The Celtics Put Their Nuts On The Table And Left Charlotte With A Thrilling OT Win

Grant Halverson. Getty Images.

It's been just four games and I feel confident in saying that this Celtics team has already taken no fewer than 7 years off my life, and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean it's getting rather ridiculous when you think about it. It started in the preseason when every game they played for the most part came down to the last possession. Then the season started and we were put through a double OT torture chamber. Last night? Another OT performance against a really good up and coming undefeated Hornets team. This time finally coming out on top, I think it's fair to say that nothing in life puts you through every single human emotion like watching the Celtics play a 48 minute game. There were a total of 28 lead changes and 12 ties in this game. Up by double digits, down by double digits, trailing late, making huge winning plays late, fucking up last shots, getting down in OT, then going on a huge run in OT, it's legitimately exhausting. 

A win like this can change the entire vibe of your locker room. Had the Celts dropped this game and fallen to 1-3 with another OT loss, maybe things start to crumble a little bit. Frustration sets in. But at 2-2 riding a little winning streak and winning this game in the fashion they did? It resets everything. I'll say this about the 2021-22 Celts, they sure as shit aren't perfect. There's a whole lot they need to correct as we move forward. But this team fights. Last year, they most definitely fold in both the Knicks and Hornets games. This year they are scratching and clawing until the final buzzer. They are making shit happen in huge moments. That's ultimately what we wanted to see right? A team with balls. A team that would show up and play with energy and effort over the course of 48 minutes. So far, we have that.

And let's also be honest for a second. The team needs to start actually winning games. This was especially true on a night where BKN/ATL/MIA/CHI/MIL all won. Keep pace, even early in the season, is important. 

Alright, enough foreplay. Let's get to the good stuff.

The Good

- I'm old enough to remember a time when the internet and many Celtics fans lost their shit over Jayson Tatum going 7-30. The takes you heard were hilarious then and are hilarious now. He's not a leader. He's selfish. The Celtics should trade him. He's Carmelo. He has no heart. It's almost like these people have never watched Jayson Tatum play basketball before. All he's done since that opener is dominate. Maybe, like any rational person thought, the opener was the outlier? I mean look at this shit

You morons. You know who you are. You know you tweeted it, called into a radio show and said it. Filled my mentions with it after that opener. I honestly can't believe we're still doing it with Jayson Tatum. Let's have a look here at how he's done since that 7-30

Advertisement

Last night was the perfect example of why those people should simply shut the fuck up. What didn't Tatum do in this game? He was efficient, he hit the glass, his defense was on point and his passing was next level. The no look to Pritchard in the corner, how he found Jaylen/Smart for huge threes. The perfect lob to Rob. It was about as close to a perfect performance as you could want from Tatum. He was a team high +22 and showed us that when he gets into a zone, no player in the NBA can guard him. Look at those shots again in that highlight video. What do you do exactly? You pray he misses, that's about it.

On a night where the team needed their best player to show up, that's exactly what Jayson Tatum did. Again. 

- And then there's Jaylen. What a blessing it is to have these two on the roster. Maybe one day we'll stop hearing about how these two need to be split up or they can't work together on the floor. I dunno, call me crazy but 71 points on 26-48 from the floor feels like maybe it works. 

Advertisement

The dunk on Miles Bridges was nasty, no two ways about it. It feels like Jaylen has been trying to dunk on people big time to start the year, and he finally got one to go on that play. If you remember he tried to poster Plumlee and back rimmed it earlier in the night. There were times in this game where it did feel a little like 2020 because really only Jaylen and Tatum carried the offense, but it was also a nice reminder that both guys are elite talents in this league. They are 1A and 1B. It's not a #1 and #2 situation, either guy can be a #1 option. Just look at where this team would have been without these two

I would still like to see Jaylen move better off ball rather than just stand in the corner, but that's correctable after watching film. I do love how much Tatum loved Jaylen's dunk, you can tell they root for each other which is awesome to see. 

- Another great night of ball movement with the Celts finishing with 33 assists on 50 FGM. A total of 4 players had at least 4 assists. They kept their turnovers down (12) and look what happened. Second game in a row with low turnovers and high assists turned into their second win in a row. Funny how that happens no? That low TO number was a big part of why the Celts were able to win the fast break battle 22-15. Considering the Hornets averaged 33 points in transition heading into that game, holding them to half that total was pretty important.

- The player we are watching Robert Williams blossom into is I'm pretty sure everything Celtics fans have ever wanted. Now healthy, he's playing big minutes and with those minutes comes elite production. See for yourself

12/16/4 with 3 blocks in 35 minutes. Rob now leads the NBA in blocks both by average and total. He looks incredible on both ends and as long as he stays healthy I see no reason why this can't continue. This is the player we saw in flashes at times last year, and I really do think that he has a legit chance at MIP this year if he keeps this up. I don't think it was ever a question about his ability, more so his availability. If we don't have to worry about that this year, the sky is the limit.

Advertisement

The beauty of Rob is you don't have to run plays for him. He was so active on the offensive glass last night, he finds ways to impact the game without needing the ball. When you need it, you can always lob it to him because very few centers are going to out jump him. The best way I can describe Rob is that he simply impacts shit. Whether it's challenging shots, giving effort on the glass, protecting the rim, passing, he really does it all from the big man spot.

