The bigger point of course is that the Celts did not have a letdown.
With that said, let us begin.
Since that moment Tatum has played 11 games.
He’s putting up 30.4/9.1/3.7 on 50/37% splits with 3.5 3PM a night.
His turnovers are low at 2.5, and the Celts have gone 8-3 in the games.
It could be the “best defense in the NBA” Bucks, or the Jazz B squad.
It hasn’t really mattered as of late.
We had a near flawless approach.
That’s what makes this performance stand out to me.
It’s not just the offense, I’m pretty sure we know Tatum can score.
But when he also digs down and is the best defender on the floor?
Not just in the big time games, but in these ones as well.
That has to be so demoralizing for these bozos who think they are going to punk Blake.
Not just for the vibes, but the actual basketball stuff too.
- There’s a reason I am so bullish on the importance of the Celts guard play.
I’m sorry if this offends, it’s just the reality.
Last night, I’d say they hit 2 of 3.
But Derrick and Malcolm?
On the whole, Brogdon was terrific.
Then there was Derrick.
Guys are healthy, everyone is sliding back into their roles, and the team is thriving.
- Another quick check in on Mazzulla Ball for all those who observe
Yup, still rules.
The first is 120 points.
When the Celts score at least 120 points in a game, they are 36-3.
When they finish a game with at least 27 assists, they are 34-9.
When they finish a game with fewer than 12 TOs, they are 26-4.
Last night was a game the team didn’t even really shoot all that well from three.
The key offensively is ball movement and low turnovers.
As long as the Celts don’t play dumb, they basically never lose.
It felt like it’s been a while, but we got good Grant!
Tatum (and the team) looked much more prepared for the UTA doubling this time around.
The Bad
- It was pretty obvious Jaylen’s legs were cooked.
Instead, he played 34 minutes, which was the second highest on the team.
That’s how you lose playoff games.
Giving up double digit OREBs every night is just asking for trouble.
- Whatever the hell Tony Brothers was going in the 4th quarter.
Talk about ref show my lord.
- Things were way too easy in terms of perimeter resistance on drives.
It felt like THT or Kris Dunn got to the rim whenever they wanted.
The Jazz had 68 of their 114 in the paint, and Kessler only had 20 of those.
I’d like to see more of it if we’re being honest.
That was not the case last night.
It wasn’t a case of guys taking bad looks, they just weren’t dropping.
We didn’t see a whole lot of that in the first 24 minutes.
- Pretty brutal minutes for both Mike Muscala and Luke Kornet.
I mean they gave you pretty much nothing in their mintues, including rebounds.
That can’t happen for guys that are 7ft.
You’ll remember he was pretty brutal in the first meeting too.
Rebound, protect the rim, and for Muscala, yo hit an open corner jumper.
I’d say we were 0-3 with that in this game.
At the end of the day, the Celts did what we asked them to do.
They took care of business and kept this train moving.
They look more and more like a team that understands the situation and what time of year it is.
When they lock in like this, watch out.
