Well, it was bound to happen at some point.
Shocking, I know.
Especially when you yourself mostly play like shit.
Old habits die hard I suppose.
We know they can do it!
When they don’t, endings like last night happen.
We have a lot to get to, so let’s dive in.
That’s partly what made last night so annoying.
He nearly carried this team to victory by himself.
More than good enough.
Every night it seems like he misses 2 FTs (6-8 last night).
His rebounding, his passing, that all continues to look better as the year goes on.
That’s partly why I have zero issue with the no timeout/Jaylen’s 3PA at the end of regulation.
The process was fine, the shot was fine, he just missed.
Even on a night when his shot wasn’t falling (5-14), he was still productive
Why?
Because the man is a foul-attracting machine.
Another game with 10 FTA, that element is such a blessing to have at the big spot.
Porzingis had 0 FGA in the 4th quarter and OT.
The Bad
- Where to begin?
I suppose the offense as a whole is a decent place.
Overall, they played like shit and paid the price for it.
It’s just one game, but that’s the truth.
- Easily the worst we’ve seen Jrue Holiday play as a Celtic.
The frustrating part is how many bunnies he smoked.
The production is nowhere close to good enough.
The issue here continues to be similar to what we saw in 2021-22.
Payton Pritchard’s best role is as an off ball shooter.
I don’t see a start to the season like this
and think Pritchard sucks.
It’s not as if there are a ton of better options available.
That’s probably my biggest fear with the second unit right now.
Does it surprise anyone that the Celts are 29th in the NBA in bench scoring?
Only the Lakers have been worse.
Granted they were only 20th last year, but they were averaging 32 points as a unit in 2022-23.
This year that number is down to 24.
8 missed FTs as a team in a game you lost by 5.
6 TOs from Jayson Tatum is of course way too many.
Both he and Brown lead the Celtics in clutch time TOs as well, both with 3.
- In most cases, I forgive Al for any mistake he makes.
The guy is a billion years old.
I mean, Al can’t dribble with his right hand?
Was that a dead spot on the floor or something?
Very strange and pretty terrible.
- I thought Joe’s end of game management in the 4th was pretty spot on.
I cannot say the same thing about his game management in OT.
- Speaking of Edwards, he was the best player on the floor last night.
He deserves all the credit in the world for that.
Hell of a game for him.
The Ugly
- Alright, let’s talk about the OT and why this loss was so frustrating.
Mostly, because it was everything we’ve seen this team do when they have these horrific closes.
It happened in two critical situations, both of which had bad results
Take the first clip.
In this spot, you have momentum.
You have a chance to assert yourself and get some separation.
The Celts have that option, and his name is Porzingis.
Instead, what did we see?
Everyone watching Tatum dribble, which leads to a poor possession.
Then down 5 in a big spot, same thing.
you gotta punch back with a quality look.
What do we get?
A whole bunch of standing around watching Tatum who settles for a tough contested iso 3.
Here’s the thing.
It’s not that Tatum can’t hit these shots.
Of course he can.
And we would all love those possessions if those shots went in.
At the end of these games, it ALL comes down to the decision making of Tatum and Brown.
Jaylen isn’t exempt from this either by the way.
Down 7 with 1:22 left, now you are getting desperate.
Things are starting to get wonky and panic is setting in.
So what do we see?
A low percentage turnaround over Rudy Gobert
No look to KP.
Again, this is a shot we know Jaylen can make, but time and situation is important.
This is a low percentage look at felt more like letting go of the rope than trying to execute.
Just compare this to say, what we saw in the NYK 4th quarter comeback.
Or the 4th quarter against MIA.
Those were games we actually saw the new guys get involved and have a more diversified offense.
It’s not like everyone can blame Marcus Smart anymore, it all comes down to these two guys.
This was a winnable game, even without Bald Derrick.
All it needed was late game execution and the Celts are sitting 6-0 right now.
Life sure is tough.
