The Celtics Went Into OKC And Had One Of Their Ballsiest Wins Of The Year To Make It 7 In A Row And 10 Of Their Last 11

37-15. 7 wins in a row. 10 wins in their last 11 games. Of those 10 wins, 7 of them have come against teams currently in the top 8 in their respective conference. Those are what we call playoff teams. The latest victim, the Oklahoma City Thunder, had been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They were riding their own 4 game winning streak, were 9-1 over their last 10, and in terms of how they ranked in the NBA over this 10 game stretch, it came out to this

4th best offense

6th best defense

4th best net rating

They were 17-10 at home heading into yesterday's game, and had been playing some of their best basketball of the season. Everyone pretty much agreed this was going to be a tough first game in what is a brutal 8 game stretch for the Celts, and since they were finally healthy for the first time in forever, it was safe to not be sure what we would see. Would everyone gel in a tough place to play? How would this team match up against a real defense, one with length and size and someone that wasn't the Atlanta Hawks? Kemba doesn't want to use this stretch as a measuring stick but fuck that. I want to see how this team looks against the best competition this league has to offer, and OKC was the first test. If you look at all the other East contenders, PHI, MIA, TOR all beat OKC so it was time for the Celtics to keep up. 

What we saw was one of the ballsiest wins of the season. It was a glimpse into what this team can potentially do at full strength, their intended starting five played in just its 15th game this season. You look at the amount of games they've had nearly everyone healthy and it's even fewer than that, yet here we are. Rolling. 

The Good

- We are watching Jayson Tatum turn into a superstar right before our eyes. He's not there yet, he still has a ways to go, but the foundation is there. We are now at 9 straight games of 20+, and 5 straight games of 25+. What Tatum has done so far in the month of February is scary good. Like, he shouldn't be doing this at 21 years old type good

LOOK AT THAT. Look at the efficiency, look at the FGA, the dominance from behind the arc, we are seeing a level from Tatum that is going to have him in the All NBA conversation if he keeps it up. Now it does help to play some bad teams in there, really OKC is the only truly legit team of this bunch, but who cares. This is the type of All Star production that is going to elevate this team's ceiling

Every time we see Tatum play he shows us more evidence of his development. The way he is continuing to show patience on his drives, he's making moves to the basket we didn't see in previous seasons. His clutch three point shooting tells us that those early season struggles were the exception not the rule. He's even starting to finish at the rim after missing every layup he took for like a solid month. You add in his defense and rebounding in this game, it's becoming clear that Jayson Tatum is morphing into this team's best player. That's really, really, really important.

- If you were someone like myself that was of the thinking that this team did not need Steven Adams because they had Daniel Theis, chances are you were laughed at. People pointed to the season averages and because Adams is a name and tried to discredit that way of thinking. Well, the proof is in the goddamn pudding. All Daniel Theis does is outplay any center he is matched up again, go back and check the game log, and last night was no different.

13/11/5 in his 30 minutes, he dominated Steven Adams. He guarded Adams on 16 possessions and held him to 0-5 shooting. The spacing Theis creates on the offensive end pretty much took Adams out of the game. You saw with your own eyes why a big like Theis is better for this offense than a big like Adams. That doesn't mean Adams sucks, but what it means is Theis is giving you the same sort of production for a fraction of the cost and does things that Adams simply cannot do. HUGE night for the pro Theis camp.

- Listen you drop 112 points on 45/44% shooting with 16 3PM on the road against that caliber of defense, that's impressive. I loved how balanced the FGA were, with Tatum leading the group at 19, but then other guys like Jaylen/Kemba being right there with 17 and 16. The only adjustment we saw really was Hayward went down to 10 FGA, but he finished with a double double and was able to make his impact in other ways. So many questions how this team will fit with everyone healthy, and I think this was a great look. When this team plays through the wings early to get them going and then has Kemba to close late, they are a handful.

- Speaking of Kemba, I can't remember a player where all night he pretty much shoots like shit (6-16), but he's there for you in the biggest moments of the game and somehow you look down and he has 27 points. 

the 13 FTA were a big part of that, but this is a man that is certainly not afraid of the moment. Those dagger threes in the fourth quarter were tough ass shots, but when Kemba takes them I have all the confidence in the world. He does need to find a way to get off to better starts, but when it's nut cutting time I trust Kemba with my life.

- For a team that needs center help, the Celtics went into OKC and won the rebounding battle 53-44. They had three players in double figures on the glass, Tatum with 11, Theis with 11, and Hayward with 10. I think this is what people don't seem to realize. The reason the Celtics are OK on then glass is because their wings rebound like hell. 

