Finally Back On The Court, The Celtics Wasted No Time Reminding Us All How Devastating They Can Be

Winslow Townson. Getty Images.

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I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't really remember a time the Celtics played just 2 games in 7 days. While I'm sure the players appreciated the time off, I cannot say the same. That shit was torture. Once October hits, my brain is conditioned to this team playing every other day. Sometimes back to back nights if we're lucky. Heading into last night I'd say the anticipation was at an all time high once we learned that Porzingis was returning and the Celts were going to have their full roster for just the 12th time this season (11-1 btw). 

While some may have been annoyed that the result of the Celts losing in the IST meant they had to play a good team for their "Game 82" while other teams who couldn't even get out of their group get a cakewalk schedule, I always welcome any game against the Knicks. Not just because the Celts continue to have success against them (won 3 straight), but I always feel like the Knicks play them tough. You can't play soft against this version of the Knicks, and I do think they put pressure on certain areas that the Celts struggle with, so it's always a welcomed test for me. For a team that had been a little shaky offensively the last week of November, I'm always interested to see how they execute against a good, physical defensive Knicks team who we know isn't going to just roll over. 

Last night's win not only secured the tie breaker against the Knicks should that end up mattering in the future, it was also a nice reminder of what this team is capable of when they are fortunate enough to play at full strength. It's intoxicating really. When this group gets going and locks in, they look unbeatable. Granted they are unbeatable in their own building seeing as how the Celts are the only undefeated team at home in the NBA right now, but isn't it crazy what can happen when they don't overlook an opponent and actually play to their potential? I would like to sign up for more of that please.

Given the fact that pretty much everyone that touched the floor played well in this game, we certainly have a lot to get to. Let's begin.

The Good

- If you had to ballpark what Derrick White's current extension value is right now, where would you put it? I'm sure there are rules and a formula for what he's actually able to get, but to my brain, I would set the price at $1 billion dollars. Whatever the number actually is, multiply it by 10 and we're inching closer to a number that is more than fair. While I understand that may seem like a ridiculous number not based in reality, may I remind you that Bald Derrick might be the greatest basketball player to ever walk the earth. If you don't believe me, see for yourself

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I'm starting to think Derrick White is the solution to every problem not just with this team, but maybe in the entire world. The Celts offense looks stagnant? Derrick White is the answer. The perimeter defense needs to step up? Derrick White. The Celts need to be better at taking care of the ball? Let Derrick handle everything. The Celts need a spark in the 3rd quarter to prevent another meltdown? OK cool, Derrick has it taken care of. 

I'd say his 30/3/4/2/2 on 10-16 (6-10) felt different, but I'd be lying. It felt like the same old Bald Derrick to me. This is just what he does. When the team needs him to score, he can. When they need him to lock in defensively, he finishes with 4 STOCKS. The fact that all the Celts need to do is just win the Derrick White minutes and that pretty much guarantees a win is both pretty insane and very awesome.

One thing that is becoming undeniable is the fact that we're seeing what thinks look like when White feels more and more comfortable. Compare this version to what we saw when he first got here, they are completely different players. We all know that this team is at its best when Derrick is aggressive and empowered to call his own number, mostly because he's really fucking good. The outside shooting jump is one thing, but one thing I've noticed this year with Derrick is how much better he is off the dribble/taking those little runners through contact. When he sees a smaller guard on him, there's no hesitation. He's attacking the paint and using his size and strength to take that little runner that usually comes after a eurostep. To me, that's the type of development that's going to matter in the playoffs, because at that time you're going to be run off the 3pt line much more frequently since defenses actually try in those games. Having that shot in his arsenal is going to matter.

As much as it pains me to do, I do have to disagree with Derrick on something he said after the game. 

You're not the MVP? Says who exactly? Over the years there's always been a debate as to what actually makes someone the MVP. Is it crazy stats? Is it the best player on the best team? Well, how about this. What about the player who is playing the best basketball on the best team? Why can't that be something that has you in the conversation? You can't tell me Derrick isn't one of the most valuable players to the Boston Celtics. You'd be lying. 

Look, if we have to join forces to get Derrick either the DPOY or the MVP that he clearly deserves, that's no problem at all. We collectively got Smart his DPOY, Jaylen his All NBA etc. I've tackled much harder obstacles than that, and hearing Derrick try and be humble about it makes me want it for him even more. Is it a long shot? Sure. But so was Smart's DPOY and that was light work.

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- I have now reached the point where whenever I watch Kristaps Porzingis play, all I do is laugh to myself and shake my head. I cannot believe he is real. After missing the last handful of games with his calf strain, I expected at least some sort of rust. Missing that much time it's pretty normal for guys to take a minute until they get their basketball legs back under them, and yet with KP…..

