NBA-Celtics' Swede Jerebko finishes season strong despite loss to Atlanta

By Philip O'Connor April 29 (Reuters) - The Boston Celtics may have crashed out of the playoffs after being pummeled by Atlanta on their home floor, but power forward Jonas Jerebko is not too down-hearted after finally getting a chance to show the Boston crowd what he can do as a starter. Thrust into the starting lineup by coach Brad Stevens last Friday with the Celtics 2-0 down in the series, the Swede helped extend it to a sixth game before the Celtics lost 104-92 at home on Thursday to bring their season to a close. On a night when Boston struggled with its shooting, Jerebko scored the opening five points of the game for the Celtics, finishing up with 13 on the night in another strong performance since being promoted from the bench. "You have to give it a little time and then take a look back, but I'm happy with the season," Jerebko told Reuters in a telephone interview following the defeat. "We didn't move the ball like we usually do, we held onto it a little too much. We had a lot of open shots that we missed and you can't do that if you want to beat Atlanta in the playoffs," the 29-year-old said. "Everyone has to speak for themselves but I felt no pressure," Jerebko said of the Celtics' poor shooting on the night. Acquired from the Detroit Pistons in February 2015, Jerebko quickly became a key player in the Celtics rotation with his tough defense and ability to come off the bench and spread the floor. Finally given the chance to start, he finished the season strongly and posted double-doubles in the two home victories that sent the series back to Atlanta, and though he and the Celtics came up short, Jerebko is not too disappointed. "It feels good, that's how you want to play. That's what I've worked for the whole season. I got to finish the season in the best possible way (as a starter), so that was good." The Celtics, who have a slew of prime picks to use in the upcoming NBA draft, also have an option to re-sign Jerebko in the summer, and he feels he has shown enough make it worth their while to do so. "It was a long season with a lot of games, it's been up and down, like every other NBA season. For my part it feels like I've gotten better. I've felt better and better the more I've played," he said. With Boston's playoff journey at an end, Jerebko's focus now switches to fatherhood, as his partner gave birth to a baby daughter three weeks ago. "I'm going to take some time off and be with the family and take it easy," he said. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Mark Heinrich)