I understand the desire to talk shit, be confident, all that shit.
But as Ialwayssay, perspective is important.
You know who ended up being in that 30%?
The 2022 Boston Celtics.
2 years ago, we were in this exact same place, up 1-0 against the Warriors.
Hearing them all talk after the game pretty much confirmed it.
That’s the value of going through those wars and getting those playoff scars.
They say defense wins championships, and at this point it’s getting harder and harder to disagree.
I would like to share something with you that very well may get you excited.
Just look at how they handled the greatest scoring backcourt in NBA history.
When it came time to get separation, how did it start?
On the defensive end.
KP’s rim protection.
Jaylen’s defense
the foundation of everything the Celtics do will ALWAYS be their defense.
It’s not complicated, you just have to be willing to commit fully to it.
There is no half ass defending at this level, not when a championship is on the line.
Talk about a rope-a-dope.
No rust, no hesitation, just dominance.
That was the same KP I watched all season long and it changes everything about this series moving forward.
The problem we saw with the Mavs/KP is the same problem we saw every team have against him.
There’s no winning that matchup.
If you don’t switch, you’re dead.
You know who knew that way back in June 2023?
Brad Stevens
The best part is that’s only one end of the floor.
What makes KP so devastating is he’s also giving you ELITE rim protection.
You want to know why the Celts look so good this year?
There’s simply no way to guard them.
And best of all?
KP only played 20 minutes.
- This entire Jaylen Brown season has been a religious experience to watch.
Offensively, his processing is 10000000000000000x better.
This version right here.
From a mentality standpoint, Jaylen is as locked in as we’ve ever seen.
His leadership is WAY up, and his play has followed suit.
To me, that’s the biggest difference in the 2024 run.
As we know, when you let Jaylen get into the paint, it’s over.
This is a common problem for pretty much every team that plays the Celts.
To be effective, you need elite perimeter defenders.
Both Derrick White and Jrue Holiday had in my opinion, perfect games.
But when they are also giving you elite defense?
That’s when the Celtics become overwhelming.
I thought each guy had a pretty big moment offensively that might be overlooked, but shouldn’t.
For Derrick, it was the back to back 3PM to blow this game open in the 1st quarter.
When he shoots without hesitation, it changes everything.
For Jrue, it was this play right here.
Not to mention, he also gave us an all time quote after the game
He’s not lying.
Sam Hauser had both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in hell on multiple possessions.
- Speaking of Hauser, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but is he back?
He feels like he might be back.
- Big night for those of us who observe the religion that is Mazzulla Ball.
The haters and losers of which there are still many are furious.
You see, as much as you want to, you could’t run from the math.
Joe knows that, I know that, and you should know that.
This now makes them 35-4 when they shoot at least 50% of their shots from behind the arc.
Embrace it or die.
They responded with a 14-0 run and that was that.
To me, that was another sign of this team’s growth.
There was no panic.
There was no feeling sorry for themselves, there was only execution.
Teams will go on runs.
How you respond to those runs is what matters most, and the Celts response was A+.
- Many will tell you today that Jayson Tatum played like shit.
His shot struggled (6-16) and there were some TO issues at times, but everywhere else?
Tatum did more than enough.
You have to understand, the Mavs are completely selling out to stop Tatum/limit his looks.
Just look at the pop in of defense Tatum saw all night
That my friends, is real gravity.
Doubling Tatum is asking for the others to bury you, which they did.
If you don’t, Tatum will bury you.
The beauty is Tatum has seen all these defenses before.
- Tremendous job taking away the corner 3s and lobs for the Mavs.
If we were to rank this on a scale of 1-10, this was probably like an 8.23/10 performance.
Think about that for a second.
People will say “well the Mavs will play better”……well so will the Celtics.
This was not their ceiling I’m afraid.
You saw Kyrie get right into his body pretty much every time.
As a result, it forced Derrick to turn his back and sort of operate offensively that way.
What that does is it tries to prevent Derrick from getting downhill.
In Game 2, I would like them not to wait.
I’m all for taking 3s, but it’s the quality of 3s that matter.
That’s the recipe for a 21 point swing.
- Horrendous close to the 2nd quarter.
No other way to say it.
Game 1 was a perfect example of why it’s so important to close quarters strong.
When you get to this level, the margins matter.
2 minutes here, 2 minutes there, that can be the deciding factor.
You simply have to play the full 48 and close quarters strong.
It’s non-negotiable as far as I’m concerned.
The Ugly
- Nope.
You know the rules.
How rare is that in the playoffs?
Now, we enjoy the break and try and remain calm until Game 2.
The Celts punched first, but it’s not only about that.
You have to keep punching.
The Celts as we know have a history of winning Game 1 and dropping Game 2.
One game at a time.
Just keep telling yourself that.
13 down, 3 to go.
