It was a massacre.
What did we see the Hospital Celtics do?
How about another 120 points on 48.9/43.6% splits with 17 3PM and 29 AST in another win.
Drag me through absolute hell if it means at the end of the day it results in a win.
When the Celts returned home from the 3-1 West Coast trip, we all said the same thing.
Not the prettiest or least stressful wins we’ve ever experienced, but wins nonetheless.
If you’re currently keeping track at home….
25-6 overall.
15-4 vs teams .500 or better.
5 game winning steak.
While on a back to back and their 7th game in 12 days.
The Good
- I will forever look at Jaylen Brown’s season in two waves.
The first, was the pre-11/22 Bucks game.
Not quite at the level the Celts were going to need as the #2 guy.
You thought All NBA Jaylen was good?
We’re watching what that next level looks like.
From 11/22 to today, Jaylen has played 16 games.
Over those 16 games, the Celts as a team are 14-2.
28/5/6 on 52% shooting and 0 TOs.
Just like he does every night it seems, Jaylen carried everyone in the first quarter.
The numbers speak for themselves.
For whatever reason, Jaylen is almost always locked in right from the start.
A performance like last night to fire up the game is the norm, not the exception.
I’d say he delivered.
But what makes this leap from Jaylen so exciting isn’t just the efficient scoring.
We knew he could do that.
The beauty is none of what we’re seeing are these insanely complicated reads.
I don’t need Jaylen to be Tatum as a passer.
Trade a low percentage shot for a high percentage pass every once in a while and see what happens.
There were two passes specifically that stood out to me as examples of Jaylen’s growth in this department.
The first came at the end of the half.
Alright, so why do I care about this one?
For starters, we had another end of half/clock possession to evaluate.
As you know, these have sort of been ineffective stalled possessions lately.
I loved how there was no standing around just holding the ball.
As Jaylen crossed halfcourt he’s directing everyone where to be.
Once set, there’s an immediate cross into a left handed drive.
Right here, Jaylen needed to recognize that.
Look at his head, look at his eyes.
I’ll call that Growth Area #1.
Then, instead of driving into traffic, Jaylen hesitates a little bit and lets things develop.
I’ll call that Growth Area #2.
An immediate on target pass to Payton, and he cashes it.
I’m going to call that Growth Area #3.
This version of Jaylen?
At this moment, he knows he has it
and the rest is history.
The exact jot down of performance we all thought Jaylen had to have with guys out.
Do they get 2?
Who gives a shit.
Just yesterday I wrote about how I’m fairly certain that Derrick White possesses the clutch gene.
That as the game gets to winning time and the pressure mounts, he gets better and better.
So what does he do?
That crazy 3PM to put the Celts up 1?
White’s driving layup to put them back up 3 with 1 minute left?
Despite his tough 5-19 (2-10), Derrick finished with 21/5/7/3/2 and showed up when things mattered most.
On 9-11 shooting??
But at the moment, we’re in December.
He’s not exceptional at any one thing, he’s just solid.
To get this key in of showing on a night where your two other centers are out is impressive.
Be passable defensively, rebound, and finish off easy dunks.
That feels pretty good.
That also feels pretty good.
- It’s hard not to love how the Celts are moving the ball right now.
For this to happen, it’s not just one or two guys making a playmaking leap.
It’s a collective effort.
It’s playing the right way.
It’s embracing Mazzulla Ball.
- Another clutch time win, making the Celts now 10-5 in clutch time games.
Keep this in mind the next time the Celts lose a close game and everyone loses their minds.
The Bad
- Of course, blowing a 20 point lead is never going to feel great.
Undermanned and on a B2B, you still should not be blowing a 20 point lead at home.
So how the hell did that happen?
Well it’s never just one thing, so let’s break down each contributing factor.
It starts with the lack of defense.
So the lack of defense was definitely an issue.
From there, you then look at the ball security.
In this game, the Celts finished with 16 TOs which led to 22 Raptors points.
That is an INSANE number, and how they clawed back into this game.
Well then you turn to the 4th and it’s the same thing.
- Pretty insane to see 2 goaltends get missed in a single game.
I feel like that never happens.
- The shooters are still going through it.
After their dud against the Pistons, Pritchard/Hauser followed that up with a 6-15 performance last night.
As long as they are open (which they are), I still want them shooting with confidence.
I’d also just like to see a few go in too.
- What the hell is up with Jrue missing those end of game FTs.
A classic example of the Celtics never making things easy on us.
Sure the Celts got their own prayer with the Schroder miss, but let’s cut the shit.
They’ve earned it.
The West Coast trip was impressive, but it’s not the only road test of the year.
Take care of this stretch and things look much better in mid January.