He started 6-6 (3-3) and was every bit as dominant a player that we've seen since he got here. Maybe there's just something about playing the Knicks that takes KP to another level, but what we are watching right now is Brad's brain at work. This is the missing piece, I don't know how else to say it. I simply do not know what an opposing defense can do to stop him. You have to guard him 30ft from the rim which opens up everything for players to attack the rim, especially if the team is someone like the Knicks who rely on Mitchell's rim protection. Once he has to step outside to guard KP, it's curtains.

You can give it to him at the FT line and it doesn't matter who is guarding him, KP just turns around and shoots over him. Oh you want to go zone? You fools, an open FT jumper is a layup for this man. Oh you're a switching defense? Congratulations, you now have to guard a 7'3 unicorn with a guy who won't even be able to bother his jumper with a contest seeing as how Porzingis' releasae is at like 8ft. No matter what you try, it's a loss for you. 

The way Porzingis has fit so seamlessly right from the jump on both ends of the floor, you'd think he's been on this team for the entire Tatum/Brown era. We already know about his connection with Jaylen which is currently changing lives, but it really doesn't matter who KP shares the floor with. He fits with everyone. 

Of all the roster changes this team has gone through, the true needle mover is Porzingis. I can't even imagine debating that. I don't know what I expected when this trade first happened, but what we're getting is easily better than even my wildest dreams. I'm now at the point where if the Celts ever have a broken offensive possession where nothing is really working and it's getting down to the end of the clock, I now demand everyone pass the ball to KP and just let him take that shot. He's a cheat code. Simple as that. 

- Against a team that is usually around a top 10 defense, it's pretty impressive that as a team, the Celts finished this game with 52/40/85% splits. Any time you get close to 50/40/90 it's impressive, but to do it against a team that is known for their defense is even more impressive.  

For those of us who are Mazzulla Ball believers, this was a great example of it. The ball was moving, guys were taking their open 3s with confidence, and I'd say the majority of them came off ball movement rather than iso pullups. Sure Tatum unleashed a couple once he was in rhythm which was great, but overall it was exactly how they needed to play.

This game was also another example of why basketball math matters. The Knicks finished 15-37 from three, and as we know, in the NBA in 2023 you HAVE to stay attached in the 3PM/3PA department. So while it was clear the Celts were getting whatever they wanted inside (52 points in the paint), there's absolutely nothing wrong with over half of their overall FGA being 3PA. If it hadn't been, they probably lost this game.

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So for those who STILL cry about 3 point volume, how much more evidence do you need to see? You need to shoot 3s in today's game. That doesn't mean the Celts don't need a diversified offense, they do. My point is you can do both. 

- Really, really strong game from the two best players. As someone who believes the Jays set the tone for the entire roster, last night was about as close to perfect a performance as you're going to get from both guys. With Tatum, I never felt like he forced anything offensively, even after he didn't really start the game playing aggressively. You look down and the next thing you know he has 12/6/5 on 8-18 (3-9)

That's what special looks like folks. I didn't really have a problem with Tatum's shot diet as I thought he blended his outside shooting well with attacking the paint and getting to the FT line (team high 8 FTA), and I'll never complain about a game in which Tatum finishes with 0 TOs. In fact, this was the first time all season that's happened, so yeah, I'm going to point it out. Great decision making, no careless passes, I would argue it was Tatum's passing in the 3rd quarter that really helped the Celts get their separation. It's partly why I get so annoyed when we see him make lazy careless passes. His vision is so good and his playmaking ability is getting so good, it's great how he's able to impact the game outside of his scoring.

- The same was true for Jaylen in this game as well. Not only was he efficient in his 27 minutes (7-13, 2-5). But this was probably one of Jaylen's most impressive passing games of the season. The 4 assists is cool and all, but it doesn't tell the whole story. 

I thought he was much better at passing up forced FGA in favor of making the easier/better read and finding a teammate in a better position to score. The dump down to Porzingis instead of the contested pullup 3PA comes to mind. Even with his shot making, I never felt like Jaylen played outside of his role. His 13 FGA were right in line with everyone else, and even though that number is impacted by his ejection, look at the balance the Celts had through the first 3 quarters

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That's about as ideal as anyone could possibly want in terms of shot distribution and execution. The ball never seem to stick with anyone, especially Jaylen. 

- So this is what it's like to see the Celts not completely shit their pants in a 3rd quarter. I have to admit, it's pretty nice? It almost makes you wonder why they don't do that more often.

59/63% splits, 9 AST and only 2 TOs in a quarter, whatever the halftime speech was, my suggestion would be to play that thing on repeat. If the Celts are going to stop fucking around in the 3rd quarter of these games, they may never lose again. 

