Winning while not really playing to your standard is nice, but definitely not something you should rely on.
Well, last night was what I’ve been talking about.
When you watched this team play, things justdidn’t feelquite right.
That doesn’t mean it was bad, just different.
Now with their 7'3 demon back in the lineup the Celtics finally looked like the Celtics.
You saw it on both ends in this win.
Offensively, the Clippers defense (a top 5 unit) had zero answers.
Defensively, all the things that plagued this team through the first month of the season instantly disappeared.
There areeven higherlevels this team can get to.
I know, that makes me sound like an asshole, but once again, it’s the truth.
The Good
- There’s no chance we could start anywhere else.
Whatever you expected from KP in his debut, the reality was better.
That’s really the entire story of this injury/rehab.
Let’s start at the top of the list.
Physically, KP looked great.
This dude has been ready for weeks.
It’s a simple lose/lose situation.
You have a split second to make a decision, and neither are in your best interest.
If you decide to switch, well, that’s death too.
Remember, this dude is 7'3 with elite shooting touch.
Defensively, it took 15 seconds for KP top immediately make an impact with his rim protection.
Guys are able to be more aggressive on the perimeter because they know KP has the backline covered.
The numbers speak for themselves.
He truly does change EVERYTHING this team is capable of on both ends.
Were none of you paying attention last year?
Or were you so blinded by the hate that you refused to accept what was happening?
Sorry, this isn’t a fluke.
This is the rule.
That’s Day 1 stuff.
The AST number there is the key.
It’s not about the volume of 3PA, but how they are generated.
Outside of maybe 1 or 2, it didn’t feel like the Celts forced a single 3PA.
They played within the offense, they played the right way, and they were rewarded.
- It’s very rare that we see Payton Pritchard have two bad games in a row.
A “down” performance by his standards against the Wolves, guess who immediately bounced back?
We’re at the point now where I am truly shocked whenever Pritchard misses.
I’m not sure how he’s actually a real person if we’re being honest.
Unlimited range, gigantic balls, elite ball pressure, and easily the 6MOY leader.
in his 25 minutes, Pritchard outscored every Clipper not named Zubac and he did it off the bench.
Jaylen is now 10-17 over his last two, and is shooting 38.8% over his last 6.
I was surprised when I learned that fact this morning, but it tracks.
Remember all that bullshit about Tatum’s jumper?
He’s shooting 41.1% over his last 6 as well, and that includes an 0-10 performance.
On the season, Tatum has settled in at 37% on over 10 3PA a game.
That’s going to be part of his developmental process.
That’s the whole point!
Nobody is suggesting he’s ready to handle Jokic, but in a game like this?
Against a team with no size?
That’s the perfect spot for Queta and he thrived in his minutes.
- Derrick White is perfect.
For some, that’s a terrible shot.
For Bald Derrick, that’s a layup.
- Uhhhhhhh hello Jordan Walsh?!?!?!?
The Bad
- What is there to complain about in a 32 point win?
Not much, but I’d say the 3rd quarter certainly qualifies.
Thankfully, Pritchard/Hauser happened, but it illustrates a larger point.
The ball stopped moving, the defense wasn’t as intense, and they played with fire.
Ultimately they responded which was nice, but I wouldn’t say this was a complete 48 minute performance.
- I’m not going to pretend 14-20 from the FT line is good.
you could choose to not care about this, but I’ll never get over it.
This team is too good at the line to be missing 6-8 FTs a game.
Tatum missing multiple, Jaylen missing multiple, it’s annoying.
- No two ways about it, Jrue is in a brutal shooting slump.
The Ugly
- Sorry, you know the rules.
We skip this section until the Celts lose again.
6 in a row and just getting started so who knows when we’ll be back.
All things considered, I’m not sure the KP return could have gone any better.
Look at what he built.
