That’s life in the NBA though, shit happens.
They were beating pretty much everyone, outside of Boston.
They’re too small.
I’m not sure how that changes anytime soon.
It’s not scheme or system or any of that shit.
Those are the key in of wins that help tell you what a team is made of.
You know how at the top of this blog I talked about how the Nets are too small?
That’s the exact situation with Kyrie vs Smart.
Smart is too big and strong for Kyrie.
That starts with Smart.
Not a terrible night for a first game back coming off injury.
- What we saw in this game was Brad’s plan playing out in real life.
The best guard trio in the league showed the world exactly why that’s the case.
The 3 point shot will come and go, but that’s not really what I’m talking about.
When Derrick was going through his shit, he looked like a player that lost all his confidence.
Now we’re back to getting the aggressive White.
He’s the best shot blocking point guard in the entire NBA and this isn’t really a debate.
Since that Christmas date, did you know White is averaging 1.5 blocks a game?
As a point guard!
For Derrick, that means playing inside/out.
See a few go in and then the 3s will follow.
- Then we had Malcolm Brogdon’s night.
That’s not what the game needed from him, it needed his scoring.
I want him to feel empowered to shoot when he’s in those lineups.
You’re really good!
- you’re able to’t always control how you’re going to shoot in a game.
you could’t really control how your minutes might go.
But what it’s possible for you to control is your energy and effort level.
The man is a killer.
That’s the Celtics 4th point guard.
Think about that for a second.
- I continue to be really impressed with the development of Grant’s offensive game off the dribble.
Grant’s bag was very, very shallow just a few years ago.
Almost like they completely forgot about the defensive progression last year.
Offenses usually start early, defenses take some time to gel.
That’s nothing new, yet people seemed to forget that.
Since December 1st, they own the 3rd best defense in basketball.
This all goes with the 2nd best offense, best net rating, 3rd best TS% etc.
So, as always, love and trust Mazzulla Ball.
- You know how I know the team chemistry with the Celts is off the charts?
This
Tatum was getting heat for this jacket so what does Jaylen do?
He basically wears the same shit in a sweater version.
- Look, Luka Kornet might just be good OK?
If you don’t want to go that far, fine.
He’s at least very solid.
Luke is a perfect fit for this system.
He’s a smart player, he can pass, he can catch lobs, and he can OREB.
That’s all I want from Luke Kornet and it’s all he gives me.
His impact was undeniable last night and the Celts probably don’t win without it.
My concern is much like Scal’s.
I just don’t want that to become a habit.
Instead of snapping out of it at the 8-9 minute mark, just start the quarter that way.
Last night he was 7-11 from the floor for 18 points with 4 3PM.
To put this into perspective, that was the most points he has scored all season.
He averages 8 points a game if you were curious.
This is not me saying Joe Harris stinks.
He’s a legit shooter.
The Celts gave him WAY too much space/lost him in transition way too many times for my liking.
He’s arguably their best shooter not named Seth Curry, so that wasn’t great.
- In a sense, the Celts were lucky to survive a Tatum offensive stinker.
Role player’s production will fluctuate, Tatum’s has to be consistent.
The Ugly
- By now you should know the rule.
Celts win 5 in a row we get this section off as a treat.
We’ll return once they lose, which hopefully won’t happen anytime soon.
Not a bad strategy in my opinion.
