It is a big deal, especially with how they did it and who stepped up.
As good as they were against everyone else, the Heat knew how to fuck them up.
So did Brad do it again?
The defensive backcourt was the anchor on one end and then the icing on the cake on the other.
Jaylen exorcized his Heat demons and then some.
Joe didn’t get pantsed by Spo.
The Celtics finally beat the Heat on their own floor.
Let’s talk about it.
The Good
- If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times.
Derrick White is a tremendous Celtic.
I want you to think about something for a second.
Look at that line while you think.
As a reminder, Derrick White is a point guard.
What we saw last night from Derrick was someone who you could tell felt comfortable being aggressive.
There was no hesitation on ANY of those 3PA, even in the 4th.
That shit is contagious.
When the Celts get this version of Derrick on both ends, they become virtually unstoppable.
- Right there with White of course was the performance of Jaylen Brown.
A game like the Knicks is a perfect example.
I personally wanted to see how he looked in his first chance at redemption.
What I saw was multiple left hand dribble drives and left handed finishes.
I saw him make boneheaded decisions and lose the ball in transition.
This is the Jaylen we know and love.
Why there were some who got all bent out of shape about his opener, I’ll never understand.
Don’t overthink it.
Does he still have decision making issues at times?
But a night like last night is not just what he’s capable of, it’s the norm.
- I feel comfortable saying that this was probably Jrue Holiday’s best game as a Celtic.
On both ends of the floor, Holiday was the best version of himself.
Against the Knicks it was mostly his defense that made the impact.
What he did to Randle will be studied for generations to come.
That was another question I had entering this game.
I wanted to see how he responded to Butler & Co after what happened in their series.
I think we can all agree the answer was pretty good.
This shot right here.
You have to remember the situation.
Tyler Herro had just made another 3PM to bring the score to 4 with about 1:29 left.
Momentum was starting to slip.
The Celts needed to execute at that moment, so let’s talk about Holiday’s decision.
When he initially caught the pass from White, he easily could have gone up and taken that 3PA.
In fact, almost every player on the Celts roster last year probably does in that moment.
It’s partially why their clutch minutes were so nerve-wracking.
While a 3PM would have been nice, the Celts didn’t need 3 there.
They just needed points.
Welcome to Brad’s vision.
Oh, and when Holiday hit the Jaylen backdoor cut?
Man was that emotional.
Brought a tear to my eye and I’m only kind of kidding.
Didn’t love that he played 41 minutes, but good luck telling him to sit against MIA.
The guy lived at the rim
Whatever Sam Cassell is doing, I need him to keep doing it.
Nobody can really stop it given how effective Tatum also is as a passer out of the post.
I also continue to be impressed with Tatum’s commitment to the glass.
That’s the highest total by far (KP has 13 and Al has 11).
When your best player is committed to rebounding, everyone follows suit.
- Oh yeah, that Porzingis fella.
The Celts were struggling, they came out flat and they needed that jolt of energy.
It’s why Brad signed him.
They needed that high energy/OREB guy on the second unit, and that’s a role Brissett flourishes in.
The Bad
- Of course, things were not perfect.
These are the Boston Celtics after all.
We can begin right at the start of the game.
When you come out and miss 5 layups right away, that tells me you’re tight.
Celts found themselves down 13 points before you even knew what happened.
Let the crowd get into it maybe?
The thing is, Jaylen wasn’t alone.
Tatum was doing the same shit in terms of his decision making vs the MIA defense.
What is that pass?
Did Tatum forget Pritchard is 4 feet tall or something?
- At some point the Celts bench is going to have to do something.
After virtually no production int he opener, the second unit put up just 8 points last night.
So far we’re seeing way too much cardio/deferring to the starters that they share the floor with.
What the fuck is this black magic that they seem to only unleash against us?
It makes no sense.
The whistle imbalance is crazy.
At the end of the day, the Celts passed their first test of the season.
2-0 and feeling great.
