Well, that certainly could have been a disaster.
Then of course there are Celtics fans.
Deep down in our guts, every Celtics fan knew that something like last night was possible.
In fact, a game like what we got was pretty much expected.
You were crazy to be anything but on high alert heading into this matchup.
I think part of it is the fact that we all have PTSD from the 2019-21 years.
Boy was that embarrassing.
Especially with how the Celts have looked to start the season.
They absolutely refuse under any circumstance to ever do things the easy way.
I swear, nobody puts you through hell quite like the Boston Celtics over the course of 2.5 hours.
It’s why we love them and hate them all within the span of 4 quarters.
It makes no sense, but then all the sense in the world all at the same time.
In the end, disaster was avoided.
Boy would the internet/TV have been brutal today had the Celts dropped this game.
Oh, the Celtics had to go to OT against the Pistons??!?!?!
Yeah, and they won.
So why exactly am I supposed to give a shit?
Do they get less than a full W in their schedule?
Oh, OK then who gives a shit.
I care about stacking wins right now, however they choose to happen.
Not a single one.
He’s just way too goddamn tall.
What exactly are you supposed to do with this?
He’s a cheat code.
A real life basketball cheat code.
There’s no defense for it!
It’s incredible to watch.
A game like this showed why this new addition is so important.
Any time I see a shot like this, my brain immediately assumes it’s going in.
Welcome to the element the Boston Celtics have not had on their roster since Kevin Garnett.
What happened the first year KG showed up?
I mean truly awful stuff on both ends of the floor.
The good news is there are two halves to every basketball game.
That’s important because 2nd half Derrick?
That guy was a monster
First half?
2 points on 1-5 (0-1) with 2 TOs and a -16 in his 13 minutes
Second half?
Not that he should be an All Star or All NBA Defense (again) or anything like that.
I think Derrick White has the clutch gene.
The bigger the moment gets, the more pressure that builds up, the better he seems to get.
Now remember, not every NBA player has the clutch gene.
But when your roster has a player who does, it changes everything.
When it comes to Derrick White, the evidence is becoming overwhelming.
Just go down the list of how the Celts closed this game.
What did we see?
White pullup FGM at 11:35.
Then a White layup at 11:05.
Then another White layup at 10:44.
Another massive play in a massive moment.
Now in OT, who is going to step up and carry the Celts over the finish line?
The dagger three off Tatum’s post up?
A big time shot in a big time moment.
That would be incorrect.
He shot poorly, but he played well.
Let’s start by being honest.
This shooting is beyond unacceptable.
As a catch & shoot guy, I still have zero concerns.
On the season Tatum is shooting 42.5% on C&S 3PA.
That includes the 29% on C&S he’s been at over this 9 game stretch.
The fact that the Celts are still winning games despite this brutal shooting is pretty damn encouraging.
I’m also not really going to complain about 31/7/10 with 5 steals.
If his “bad” nights look like this, then I’d say that’s not too shabby.
What I did not expect to see was the Celts erase that entire deficit in 12 minutes.
It’s not a complicated formula, but you have to execute it.
If it’s possible for you to’t get stops/force turnovers, nothing else really matters.
Holding the Pistons to 35/25% and forcing 5 TOs checks those boxes.
Next comes the other end.
you’re able to’t waste possessions.
So what do we see?
Last night, they were connective pieces that were presented with big opportunities late in this game.
- This is now back to back wins when the Celts shoot under 33% from deep.
Just pencil that down because that might be the biggest development of this entire season.
The Bad
- Everything about having to be in a close game with the goddamn Pistons.
What happened to just being able to get jokes off on the internet?
That doesn’t mean you go out and actually do that very thing.
Even without Jaylen Brown, what are we doing here?
This isn’t to discredit the Pistons, they whooped that ass over the first 24 minutes.
Make no mistake, that was a full on ass kicking on both ends of the floor.
With a 2-10 performance from Pritchard and Hauser, that didn’t exactly happen.
With Hauser, the return home didn’t really snap him out of his funk.
We’re now at just 17.4% from deep over his last 5 games for him.
A brutal 4-23 which is by far his longest slump of the season.
- I mean listen, we have to put Tatum’s 11-31 (2-11) somewhere.
Do I love this shot chart?
- If Kornet is healthy, I’m not really sure why he was out of the rotation.
A 6-0 Pistons run in the final 30 seconds.
Stop immediately giving it back.
The Ugly
- Horrendous stuff on the glass in this game.
Those would be turning the ball over and allowing 2nd chance points.
If you take those things away from the Pistons, they aren’t good enough to hang around.
If you fuck around and get careless and lazy, that is exactly how you get uspet.
So what did we see?
The Pistons had 17 points off turnovers, 19 OREB and 31 2nd chance points.
In the 4th quarter alone, the Pistons finished with 8 OREB and 13 2nd chance points.
It’s how they nearly came back and won the game.
Frankly, it’s losing basketball.
It’s winning time, and that means clean defensive possessions.
We know this because it’s how they’ve lost pretty much every game during the playoffs.
All those series that went longer than they should?
Offensive rebounds and 2nd chance points.
The good news is the Celts avoided disaster and the train keeps on rolling.
