1. We (he) did iiiiii…it!
That was massive time.
Jayson Tatum’s struggles with that precise sort of shot have been well-documented, and for me personally, it’s gotten to the purpose the place I don’t actually assume that 20-odd foot fadeaway goes in. However Tatum delivered, nailing this 21-footer with two guys closing out. And it was superb.
Sport-winners are an odd artwork. On one hand, I’d love if the Celtics ran the best set play of all time to get a large open shot for any of their 5 starters. However on the opposite, I’d a lot reasonably have Jayson Tatum miss a recreation winner than anybody else, as a result of that’s his accountability and in addition his burden.
On some degree, and possibly a whole lot of ranges, it’s a must to reside and die together with your greatest participant within the largest moments. Even when it’s not one of the best shot… there are good causes he retains taking them. He’s one of the best man Boston has, and it’s a shot I — and clearly the Celtics as properly — have realized to reside with. As a result of typically, it’s fairly sick.
2. Jaylen Brown’s easy execution
It received misplaced within the precise recreation winner, however Jaylen Brown hit a lowkey recreation winner roughly 30 seconds earlier.
This doesn’t appear to be that sophisticated a shot, however it’s an instance of the kind of late-game execution the Celtics have been missing recently. Brown sees the house afforded to him by three non-committal defenders, and assaults it instantly, attending to his spot with none hesitation.
The final month and alter of Celtics basketball has been stuffed with indecision and inconsistency. But regardless of how a lot of a lead Boston needs they’d within the closing seconds, wins and losses will at all times come right down to these varieties of pictures; discover what works, and go to it again and again. That’s what’s going to get this group out of their funk
3. Dejounte Murray’s damage and a extremely robust Pelicans season
Dejounte Murray, the Pelicans’ massive free agent acquisition and most followers’ preseason reason-to-care-about-an-other-wise-unchanged-roster, suffered his second and closing main damage of the 2024-25 marketing campaign, tearing his Achilles and endnoting a extremely, actually tough Pelicans season.
Each group struggles due to accidents, however typically the NBA produces a group so cursed that it results in an total downward spiral and to a file that, truthfully, simply doesn’t make sense. The Pelicans at the moment are 12-37, don’t have a snowball’s likelihood in a Louisiana summer time of creating even within the Play-In and should need to tear issues down on the commerce deadline. And so they simply misplaced considered one of their greatest gamers, at the least on paper, to a season ending damage. Jeez.
For this reason, in sports activities, “Championship Home windows” are type of a fantasy. Everybody’s window opens when the season begins and closes after they get eradicated. You don’t essentially ever get one other crack at it, and the Pelicans hoping that issues would enhance naturally has been met with tragedy and entropy. It’s a merciless league.
4. Kristaps Porzingis: stat sheet stuffer
Did anybody even discover that Kristaps Porzingis was one block and two steals away from a “5×5 recreation” — that means 5 or extra in 5 stats; blocks, steals, assists, rebounds, and factors. The final individual to drag that off was Victor Wembanyama, and Porzingis stuffed up the stat sheet with an total superior recreation. Great things.
Everybody infrequently, it’s good to remind ourselves that Porzingis is able to issues that different gamers simply aren’t. He’s so tall but so dextrous, and sneakily artful as a fringe defender with good instincts albeit actually lackluster footspeed. Had Zion Williamson performed and introduced his bodily traits towards Porzingis in switches, it could have been a unique story. However no one on this roster made him work, and he was free to wreak havoc to his coronary heart’s content material.
5. Can we please get a rebound?
Right here’s the primary method to lose a basketball recreation you’re imagined to win: get crushed on the boards.
It wasn’t overwhelming, however the Pelicans have been +13 on Boston within the rebounding column, a regarding word given they’re useless final in most rebounding classes on the season. However it’s not even like Boston is getting abused by rebounding titans like Domantas Sabonis or Anthony Davis (although they’re additionally getting that-ed by these folks) — they’re additionally simply giving up free lunch like this.
When you give Boston a 50 % likelihood of scoring on the following possession, a lot of these offensive rebounds are, every, roughly a 3.5 level swing. In a recreation determined by two factors within the closing 0.2 seconds, these sorts of issues can’t occur. However it’s actually been taking place recently…
The Celtics are fairly torpid going into the All-Star break. It’s comprehensible, and I’m not at my greatest 24/7/365 both. However these rebounds are about snapping out of your trance and conserving your eye on the ball. They only must lock in. Fortunately, that’s a comparatively simple repair.
