Now having lost both meetings by a total of 8 points, what did we learn?
They were within 2 points in the final minutes of both meetings.
That’s the good sign.
If you don’t, your team is not winning the title.
That’s what these two games have shown.
They were right there.
This level of Tatum is not going to cut it.
The mental mistakes from everyone else on top of that isn’t going to cut it.
That’s the reality.
The Celts are close, 60+ games worth of evidence tells us that.
But you don’t become champions by being close.
That’s the difference.
We have a lot to get to, so let’s dive in.
The Good
- This was one of the more bizarre Jaylen Brown performances we may have ever seen.
The Celtics get run out of the gym if not for Jaylen carrying the offense.
Let’s be very clear about something else.
Going 7-14 from the FT is absolutely abhorrent.
In a game you lost by 6, that feels pretty significant.
You cannot have that from your #2 guy.
Does it give you concerns for a playoff game where Jaylen is going to have to make his FTs?
Going 7-14 will do that do anyone.
For all the talk about Jaylen’s ECF last year, a game like last night felt more familiar.
When the lights get bright, Jaylen tends to show up more often than not.
So when you add it all up, it’s a weird place to be.
Jaylen was awesome, but the one area he struggled in proved to be VERY costly.
Yet without him, they get destroyed.
What do we make of that?
The small things, like making FTs, matter.
The way Tatum has to level up, this is where Jaylen has to level up.
Making his FTs, not turning the ball over, things like that.
All I ask in those moments is to just make it as tough as possible.
The thing is, neither of these guys can really guard the other.
But just like with Jaylen, I would say that KP gave this team enough to win.
- Alright that’s really it.
Let’s move on.
Just go down the list
1.
A Tatum no show
2.
Jrue with a playoff dropper bang out of offensive showing
4.
Derrick disappearing offensively like it was the 2022 Finals
5.
KP’s 3 going cold and him not getting the whistle on midrange jumpers, which miss
7.
Late game opponent OREB
8.
Lack of clutch time defensive stops
9.
Last night was an example of what things look like when our fears become reality.
When teams are allowed to be more physical in the playoffs, that will make a difference.
A play here or there can be the deciding factor.
These small things become very big things when you are trying to take down the champs.
They gave the talent, they have the system, they have the experience.
Just compare it to what we saw from DEN.
In other words, the Nuggets rarely if ever beat themselves.
- Part of that is understanding you cannot be lazy with the basketball.
This is partly what made last night so infuriating.
Stop being careless with the basketball!
You have to respect the possession game.
The Celts allowed 16 points off turnovers in a game they lost by 6.
Are they just not paying attention?
Were they now aware of where the help was going to come from?
To me, it was similar to the Cavs game.
In the 3rd, they closed the final 4 minutes on a 12-9 run.
In the 4th, they made the plays down the stretch to seal it.
The point is, these are the small margins I’m talking about.
It’s not something that would be “good to have”, it’s a requirement.
This is the other potential playoff concern, because this is how momentum swings.
Instead of heading into a locker room maybe down 4, now you’re down 8.
Champions step on throats, teams still trying to get there let their throats be stepped on.
That’s exactly what 2022 Finals Derrick did, and we saw how that turned out.
Now bald and much better, we can’t still have that mentality.
His spacing is too important to morph into a non-factor offensively.
The issue here isn’t that the Celtics bench stinks, it’s that nobody ever really shoots.
No bench player took more than 3 FGA.
This isn’t to say the Celts need to run plays for Al or Hauser or anything like that.
But it’s to point out bench production is important.
you’re free to’t have guys playing 10+ minutes and taking 1 or 2 shots.
- The Celtics had a 144 clutch time defensive rating in this game.
Scoring will always be important, but if you don’t defend, you die.
It’s as simple as that.
- 9 missed FTs as a team.
In a game like this?
Fuck you for that.
Not only was it not good enough, it wasn’t anywhere fucking close.
If you want to win a title, you’re free to’t no show huge games like this.
How many times did we see Tatum give a shit effort to box someone out?
How did you like his body language?
This is the version of Tatum that we’ve seen get the Celtics 14 playoff wins.
That’s great, but that’s not the goal.
The goal is 16 wins.
At the end of the day, this entire plan depends on Tatum being that guy.
There’s no more Marcus Smart to blame.
The talent is there.
There really are no more excuses.
He’s either going to do it, or he isn’t.
If he does, the Celtics will win the title.
If he doesn’t, they won’t.
Sorry to oversimplify things, but that’s the honest truth.
We know he can do it.
The final step is not having to wonder if this is a night where Tatum is going to disappear.
When is the last time you think a Nuggets fan EVER said that about Jokic?
That’s the difference.
