If anyone knows that, it’s yours truly.
I haven’t come down from cloud 9 in like 3 weeks.
As we know, that is not exactly how things ended up.
Just get buckets as soon as you enter the game.
This roster didn’t just add one key reserve piece or something, they went through major roster changes.
A seamless transition isn’t always a guarantee, just look around the league right now.
So how is this happening?
Well, for my money it’s due to several factors.
The coach has figured out how to maximize everyone’s strengths and has adjusted the game plan accordingly.
It’s impossible to be better.
Let’s talk about it.
The Good
- This blog has one general rule that will always exist.
When you make NBA/Celtics history, you start us off.
Think about how scary that shit is when you see what he’s already doing right now.
Of course the biggest adjustment is his approach offensively.
Not only has Tatum fixed his three point shooting, but now everything is way more diversified.
His 29% FTAr to start the year is much lower than the 39.9% we saw last year.
He got whatever he wanted whether it was at the rim or from behind the arc.
He’s off to the best rebounding start of his career both by average and percentage.
His TRB% of 14.2 is this highest of his career.
His 24.0% DREB% is the highest of his career.
Every single time we see this guy play he does things that make you shake your head and laugh.
He doesn’t even seem real
Just 10 FGA last night and it didn’t really matter.
KP still put up an impactful 22/7 with 3 blocks.
His post presence has changed everything about the offense.
Nobody is able to bother him.
It’s either a bucker or a foul.
Then defensively, it’s been much more than his elite rim protection.
I honestly cannot think of a single complaint when it comes to Porzingis.
It’s been better than advertised in almost every way.
- Quick check on Mazzulla Ball for all that observe
Yup, still rules.
This team just needs to get to 120 points.
When they do that, they become unbeatable.
Given that they score with relative ease, you’re able to see this happens quite a lot.
The best part about this?
The passing hasn’t even reached its potential yet.
Honestly, the passing numbers kind of stink to start the year.
Imagine what things look like when the ball gets back to moving at the level we expect?
- Last night was probably the most complete game of Jrue Holiday’s young Celtics career.
No complaining, no shit talking, no nothing.
He can be selfish when he has wide open layups!
- Listen we have to give credit where credit is due.
Luke Kornet was pretty damn good in his minutes.
I certainly won’t complain about 11/7 on 5-5 shooting in his 14 minutes.
- I’m not going to sit here and tell you that 7-22 (2-11) is good.
But the difference has been the fact that creating his own shot isn’t all he’s doing.
Nights like WSH and IND, his shot is dropping and that’s his role.
Last night it wasn’t, so he adjusted.
Is this the best Jaylen has ever played?
- Al Horford was a +29 in his first start of the year.
Last year, those were losses.
If they weren’t around 40%, it was curtains.
Now 3 of their 5 wins have come when they’ve shot like dogshit from deep.
Sometimes I cannot believe this is our life.
This was a 4 point game with around 6 minutes left.
Just like with the Knicks win and the Heat win, the Celts had to earn it.
Instead, Brown/Holiday combined for just 3-13 (2-7).
Not only that, but the perimeter was being cooked by Cam Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie.
- I love the energy and hustle that comes with Oshae Brissett.
There’s value in that.
But I continue to be nervous about his extreme lack of buckets.
A -13 in his 10 minutes, there’s a concern there.
Think of when he’s been at his best so far this season.
None of those times come from taking and making 3s.
It’s been hustle and effort plays.
- What’s with KP missing 3 FTA?
Honestly, I didn’t even know he was capable of that.
The Ugly
- A tough showing for Payton Pritchard, no two ways about it.
Hit his open shots
2.
Maniuplate the defense and create for others
Last night we didn’t see much of either.
This team needs more from him.
At the end of the day though, we’re nitpicking.