- If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times. When it comes to the ceiling of this team, they need good guard play. If the guards come through, it takes things up a few levels. We saw what Derrick did, and it ruled. Guess what? The same needs to be said about Jrue as well

Easily one of Jrue's most complete games of the year. Yeah it's still a little annoying that he can't seem to make a layup, but he's certainly not the first Celtics guard with that problem. As long as he continues to do everything else, I'll gladly overlook that. 

At some point, you have to figure his FG% is going to bounce back, and I'll inform you that over the last 4 games, he's up to 48/50%. I can't remember a single broken brain play from him, and when things got hectic late, I thought he played a part in making sure everyone stayed calm and the team executed down the stretch. 

- Then of course there was the play of Al Horford. We don't need to dive too deep into it, we already know he's perfect. It was pretty obvious the time off did his body good, and his 14/10/2 on 5-8 (3-6) in his 27 minutes off the bench were massive.

The two corner 3s he made down the stretch when it looked like the Knicks were going to make a run were arguably the biggest shots of the night. The way he stepped up on the defensive glass in his minutes was crucial. Whatever slump Al was dealing with to start the season is clearly over, as the man is now shooting 56/44% over his last 10 games. I cannot stress enough how important it is for this team that Al's jumper is back. Especially when it comes to the bench units producing.

The Bad

- While there was a lot of good last night, we do have to tell the full story. If you were to be concerned about something, I might want to suggest the defense. Since the calendar turned to December, the Celts have the 24th ranked defense in the NBA. That is, not good. Dating back to their IND loss, the Celts have given up 6 straight quarters of at least 28 points, with 5 of those being 30+. 

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This month, the Celts are allowing 121.3 points a game, which ranks 23rd, and opponents are shooting 44.6% from deep against Boston, which is 30th in the NBA. 

So while it's nice to see the offense has responded from the post-Thanksgiving lull (23rd), the defense has not taken it's place as being pretty dogshit. As we know, shooting is going to come and go. This team has to be able to rely on getting consistent stops, and their roster is filled with too many plus perimeter defenders to have the worst opponent 3P% in the NBA right now. I just don't think this is a sustainable way to play. 

The Celts have held a team to under 100 points just once in their last 11 games. Even if you think that's unrealistic in today's NBA, cool. Since the CHA OT loss, they've only held a team under 110 points once. That's not good enough for a team we expect to be near the top of the league in defense.

- I'll never understand why the Celts still do not realize that when playing the Knicks, you need to box out. Are they not aware of what a good offensive rebounding team the Knicks are? Are they not paying attention where every time these teams match up the Knicks feast on the glass?

Time and time again we saw players refuse to box out. It makes no sense. The more you let teams hang around because they get 2nd and 3rd chances, the more you're risking a loss that could have been avoided had you not screwed around on the defensive glass.

- Tough night for the birthday boy Sam Hauser. I can't ever remember a time he finished 0-5 (0-5), and I would never believe you if you told me the Celts made 19 3PM on the night and Hauser didn't have a single one despite playing 20 minutes.

Those kind of nights happen from time to time, so it's no reason to panic or anything, just weird to see is all.

The Ugly

- The only thing we're putting here is the Jaylen ejection. What a complete crock of shit that was

Seriously, what the hell are we doing here? First we had Tatum's soft ejection on 12/1, and now this? Is Adam Silver even alive right now? The thing is this isn't just a Celtics problem, it's happening every night all across the league. There is simply no justification for this ejection. The ref was emotional probably because he knew he was wrong, and he took it out on the player that called him out. That is inexcusable. He was on the other side of the court!

As you can imagine, Jaylen was none too pleased postgame

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and he's 1000% correct. We're seeing this happen to stars all over the league and yet nothing is being done about it. It makes no sense and the fact that the NBA always comes out after the fact and rescinds these techs is bullshit. What happens if the Celts lose this game last night, do they reverse the loss? Of course not! 

You could tell Joe was pissed too, and for good reason

Compare this shit to what we see guys like LeBron and Draymond do on a nightly basis. Do they get tossed? Nope! It's all so embarrassing for Adam Silver and the league, and the more they refuse to address it the worse it's going to get.

Fortunately, this didn't cost the Celts and we can officially turn the page to a pretty weird schedule quirk. If you're looking for a good test, I'd say the next 4 games fit that bill

Things get a little easier once the Celts make their way through this stretch of their schedule, and seeing as how these are teams they've struggled with in the past, I'm interested to see how they do. Protect your home court and you can really start to give yourself some separation in the East. Fuck around, and the H2H tiebreakers could very well come back to bite you in the ass come the Spring.