Especially when that win made it now 6 in a row and 11 of the last 12.
You should be excited right?
Well, sort of.
On the one hand, I am very pleased with how the Celts played last night.
That’s all that matters.
Initial reports are good, but who the fuck knows.
This is true of any team with title hopes entering the postseason really.
It’s why this part of the NBA calendar is so tricky to navigate.
Sit guys, keep the minutes low, all of it.
Plus, it’s a great way to trick your brain into not thinking about Tatum’s injury.
Let’s talk about it.
He dominated every aspect of the game while also being efficient (8-15, 5-9).
Sometimes that means scoring himself, sometimes that means creating for others, sometimes it means hockey assists etc.
That’s what experience gives you.
The same way LeBron/KD/Steph etc have counters to everything and never seem like they can be schemed for?
That’s this version of Jayson Tatum.
Whatever you try, he’s seen it and beaten it already.
The way he understands his teammates and how he elevates everyone around him is what gives him the advantage.
For as long as Jayson Tatum is on the floor, the Celtics have the advantage.
Sorry if that offends, but that’s the truth and it’s why he’s so fucking important.
That number leads the entire NBA.
De’Andre Hunter with 18.
Only Tatum’s pull up 3PA is more important.
- Look, I fully accept and understand that March basketball is weird.
I can’t help it.
There’s just something about the pace that he plays with that I find extremely interesting.
This is the Basketball Gods smiling down on Baylor and rewarding him for playing winning basketball.
Now, don’t be stupid with it.
They finished 42-100 and won both with ease.
Who could have seen this coming?
Oh, that’s right.
Anyone with two eyes and a working brain.
Since the trade deadline, the Celts have the 2nd best record in the NBA.
They got back to playing Mazzulla Ball.
Ball movement, player movement, shooting with confidence, not trading 3s for 2s etc.
No matter who is available, Mazzulla Ball works.
That’s why we are here.
For some to still be pushing back on it makes no goddamn sense.
This is your chance!"
For me, there’s a clear distinction between “dirty” and “reckless”.
Shit that Draymond Green does, that’s dirty.
There’s real intention behind his actions.
Stuff that guys like Sabonis or Giannis do are more “reckless” to me.
They don’t have the intention to hurt or injure someone, but they are playing a reckless style.
But he’s reckless as shit given how hard he plays.
This was the second consecutive game Jayson Tatum had someone land in his landing space during a 3PA.
Not only that, they only reviewed it because he got hurt!
So to me, this isn’t a Sabonis issue, this is a NBA officials issue.
Stop me if you’ve heard that before.
Do they need another Kawhi situation where someone’s season ends because of this shit?
But it was reckless, and that’s the kind of thing the NBA needs to figure out.
Make it an instant ejection or something.
It’s possible to contest 3s without landing in someone’s space.
It happens all the time!
Some, you’re able to live with.
A moving screen, maybe a travel here and there.
What remains inexcusable to me are the brain dead CTE passes.
The ones that have no logical explanation as to why they were thrown.
Perhaps that was the rust from sitting the night before, but boy was it gross.
Being this careless and allowing live ball turnovers is how you lose playoff games.
It is a bit fascinating that Jrue is either one extreme or the other.
There’s no in between, and that’s the risk heading into the playoffs.
Jrue couldn’t miss.
It was unlike anything in his playoff history to be honest.
Then we get a game like this.
I’ll take a measly 36%.
The normal starting 5 has now played 21 games together for a total of 320 minutes.
Not a huge sample, but that’s the sample.
ORTG: 113.0
DRTG: 114.7
Net rating: -1.7
That stinks.
Tell the truth, it stinks.
If we saw those numbers for any other 5 man combination, what would we say?
Part of that is mixing KP back into things.
Part of that is some defensive regression on the perimeter as well.
It all adds up to what you see above, which to be clear….stinks.
The Ugly
- 6 in a row, we can move on.
Can this team beat someone with high end talent who is playing well, all without their best player?
I need Tatum’s ankle to be fine in a month.
