It doesn’t matter when during the season the game happens or what year it takes place.
It doesn’t matter what either team looks like at those moments when they finally face off.
To the rest of the world it’s just another random regular season game, 1 of 82.
Always has been, always will be.
It’s just…..different.
Congratulations, you won a few games in a row.
In my opinion, the previous version of the Lakers was a much tougher challenge.
What AD did defensively was much more of an issue than whatever Luka is doing offensively.
Other teams may struggle with that, but not the Champs.
In fact, it’s exactly how they won their ring.
It’s true, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes didn’t play.
The Celtics also didn’t have Porzingis.
Any team that employs Luka Doncic faces this problem.
That’s just the reality of the situation.
Pick whatever version of them you want, they all got the belt.
I am without speech.
What he failed to realize is that Al Horford is an NBA Champion.
He’s a Knight.
Possession after possession, whether it was LeBron or Luka, it didn’t matter.
Al had them both in hell, at 38 years old.
This is a man that looks like he has at least 5 more years left in those legs.
You think you love Al Horford more than me?
More than anyone reading this blog?
We will die for Al Horford, without hesitation.
He simply cannot retire.
Look at those clips!
Look at what he’s doing against the best in the world.
That is not a guy who is showing signs that it’s time to hang em up.
In fact, he’s looking like a guy that has more than earned a 5 year supermax.
I don’t even care if he didn’t meet the criteria.
Al Horford should be eligible for one simply because he’s Al Horford.
- There are a lot of factors that go into someone truly becoming a Celtics great.
For starters, you need at least 1 championship.
For me personally, you also need to be awesome against the Los Angeles Lakers.
There are a few things at play in this matchup.
Tatum is a true Celtic.
He understands what beating LA means and how important it is
2.
He fucking cannot stand Luka and the fact that people think he’s a better player
3.
Here’s the thing, this is just what Jayson Tatum does.
It’s why his hate is so fucking weird.
What did we learn in this game?
That this version of the Lakers has no answer on the perimeter/wing for Jayson Tatum.
No, it’s not Rui Hachimura.
As long as Luka is out there, there’s a seal to hunt.
As long as Reaves is on the floor, he’s going to be hunted.
The Lakers are just too small on the wing and too fat and slow on the perimeter.
Unfortunate for them but oh well.
When you don’t have a center on the floor, things are going to look even worse.
- Then of course, we had the two way monster performance from Jaylen Brown.
Another guy who hates Luka Doncic with the fire of a thousand suns.
That is exactly what he does with Luka.
Jaylen has learned his pace, his cadence, his setups, and look at the results.
Then defensively, Luka is still way too slow.
It’s a horrendous matchup for him and it doesn’t matter what jersey he’s wearing.
The defensive effort from Jaylen on Luka is what set the tone, just like in the Finals.
Offensively, we should not overlook the massive, massive threes we saw Jaylen make.
He hit midrange jumpers so keep the Lakers at a distance.
All while everyone else on the team couldn’t make a shot to save their lives in the 4th.
That would have essentially ended the season if you ask me.
- What a fantastic masterclass from Joe Mazzulla.
What felt like every single possession started the same way.
Joe was going to force the Lakers to make a choice by manipulating the spacing.
It wasn’t a hard thing to create, all it took was a high ball screen for Al/DWhite.
Once that happened, here’s the predicament that the Lakers had no answer for.
By creating the mismatch at the rim, it forces LeBron to make a choice.
Does he help off White and support Reaves?
If he does that, Derrick can bury the 3.
If he doesn’t, well the ball can find Al.
This also gives Derrick an advantage against a slower player, which allows him to attack.
Forcing teams to make a decision that has no right answer is the crux of Mazzulla Ball.
It’s why the Celts are so good.
Threes, post ups, drives, it’s all on the table.
- Fun fact: Luka Doncic is 1-9 in his last 10 games against Boston.
Payton Pritchard can only do so much by himself, so it was great to see that again.
Same thing in the 4th when things got down to 4.
What did the Celts do?
We saw it in the DEN win, and we saw it again last night.
That matters to me.
They were great around the margins, and when that happens they are tough as hell to beat.
People think it’s the 3pt shooting and going cold from deep.
No, you are a sheep.
You should not be penalized for being right.
You should also not be allowed to keep a tech if a foul you called is challenged and overturned.
That should overturn the tech as well.
Does Adam Silver not see how backwards that is?
Serious question, what the hell is going on with Luke Kornet at the FT line?
This man was a 90% FT shooter last season, 90%!
I’m lucky if he makes 1-2.
It’s one of the more bizarre parts of Kornet’s season which outside of that has been fantastic.
But the FT line?
That’s been a disaster.
I’ll never, ever, ever understand how this team can be so bad at this simple play.
Normally you’d never want to allow a 3 on 1 fastbreak right?
Well, against this team it might be the best defensive strategy you could have.
Their inability to maintain a big lead for 5 straight games is a tad concerning.
I get it, teams go on runs, which is fine.
A 22 point lead getting down to 12-14 is no big deal.
But it’s that next push into the 4-6 point range that is cause for concern.
Eventually, a good team is going to make you pay for it, just like the Cavs did.
That’s just asking for trouble and was very annoying to watch unfold last night.
This is now 5 straight games.
And while the end result was 4-1, it was way more stressful than it had to be.
As I said earlier, beating the Lakers will always feel incredible.
Fuck those guys forever.