6. Derrick White, accumulator
White is slowly however absolutely ascending into the Licensed Level Accumulator tier of the NBA participant social scene, usually racking up random buckets and free throws that I merely don’t bear in mind him taking all through a recreation. That’s as a result of he’s turn out to be such an enormous a part of the offense that I don’t blink when he makes a shot. That’s what’s imagined to occur.
White had 16 factors on solely 9 pictures final evening, which is nice effectivity and precisely the type of factor Boston wants from him going ahead. Seeing each he and Brown have strong capturing nights from three can be nice, they usually lacked the trademark “Extremely-Bricks” that they’ve been placing up recently; pictures that don’t also have a likelihood of getting in.
I’m monitoring who White shall be for this group going into the stretch run. I nonetheless assume Jrue Vacation is a extra vital participant on stability, however White is a barely extra dynamic scorer. If he can rating in bunches, that’s going to take a world of accountability off of Payton Pritchard’s shoulders. Which is nice for everybody concerned.
7. Two Pelicans Video games, two absolute nail-biters
When later generations lookup “Celtics v. Pelicans year-by-year file” on the supercomputer AI search engine of the long run, they are going to see 2024-25 recorded as a crisp 2-0 for the defending champs. Nothing in any respect to see right here…
These two wins have been recorded by an equally-crisp three complete factors, which appears dangerous towards a banged up group that may’t appear to win any basketball video games. However whereas the primary recreation was a win that felt like a loss, this was a win that really felt like a strong victory. It was shut, however that was largely a perform of Takeaway #8’s otherworldly antics from past the arc. There was rather a lot to love there, and I give Boston a 7/10 for his or her final week of hoops, means up from the three/10 that was the three weeks earlier than that.
8. What within the Trey Murphy III was that
I really like Trey Murphy III. The man was so underrated as a shot creator final yr, though apparently not by his personal group that gave him a fairly superior 4 yr, $112 million contract, which could appear to be a steal by the tip of this season. My man can hoop, and he nearly price the Celtics a recreation they’d firmly in hand by hitting that type of shot each time they have been about to shut issues out.
Murphy III dropped 40 factors on solely 20 pictures and 8-12 from three and solely three complete free throws. That’s like… fictional effectivity in a world the place most 40 bombs come from the mental disciples of prime James Harden, the place 40-odd pictures and 20 free throws is commonplace.
If we’re going by means of New Orleans’ roster, is Trey Murphy III one of the best asset on the group now? Is Zion Williamson really extra precious today, together with his contract and the straightforward undeniable fact that he doesn’t actually play all that a lot basketball? Murphy III is at worst a super-duper shut second, and I’d enterprise to say the Pelicans would reasonably maintain him than Williamson. It’s an incredible story for a man most thought would simply be a premium 3-and-D dunker. He’s means higher than that.
9. Six extra video games till respite. Lock in
It’s not surprising that the Celtics are drained after, like… their sixth tremendous lengthy season in a row, with this closing one ending on the final recreation of the season. However there’s solely six video games till the All-Star break, and one very-important Cleveland Cavaliers recreation that I might love Boston to make use of to take the Japanese Convention mantle again. So it’s time to lock in.
If Boston can journey the truth that Tatum lastly made a recreation winner and sweep these final six video games — which they’re completely able to doing — they’ll be the discuss of the city going into the league’s obligatory relaxation interval, and make groups that felt daring cower in worry of the reigning champions.
I wager this final week and alter received’t go common; it’ll in all probability go actually nice or completely horribly, and we’ll all have completely enjoyable or completely unfun conversations whereas Brown and Tatum are within the ASG. I’ll cross my fingers it’s the previous.
10. The place does this group stand?
Boston was in a rut, however now they’re simply in mile 12 of the half-marathon that’s the first half of the season. Certain, they need to run one other half-marathon proper after the break, however they’ll get some water and electrolytes earlier than persevering with. It’s now not DEFCON 1, however I nonetheless have a couple of questions.
Are the Celtics the favorites to win the East proper now? Most likely, although the Cavaliers have made it extra fascinating than I believed they’d. However who is definitely taking Cleveland in a collection towards Boston? You? Do you wish to?
Are they the favorites to win all of it proper now? Most likely not. I’m not saying they received’t be by the point we hit April, however the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder appear prohibitively good in the mean time, displaying the type of dominance that we used to point out final season. Is that going to inspire Boston to get again to that degree? Or will they only file OKC within the “Western Convention issues we don’t want to consider” cupboard?
This group is clearly good, however I’m nonetheless not offered on them being ok. I do know they are often, and I don’t assume they’re lacking something crucial. All of it feels very psychological, and I’m cautiously optimistic they’re beginning to flip the nook again to what we have been all used to: elite Celtics basketball.