They had a choice to make.
Either respond and reassert yourself or let things snowball.
Since that January 26th loss, the Celts have now won 5 of their last 6.
If the Celts take care of their shit tomorrow against the Grizzlies, they’ll get that 5-2.
So close to the break, it’s crucial the Celts stay focused and finish strong.
That’s why tomorrow (MEM) and Thursday (MIL) are going to be much better tests.
Now is not the time to start thinking about your vacation, now is the time for wins.
Sadly, at 15-42, I do not see the Play In being in their future.
That’s why to me, this game wasn’t really about them.
The Celts avoided the trap game and that’s what I care about.
A get in, get out, throw in win that only should help their confidence moving forward.
I can say this with complete certainty, Derrick White has been a tremendous Celtic.
Since the day he arrived, he’s fit like a glove.
Would you like to see what a comfortable Derrick White looks like on the basketball court?
Now I want to warn you, I’ve watched this a few thousand times.
You’re going to experience emotions that can be dangerous.
My advice is to embrace them.
We’ve been tracking Derrick White since the Orlando game when Smart went out.
For those who don’t want to do all the math.
Since February started, those numbers are 21.6/6.0/5.2 on 55/50% splits.
When healthy, this is coming off your bench.
With Derrick, the key to this successful run remains his approach.
In terms of total FGA, White has taken 115, and 57 of those have been 3PA.
So just think about it.
That means his layups at the rim and floaters in the paint are dropping.
There are no long/contested 2PA.
This is Mazzulla Ball.
What is it with this team and doing historic shit?
I feel like it happens nearly every night and I’ll tell ya, I don’t hate it.
I love it actually.
The thing is, Tatum has now played CHA four times, so that 40 average is pretty ridiculous.
Sometimes that was for himself, other times it was for a teammate.
Engaged on both ends, efficient, and consistent in all four quarters.
- I have a challenge for you.
I double dog dare you.
I’m not talking signing, I’m talking trade.
it’s possible for you to’t.
Welp, it’s time to add Mike Muscala to the list.
I said it during the trade deadline chaos, whoever Brad says is the guy is the guy.
I don’t have to understand it, I just know he’s earned my love and trust.
Brad found another guy to bring in at the deadline who fits like a glove.
It’s not exactly the hardest thing to just pick and pop, but that’s fine by me.
At the same time, his defense wasn’t bad either!
A good positional defender, I saw more than enough from a guy that’s a 3rd/4th big.
And to think, there were some that cried about how Brad handled this deadline.
That he didn’t go “all in” because he didn’t drastically overpay for Jakob Poeltl.
I’m sorry, is Poeltl doing any of what you just watched above?
This player cost Justin fucking Jackson and some 2nds.
Brad is that dude and if you don’t trust him by now, that’s a you problem.
- I’ll never complain about a wire to wire win.
I’ll forever be thankful for the Hornets defense.
When Hauser’s volume is mostly made up of catch & shoot threes, he’s automatic.
The Celts have made that a focus over his last 8-9 games, and the results speak for themselves.
Over his last 9, Hauser is up to 46.5% from three.
Over that time, he’s taken 43 3PA (20-43).
Of those 43 3PA, all 43 of them have been catch & shoot.
Nothing really off screen, no pullups, just catch & shoot and look at what has happened.
This is why you trust a pure shooter.
It’s catch and let that thing fly.
He calls it out immediately.
This is certainly not the first time this has happened
and it makes me laugh each and every time.
Joe is not with the bullshit, and I think that’s refreshing.
Don’t dish it if you aren’t prepared to take it is how I see it.
Good on Grant for finding a way to not be a gigantic negative despite his shot not falling.
Not the best performance on the defensive glass I’ve ever seen.
As bad as Brogdon may have been, it wasn’t like things drastically improved with Pritchard either.
The Ugly
- The only thing that really fits here is the turnovers.
It’s always the fucking turnovers.
Only 5 TOs in the first half, they finished with 7 in the 3rd quarter alone.
When that happens, it’s the same old story.
Other teams go on a run, they feel confident, and it’s all self inflicted.
But when you’re careless, you lose those opportunities and that’s annoying as hell.
In the NBA, even the bad teams play hard.
The Celts gave the Hornets a sliver of life and they took advantage.
While things never got into single digits, that’s not really the point.
That’s been a problem for a while now and it’s very annoying.
We now turn the page to Memphis.