- It certainly wasn't ideal that Jaylen sprained both his ankles, but other than that it was more of the same solid play.

Jaylen is a different player when he shoots with confidence and without hesitation. We know about his athletic ability and how much better he is this year at driving to the rim, but it's the confidence in his outside shot that is elevating him this season. 

It was a tough shooting night in the second half for Jaylen (4-11), but I loved how he didn't let it negatively impact his night.

- That goes for everyone. One of the things I want to see from this group during this tough stretch is their mental toughness. Things aren't always going to go their way, especially on the road in these tough places to play. Yesterday was a great example. They had a tough whistle in that first half, they were down double digits, and this team showed some real mental toughness. They didn't just fold when things looked like they may get out of hand. They buckled down on the defensive end and came out in the third quarter with a dominant energy. 

When OKC made their late push, the Celtics didn't panic and poop their pants, fully. Only a little poop. Like a turtle head. That's improvement!

- Another game where Gordon Hayward does a little bit of everything and shows why he is so important to the success of this team. When the Celts offense struggles and they decide to play through Hayward, it's no surprise that things immediately look a whole lot better.

The efficiency, the rebounding, the playmaking, people are going to get upset because he had 13 points. They are just exposing themselves. For someone who only took 10 shots, I thought Hayward was great in this game. Nothing was forced, he was there when they needed someone to score, and he continues to be really good ever since coming back from his hand injury. This is the version of Hayward that makes the Celtics different, and it looks like it is here to stay.

- I will love and trust Marcus Smart until my dying breath. 

The gigantic three, the game saving steal, all of it is part of the Marcus Smart Experience. I do not recommend participating if you have any sort of heart or health issues because there is always the chance he is going to send us all into an early grave with how he plays, but I wouldn't have it any other way. He is our captain. He is our leader. He is our heart and soul. 

The Bad

- If we were to be honest, we would have to acknowledge that this was one of the worst defensive efforts we've seen from this team during this nice little streak,. OKC seemed to get whatever they wanted offensively, and nobody really had an answer for Gallo, SGA, CP3, or Schroder. All four of them had at least 22 points and whether it was getting to the rim with ease or letting them get into the paint for easy midranges, the Celts defensive strategy on them was certainly not great.

Some of that you have to credit to their talent, I mean SGA is blossoming into a fucking stud, but when guys like Dennis Schroder are torching you, I need one of these healthy perimeter defenders to lock that down. In a game where Jaylen/Tatum/Smart/Hayward etc are all active I didn't really expect their wings/guards to go off like that. Feels like they got a little lucky there.

- Part of the issue was Schroder figured out pretty early how to abuse this shit out of Romeo. That was a classic vet/rookie situation right there. Romeo, much like early Jaylen, cannot resist a good pump fake. Schroder tore him up and it was a huge part of why OKC was able to extend their lead. Romeo has been pretty damn good defensively so far in his limited role, but yesterday was a bit of a welcome to the NBA moment for him. 

- This team missing 4th quarter FTs which allowed this to even be a game at the end was massively frustrating. To go 5-10 in the final quarter is simply unacceptable and they are lucky as hell it didn't come back to bite them. Just make your FTs and there is no stress. Why is that so hard.

- Only 19 assists on 38 FGM. That's not exactly what I would all ideal ball movement. A lot of isolation in this game which didn't hurt them but makes me nervous that they win a game playing that way and maybe they fall into that bad habit. Isolation is good in small doses, but this team is truly at its best when their assist numbers are much higher and the ball moves. 

- Listen even I can admit this is a Grade A flop, but whatever. Grifting is a way of life and nobody does it better

The Ugly

- Don't you even fucking consider this section. Why? Because once we get to 5 wins in a row we skip this bitch until this team loses again. You may think it doesn't matter and all I ask is you look at their schedule. Lotta wins wouldn't you say? They don't want this section, I don't want this section, you don't want this section, so let's just keep these wins coming.

This was just the first step. Things get no easier with the Celts heading to HOU tomorrow, then they have LAC, @MIN, @LAL, @POR, @UTA, HOU up next. I said before this stretch that all I really needed to see was 5-3. A win like yesterday can do a lot in terms of setting the tone for this team, but they need to be consistent at this level if they want to come out of this stretch in a good spot. So far things look good, but let's see what comes back in terms of Jaylen's ankles and try to not get too ahead of yourself. This team looks fantastic right now, but all it takes is 1 or 2 games with your foot off the gas for things to change. 

I will say this though. At full health with everyone buying into their roles, this team is fucking scary.