Throughout an 82 game season you’re going to have a series of “measuring stick” games.
One of those teams is the Wolves.
To do that, you need length and size, two things that the Wolves do have.
Then once you get into the paint, Rudy Gobert is there to deter anything at the rim.
As you may have expected, the Celts passed with flying colors.
They are just different.
Can they be better?
No team is perfect and the Celts certainly weren’t perfect yesterday.
But the goal is to win, and few teams (if any) do it better.
A bad play happens?
It’s all Jaylen’s fault.
Tatum misses a jumper?
He’s selfish and jealous that Jaylen is off to a great start and it’s ruining everything.
It’s honestly some of the most embarrassing shit the Celts fanbase does.
I’ll never get it, and this win was a great example of why.
It’s only right we begin with the player who set the tone right from the opening tip.
In his previous 9 games, Jaylen was shooting just 21.9% from deep on nearly 7 3PA.
He literally could not have been worse.
But this is why you trust your work and you trust your talent.
In these types of matchups, your best players have to show why they are your best players.
Let’s not pretend like this jot down of high level two way impact is normal.
- The same is true for the other Jay in Tatum.
Ant is an awesome young player with a great future once he finally starts to put things together.
But there are levels to this shit.
The best way to sum it up was Tatum after the game.
It’s so boring wahhhhhhhh!"
Yes, the Celtics take a lot of 3s, most of which are generated through beautiful ball movement.
They attack that weakness of the defense.
They are killer whales after all.
They didn’t settle, they didn’t play soft, they exploited the weakness.
You don’t convert there and MIN gets out on the break, who knows what happens?
This is what makes the Celts so impossible to defend.
It’s a lose/lose unfortunately.
Derrick White might be the best big shot taker and maker on the planet.
It’s all he does.
What a life
Once a game moves into the 4th quarter, something comes over Derrick.
The game moves to the final frame and White becomes the most dominant two way player in the league.
Just your casual 19/9/5/1/2 on 7-12 (4-9) in 37 minutes, no big deal.
Did I expect White to lead the team in rebounds?
But then again, there’s nothing he can’t do so maybe we should have?
As a point guard, White led the team in rebounds, assists, blocks, and +/-.
Think about that for a second.
When they show up on that end, everything else falls into place.
- It wasn’t for long stretches, but I thought Tillman was mostly solid in his 14 minutes.
He’s there to defend, rebound, and provide toughness.
As he gets more reps, I imagine that aspect of his defense will improve.
I believe the non-Jaylen Celts started something like 0-8 or 0-9 from the floor, which was pretty infuriating.
Great looks, just couldn’t make a shot to save their lives.
Then they start to press offensively and things can often spiral out of control.
Think of the point differential for me one time would you?
Everyone has an off night.
- Another game another case of allowing the opponent to feast on the offensive glass.
The Wolves finished with 11 OREB for 16 2nd chance points, and Rudy Gobert had 8 OREBs himself.
He’s done enough for this team.
But especially in the 4th quarter, this offensive rebounding issue is becoming a problem.
The Ugly
- You know the rules!
For the first time this year, we are activating the 5 wins in a row rule.
This team wins 5 in a row, they get this section off.
