While I’m sure the players appreciated the time off, I cannot say the same.
That shit was torture.
Once October hits, my brain is conditioned to this team playing every other day.
Sometimes back to back nights if we’re lucky.
It’s intoxicating really.
When this group gets going and locks in, they look unbeatable.
I would like to sign up for more of that like.
The Celts offense looks stagnant?
Derrick White is the answer.
The perimeter defense needs to step up?
The Celts need to be better at taking care of the ball?
Let Derrick handle everything.
The Celts need a spark in the 3rd quarter to prevent another meltdown?
OK cool, Derrick has it taken care of.
I’d say his 30/3/4/2/2 on 10-16 (6-10) felt different, but I’d be lying.
It felt like the same old Bald Derrick to me.
This is just what he does.
When the team needs him to score, he can.
When they need him to lock in defensively, he finishes with 4 STOCKS.
Compare this version to what we saw when he first got here, they are completely different players.
When he sees a smaller guard on him, there’s no hesitation.
Having that shot in his arsenal is going to matter.
You’re not the MVP?
Over the years there’s always been a debate as to what actually makes someone the MVP.
Is it crazy stats?
Is it the best player on the best team?
Well, how about this.
What about the player who is playing the best basketball on the best team?
Why can’t that be something that has you in the conversation?
You’d be lying.
We collectively got Smart his DPOY, Jaylen his All NBA etc.
Is it a long shot?
But so was Smart’s DPOY and that was light work.
I cannot believe he is real.
After missing the last handful of games with his calf strain, I expected at leastsomesort of rust.
This is the missing piece, I don’t know how else to say it.
I simply do not know what an opposing defense can do to stop him.
Once he has to step outside to guard KP, it’s curtains.
Oh you want to go zone?
You fools, an open FT jumper is a layup for this man.
Oh you’re a switching defense?
No matter what you try, it’s a loss for you.
He fits with everyone.
Of all the roster changes this team has gone through, the true needle mover is Porzingis.
I can’t even imagine debating that.
He’s a cheat code.
For those of us who are Mazzulla Ball believers, this was a great example of it.
This game was also another example of why basketball math matters.
If it hadn’t been, they probably lost this game.
you should probably shoot 3s in today’s game.
That doesn’t mean the Celts don’t need a diversified offense, they do.
My point is you’ve got the option to do both.
- Really, really strong game from the two best players.
It’s partly why I get so annoyed when we see him make lazy careless passes.
- The same was true for Jaylen in this game as well.
Not only was he efficient in his 27 minutes (7-13, 2-5).
But this was probably one of Jaylen’s most impressive passing games of the season.
The 4 assists is cool and all, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The dump down to Porzingis instead of the contested pullup 3PA comes to mind.
Even with his shot making, I never felt like Jaylen played outside of his role.
The ball never seem to stick with anyone, especially Jaylen.
I have to admit, it’s pretty nice?
It almost makes you wonder why they don’t do that more often.
- If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times.
When it comes to the ceiling of this team, they need good guard play.
If the guards come through, it takes things up a few levels.
We saw what Derrick did, and it ruled.
As long as he continues to do everything else, I’ll gladly overlook that.
- Then of course there was the play of Al Horford.
We don’t need to dive too deep into it, we already know he’s perfect.
The way he stepped up on the defensive glass in his minutes was crucial.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for this team that Al’s jumper is back.
Especially when it comes to the bench units producing.
If you were to be concerned about something, I might want to suggest the defense.
Since the calendar turned to December, the Celts have the 24th ranked defense in the NBA.
That is, not good.
As we know, shooting is going to come and go.
I just don’t think this is a sustainable way to play.
The Celts have held a team to under 100 points just once in their last 11 games.
Even if you think that’s unrealistic in today’s NBA, cool.
Since the CHA OT loss, they’ve only held a team under 110 points once.
Are they not aware of what a good offensive rebounding team the Knicks are?
Are they not paying attention where every time these teams match up the Knicks feast on the glass?
Time and time again we saw players refuse to box out.
It makes no sense.
- Tough night for the birthday boy Sam Hauser.
The Ugly
- The only thing we’re putting here is the Jaylen ejection.
What a complete crock of shit that was
Seriously, what the hell are we doing here?
First we had Tatum’s soft ejection on 12/1, and now this?
Is Adam Silver even alive right now?
There is simply no justification for this ejection.
He was on the other side of the court!
We’re seeing this happen to stars all over the league and yet nothing is being done about it.
What happens if the Celts lose this game last night, do they reverse the loss?
Do they get tossed?
