSTON – Pinch-running is a specialty in baseball that doesn't normally have a basketball parallel.
NBA players are required to play both ends of the court – even Ben Wallace – so it's rare that a player is called off the bench simply for one possession of a game. Players are certainly shuffled in and out down the stretch for offensive or defensive purposes, but almost always those players are good enough to see extended run throughout the rest of the contest.
Boston Celtics center Chris Wilcox, who has spent much of his season in head coach Doc Rivers' doghouse, did not see extended run before getting summoned with 0.4 seconds left in Game 4. He didn't come in completely cold, but he'd played only 42.6 seconds against the New York Knicks until then. He had not notched a single point, rebound, steal, block, assist or turnover, and he would finish with a -6 plus-minus rating because Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert decided to end the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers while Wilcox was on the court. If you forgot Wilcox played during the third quarter, nobody will blame you.
If you forgot he played at the end of regulation, you weren't paying close enough attention. After Paul Pierce missed a jumper in a tie game, referees put 0.4 seconds back on the game clock. With New York set to inbound from near halfcourt, Rivers pondered his options. He apparently looked down the bench and thought, Hey, we could use that 6-foot-10 jumping jack who hasn't played much at all today.
On multiple occasions, Rivers has told reporters he needs more from Wilcox. He hasn't liked Wilcox's consistency, rebounding or defensive rotations this season. Toward the end of the season, Wilcox was passed in the rotation by Shavlik Randolph, who played in China until March and hasn't scored even 70 points in a single NBA season since 2005-06. During the first round, it hasn't mattered which backup is now lower in the rotation. Because New York prefers a small lineup with Carmelo Anthony at power forward, both big men have remained stapled to the bench at just about all times.
Yet with Boston facing a potential sweep and 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation – which doesn't seem like a lot until you remember: Derek Fisher – Rivers figured he could use some length guarding the inbound pass.
"You always have to be ready," said Avery Bradley. "It shows what kind of professional (Wilcox) is. He didn't play the whole game and comes in with 0.5 seconds (actually 0.4)."
One could debate whether jumping up and down for a few seconds while waving both arms should stand as the true test of professionalism. It wasn't like Wilcox came in to joust with Knicks center Tyson Chandler for five minutes. Wilcox's conditioning level wasn't really tested to see if he kept himself ready throughout what has to be a disappointing series for him. In his first playoff series ever, the reserve still hasn't scored, notching just two rebounds over six minutes. The Celtics lost their first three games.
They might have lost their fourth, too, except for Wilcox.
New York ran a play for Chandler to receive an alley-oop. Kevin Garnett, defending Chandler, got caught on the screen, and the Knicks center rolled freely to the rim. Bradley spotted Chandler breaking away and shaded toward him, but here are the facts: Bradley's 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, according to Draft Express' measurements database. Chandler's 7-foot-1 with a wingspan of 7-foot-3.
Bradley had already broken up one alley-oop intended for Chandler on the day, but chances are that inbounder Jason Kidd would have put the pass on the money. Bradley would have been unable to jump high enough to intercept or deflect the basketball.
"Yeah," the Celtics guard replied when asked if he saw Chandler open. "If it wasn't for Chris Wilcox and coach putting him in, he probably would have gotten the alley-oop."
Wilcox tipped the pass away, though, making him the basic equivalent of a pinch-runner. Boston outscored the Knicks 13-6 in overtime to prevail, 97-90. With the Celtics attempting to become the first team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, of course, Wilcox' play conjured images of Dave Roberts and the 2004 Red Sox.
At this stage, it should be noted that any hope for Boston advancing to the second round of the playoffs remains the epitome of optimism. Yet one reporter even asked Bradley about that Red Sox team.
"I have no clue. I never knew about that," he replied. "I was too young."