Winning the first game means jack shit if you immediately turn around and drop the second the next night.
Here’s where the true character of this team presents itself.
Moments like this are where champions find a way to win.
Tired, injured, shorthanded, no excuses.
Celts are now 5-1 on the 2nd night of a back to back.
As a reminder, they were 12-2 last season.
A 10 point win on the road over CHA
2.
A 25 point win on the road over BKN
3.
A 32 point win over LAC
4.
A 19 point win over MIA
5.
Suddenly, the Celts have won 4 of 5.
That’s right, the team that plays .800 basketball is once again playing .800 basketball.
This wasn’t some sort of over achievement win.
Where the Celts did anything insane that isn’t sustainable.
They just played to their level.
The thing is, their level is pretty damn good.
The mark of every dynasty in the NBA starts on the defensive end of the court.
Pick any one you want throughout history.
They all have one thing in common, they were complete monsters on the defensive end.
It’s non-negotiable really.
Being “OK” defensively isn’t going to cut it.
To enter that realm of NBA lore, you oughta be elite.
That’s the price of entry and you could either afford it or you could’t.
The Celtics just won a title on the backbone of their defense.
But without the defense, nothing else matters.
When the Celts lock in defensively, that is when they become overwhelming.
It’s the stops immediately followed by death via 3PM that really deflate the opponent.
This is what that looks like
Tough night for Ime on both ends of the floor.
Almost like defense leads to winning!
Woah, we may have discovered something here.
First, is the return of Jrue Holiday.
Completely changed the entire dynamic of the Celts' defense.
Next, there’s this moment in time
What you just watched is championship-caliber leadership.
This is what a franchise player does.
Accountable, honest, and determined to turn things around knowing that it starts with him.
We know what they’re capable of and what their standard on this end of the floor is.
When they play up to it, good things happen.
When they don’t, you get losses that should never have happened.
Now in 2024, Derrick White has changed my life in ways I did not know were possible.
I don’t want to be dramatic, but this is a perfect basketball player.
I understand that sounds crazy, but think about it.
He’s an elite 3 level scorer
2.
He’s an All NBA 1st Team Defender and best rim protecting guard maybe ever
3.
He can handle and initiate offense
4.
He plays with an insane motor at all times
5.
He’s clutch
6.
He’s unselfish
7.
He shows up in the playoffs
8.
He has an extremely high basketball IQ
9.
He puts in the work
10.
He makes a delicious beer
Is this not the description of what someone would call a perfect basketball player?
When you think of what that guy looks like in your head, he has all of those characteristics.
So when you actually write it out, it’s not crazy to say.
Derrick White is a perfect basketball player.
He’s been that good and that impactful to this entire operation.
There’s more good news too.
The good news is those days are over.
He’s back and he’s better than ever.
Over his last 7 games, White is back up to 50/45.9% splits with 4.0 3PM a night.
In terms of C&S 3PA over that stretch, he’s shooting 50%.
No surprise the Celts offense looks a lot better right?
Wild how that works.
Those days are long gone too.
His patience in those situations has vastly improved, and the production is getting rather insane.
So far this season, Pritchard is shooting 70% in the restricted area.
At the rim, Pritchard is shooting 75% In the paint, Pritchard is shooting 60%.
His efficiency from 3-10ft has jumped from 49% to 53%.
This is a long way of saying Pritchard in the paint and at the rim is now a weapon.
What used to be a weakness is now a strength.
That’s what hard work will do for you and nobody works harder than Payton Pritchard.
It’s why he’s running away with 6MOY.
Given who was out, you never know how those minutes are going to go.
The play in the second quarter is what helped set the tone, and things took off from there.
Then once Tatum comes back, it’s a wrap.
He is the system.
He has to rebound like a center every single night.
He takes on whatever defensive assignment the team needs, 1-5.
He’s their primary initiator on offense in addition to being their most versatile defender.
When Tatum enters this level of unguardability, it’s like watching a master at work.
It’s on the leader to set the tone for this trip.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times.
Appreciate what we are witnessing when it comes to Jayson Tatum.
Now Hauser is making his 3s.
Pritchard is back, White can’t miss.
It all coincides with Jrue’s return and impact offensively.
This is I think the 3rd straight time they’ve done that?
Drew Peterson has also locked up the 15th roster spot for me.
May as well reward the guy like you did for Queta last year.
- What definitely sets the Celts apart from others is how dominant they are on the road.
Any time, any place, they come to play and when they come to play, they win.
You have to handle your shit on the defensive glass and end possessions cleanly.
If you allow OREBs and 2nd chance points, that’s how you let a team hang around.
So what did the Celts do to start this game?
They couldn’t stop giving up offensive rebounds and 2nd chance points.
In the first quarter alone, they allowed 6 OREB and 11 2nd chance points.
The Rockets hung around 37-31.
The Rockets missed 14 shots in the opening quarter, which means they recovered nearly half of those misses!
In the end, the Celts allowed 14 OREB for 19 2nd chance points.
Why do I care about this?
Because guess who the Celts are playing tomorrow?
Guess what he’s awesome at?
Do you think it’s a good idea to give OKC multiple possessions and chances to score?
Maybe hit a dagger 3 to get the crowd going?
So the execution on the defensive glass is going to need to be MUCH better.
- Yesterday was more about shot making than ball movement.
The 50/48% splits are awesome, as are the 19 3PM.
The not so great number is only having 20 assists.
- What the fuck is going on at the FT line.
This isn’t even a joke at this point, it’s a legitimate concern.
Another game missing 6 FTs for a brutal 66%.
Luke Kornet has gone from a 90% FT shooter to a 57% shooter.
Derrick missed one, KP missed one, what the hell is going on?
This is the most bizarre stretch of FT shooting I think we’ve ever seen from this team.
They simply cannot stop missing.
- Why is this the worst fastbreak team we’ve ever seen?
How hard is it to score on a 3 on 1?
Overpassing, bad spacing, panic, it’s all been weird recently.
The Ugly
- OREBs, 2nd chance points, those are the margins that allow teams to hang around.
You know what else helps?
Let me ask you something.
How does this look to you?
Because to me, it looks like some of the worst basketball a team could possible play.
5 FGM and 8 TOs in a single quarter?
Lazy pass after lazy pass?
That is the very definition of ugly.
That is how they win.
- I’ll never understand why TV producers think viewers want to see alternate camera angles.
What is this shit?
Some of us wait all day for these games and just want things to be close and normal.
And now comes the game of the year.
OKC vs BOS is about as good as it gets.