- If this wasn't a vintage Marcus Smart performance I'm not sure what is. In a game where he both killed the team and won the team the game, it's all part of the Marcus Smart experience. People, make fun of #WinningPlays, but last night was a perfect example of why that's real. He shot like shit, just 3-12 from the floor but he had maybe the two biggest steals of the night. He made his impact through other ways rather than scoring. 

Smart had 3 steals alone in the fourth quarter. In OT, he didn't force his offense, taking just 1 shot. In fact, I would argue that Smart has been everything fans have been screaming about for years. His shot selection hasn't been bad, in fact he defers more often than not. He's the pass first/defense first guard that everyone said they wanted. Now they complain he doesn't score? Well what is it! So people want him to score now, but not shoot. It's all very confusing.

- I'm starting to learn that the Dennis Schroder experience is basically the Marcus Smart experience only with a faster player. Dennis started great, then went on a 0 for a billion streak where he couldn't hit a damn shot yet never stopped shooting. It was excruciating. But then just like Smart, he hit a huge three. At the end of the day, I think we'll all take 23/6/8 with only 1 TO. This is the Schroder I want to see moving forward, I'll just accept that he's going to have a cold streak at some point each game

What I do like about Schroder so far is the man is a pest. He puts tremendous ball pressure on whoever he's guarding. He is not someone that I feel like lets his offense impact his defense which is a welcomed surprise. As long as you don't ask Schroder to make a fast break layup, I feel OK with how he's been to start the year.

- Look, if Jabari Parker is going to do this as the 15th man on the roster, just give Brad the Executive Of The Year award now. Even though it looks like it physically hurts Jabari to shoot the ball, they needed every single one of his bench points in this game. He was the one that helped weather the early storm when the Celts came out like shit

Advertisement

- For a team that really struggled in the clutch last season, let's have a look at how they're doing in those spots to start the yeatr

A small sample sure, but this is something to monitor. Seeing as how all the Celts do is play close games for the most part, not being dogshit in clutch time moments will be important. So far, so good.

- I'm also monitoring the fact that they are now 2-1 on the road to start the year. Remember, 7 of their first 10 are on the road. This team went 15-21 last year away from the Garden, and it was a huge reason why they ended up a 7 seed. Good teams find a way to win on the road. Period.

The Bad

- I do have concerns about some things go. First, the Smart/Schroder pairing. Here's my issue with that. I get that they can be beasts defensively, but this is where I think Ime will learn as the season goes along. If you're going to play those two together, you have to adjust your offense. You can't have drive and kick sets when you don't have your shooters on the floor. How many times did we see Schroder drive and kick to Smart. That's bad. You can play that way, but you need to adjust your lineup to have the shooters out there. I fear that this is just the guard version of the Thompson/Theis pairing. I think part of it was the fact that both Al and Romeo were out, but even still. The spacing is too fucked up with a Schroder/Smart/Jaylen/Tatum/Rob lineup. Having 3 non shooters around the Jays ain't it.

- Which brings me to Aaron Nesmith. He's big time buried. No other way to say it. A DNP-CD in a game where they could have used wing play/shooting is not the best sign. I'm not sure what Josh Richardson showed in his 14 minutes either considering he went scoreless and was generally a non factor. I know Nesmith hasn't looked great, but he's made it clear that he's a rhythm player. This isn't too different from last year in a sense that when he got inconsistent minutes he struggled, and when Brad actually played him he looked a whole lot better.

Right now though, Ime either doesn't trust him or he doesn't feel like he can help. Either way, that's not great.

- This team is still giving up too many OREB. A total of 14 last night, fortunately it didn't kill them in this game like it did against the Raptors, but that needs to be cleaned up. 

- I would like to see Smart continue to use his size and find ways to be effective at scoring in the paint. He didn't take a FTA last night, and 9 of his 12 FGA were threes. I don't love that balance. When he actually used his size to attack the rim, he scored with ease. I do feel like he's settling a little bit and I don't see why. He has the skillset to be an effective scorer when attacking the basket, but he barely does it. Last night was probably due to his migraines, but I have noticed it to start the year. I'd love for him to drive more.

The Ugly

- What else can we put here other than the defense. It stunk out loud. Giving up 122 points in regulation is not going to cut it, I don't care who they play. Their perimeter defense was nonexistent yet again with the Hornets getting whatever they wanted from deep. Newsflash, NBA players are going to knock down threes when they are left unguarded. The Hornets made 19 of them and it's what kept them in the game all night. These sort of defensive lapses are going to kill this team if they don't figure that shit out. I think we're all sick and tired of watching random guys light the Celts up from deep, but it's because nobody is guarding them. 

Advertisement

Three straight quarters of allowing at least 31 points is not winning basketball. Technically they did win, but you know what I mean. More often than not that's going to bury you and we'll all wake up angry. I don't want that and neither should they.

- Along those lines, I'm a little worried the Celts keep struggling guarding the roll man in P&R. I dunno if it's a scheme thing, a lack of communication thing, but any competent point guard has been able to pick them apart. LaMelo basically got whatever he wanted in that regard and it doesn't make me feel great.

At the end of the day, I think we all wanted to see the Celts go into Charlotte and pull out a win against a Hornets team that many have been rightfully hyping up. Head to head matchups will always be important, and now we get to see how this team handles riding momentum. Will they have a letdown game against the Wizards (where have we seen that before)? Or will they continue to build on this positive momentum and keep taking steps forward. Who knows, but I sure as shit know that it's going to be emotional warfare to watch and frankly I wouldn't want it any other way.