Chances are it looks a whole lot like what we got yesterday.
As we saw last year, Game 1s at home are certainly no lock for an automatic win.
The point is, nothing this time of year is ever a guarantee.
You have to go out and earn it.
This team feels different.
It is not a prayer that the Celts lit it up from three, that’s what they do.
It’s not a prayer that they blew someone out at home, that’s what they do.
And while Sunday was awesome, let’s also be VERY clear about something.
It means jack shit if it’s possible for you to’t back it up and also win Game 2.
They now have to fight off the dangerous thinking that can sometimes happen after an ass kicking like this.
They need to treat Game 2 like it’s Game 1 and the record is 0-0.
That was the shit the previous Celts teams did, and it almost always backfired.
We all believe this team is different, well this is their chance to show us.
They were as dominant as we’ve ever seen, and god damn was it incredible to watch.
Let’s dive in.
That’s not just a Celtics thing, that’s an every team in the league thing.
For you to make deep runs and win a title, your best player needs to level up.
You cannot lay an egg, you cannot no show.
So what did we get?
One of the best Tatum performances of his playoff career.
He was the tone setter, but not how you might think when it comes to Tatum.
Often times people think that just means scoring, but that’s not what we have here.
It was the fact that he had zero trouble dissecting and breaking down the Heat zone and double teams.
What we saw was a player that has years of experience against this dark magic.
You don’t beat the Heat dark magic by paying hero ball and trying to do it all yourself.
You beat it by playing the right way.
We saw all season what happens to opposing defenses when the Celts are able to get them in rotation.
That’s why the best player is so important to team success this time of year.
Defensively, Tatum brought the juice on that end of the floor as well.
Of all his matchups yesterday, Tatum only allowed 5 total points.
Cool, Tatum is elite at both ends.
That’s not hyperbole, that’s really what he did.
What followed that moment was one of the best seasons of his life.
Yesterday in April, Kristaps Porzingis had one of the best Celtics playoff debuts you’ll ever see.
If he needs to adjust and score in other ways, he’s shown the ability to do that.
Let me just ask you this.
Did the Celts seem prepared to you yesterday?
Did they seem ready for the zone?
Where do we think that comes from?
Joe (and the rest of his staff).
Stop me if you’ve seen that before.
- Our first look at the playoff version of Bald Derrick and guess what?
It’s just as awesome as you envisioned
Talk about a tale of two halfs.
In the first half, the backcourt was pretty nonexistent offensively.
It’s not often you see a player as important as White only have 2 points in 16 minutes.
18/2/2 on 5-6 (4-5) and a team best +16 in his 17 minutes.
Really that’s my ask of everyone.
I don’t need any overachieving, just being your average self will be more than enough.
I loved how they came out after the half and stepped on throats, winning the 3rd quarter 31-14.
It felt like a more mature performance, which is exactly what I think we were all looking for.
- Only 5 OREB and 5 2nd chance points for the Heat.
That’s how you know the Celts were locked in.
The Jays were #1 and #2 in rebounding, and the Celts looked great.
They are the tone setters.
Just keep playing the right way and everything will be fine.
He was much better about it in the second half and look at the difference.
To put it simply, Holiday’s defense yesterday was superb.
He completely eliminated Tyler Herro from this game right from the opening tip.
Given how important Herro’s offense is going to be, that’s a pretty big fucking deal.
On over 30 possessions guarding Herro, he finished with just 3 points and had 2 TOs.
He was in hell.
It didn’t even matter that he was 2-8 because his defense was so incredible.
Basically, Holiday did all the stuff around the margins that help you blowout your opponent.
- What more is there to say about the bench?
A total of 30 points from Horford/Pritchard/Hauser on 11-21 (8-16) shooting.
Oh, and none of them had a single turnover.
That’s the Heat’s formula, they need to survive off points off TOs.
If you consistently flirt with the 17-20 point range, that’s how they pull off their upsets.
Feet wider than the shoulders, feet not set, and he leans in.
You’re naive to think there won’t be.
It needs to be made VERY clear that you cannot do that shit in a playoff game.
Of course teams will go on runs, but not like that.
A 34 point lead down to like 15 all because they were playing stupid basketball.
While it obviously didn’t matter, it is something to keep an eye on.
This is what they do.
We see it playoff run after playoff run.
He knew what he was doing, it was not an accident.
And this is why every Celtics fan had the injury concern heading into this series.
This isn’t “playing hard and physical”, it’s playing reckless.
There was no play on the ball there from Martin, he had one purpose on that play.
His team was getting rocked, so what do they do?
They go after the best player.
Just like we saw last year with Giannis and his injury.
Whatever you do, do not treat things like this series is over.
