The Celtics Won Again, This Time Kicking The Shit Out Of The Utah Jazz To Extend Their Winning Streak To 5

Omar Rawlings. Getty Images.

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Say it with me now. The Boston Celtics are a certified WAGON. That's W-A-G-O-N. Sorry if the title and start to this blog sounds familiar but what do you want me to do? My hands are tied really. As long as this is what the Celts are going to do on the court, it is my job to tell you what happened. They won, and they kicked the absolute shit out of another opponent. This time it was the 45 win Jazz with Conley/Mitchell/Gobert etc all active. They were missing Bogdanovic sure, but I'm pretty confident that doesn't change much for a team that continues to display nothing but dominance. How else would you like me to describe a run in which they have had 5 straight games with at least a 24 point lead? When three of those games are against GS/DEN/UTA? If that's not a display of dominance then what possibly could be. Good teams, bad teams, on the road, at home, it honestly does not matter where this team plays, they simply kick the shit out of everyone in their path. It's glorious. It's surreal. None of it makes sense while making perfect sense all at the same time. I haven't stopped smiling in 17 hours and have no plans on stopping anytime soon. How could I? This team is bringing me a level of euphoria that I haven't felt for over a decade and I have a feeling I'm not alone with that. 

I know this is going to be hard for some to read, they aren't going to want to believe it, but the Celtics are the best team in basketball right now and have been for over a month. I'm including the Suns in that too. That's not my homerism or Celtics Kool Aid talking, that's the stone cold truth. Since the NBA Trade Deadline, the Celtics are

#1 in Wins (15-3)

#1 in Offense (120.9)

#1 in Defense (107.4)

#1 in Net Rating (+13.5)

Now I went to ASU and am in no way a math guy, but from what I know about numbers is that in a ranking, there's nothing better than being #1. You can look all you want for a team that has been better since the NBA Trade Deadline of February 10th, but you will not find one in the entire NBA. Either conference I don't give a shit. Anyone else does this, they are called the best team in basketball so why should it be any different now? The Celtics now own the 2nd best point differential and overall net rating in the NBA on the season and woke up this morning with the 2nd most wins in their conference.

Like I said, they are a WAGON.

And if we're being honest, I see no end in sight. What part about their play isn't sustainable? The Celts will just forget how to defend? Highly unlikely. They'll stop what, passing the ball? I don't think so. I've been told this was all just a hot streak for the last 2.5 months and that it wouldn't last. First it was, wait till we see what they look like after the trade deadline. Then it was, wait till after the All Star break. Uhhh, I'm still waiting but all I'm seeing are dominant wins.

Now we have to wait until Sunday to see this team play again which is brutal, so we may as well fill our time reliving what was another wire to wire ass kicking like you read about

The Good

- It's always nice when the Celts blow someone out and Jayson Tatum can get himself some much deserved rest. Keeping his minutes to just 28 is always nice to see, and it's even better when you realize that in those 28 minutes he scored 26 points

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There is not a team on the planet right now that can stop this man. Sorry if that offends. The Jazz, with their DPOY and all their best defenders active had no shot. That was the 9th best defense in the NBA Tatum saw last night and it may as well have been the 30th. He got to wherever he wanted on the court, he ate Gobert's drop coverage alive and just decided to bury a billion threes in their faces, and defensively he was more than solid. The guy who has been playing at an MVP level this entire month continued to do just that. 

There are a lot of reasons you can point to for Tatum's recent domincance, but I feel like we cannot rule out the creation of his patented Kiss of Death celebration. Buy a shirt. Once he let the world know that Deuce loved it and wanted him to do it all the time, the rest is history

Adam Glanzman. Getty Images.

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

That was one of the things Tatum still needed. He needed that patented celebration that all the greats have. Deuce basically saved the Celtics season and turned his dad into a legit top 5 guy the second this celebration became a thing. He gave it his stamp of approval and that was all Tatum needed. I'm just going to say it, if the Celts win the whole thing Deuce gets his own ring. It's only right.

- It is my pleasure to once again remind the world why it's #actuallygood to have BOTH Jayson Tatum AND Jaylen Brown on your favorite basketball team. We saw what Tatum did, then you sprinkle in a little bit of Jaylen dominance into the mix and boom

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26/3/6 on 10-17 (3-6) shooting right in your eyeball. A combined 52 points on great shooting splits for arguably the best young duo in the NBA. Facts, not opinion. You knew Jaylen was going to be amped up to play his buddy Donovan Mitchell and I would say he did not disappoint. Once again he was dominant in the first quarter like he so often is, this time with 13 points on 5-6 shooting. When it came time to creating for others, Jaylen obliged. As is usually the case, when Jaylen plays like this it usually means his approach was right. Let's have a look

Yup, that's what I want to see. Jaylen is either attacking the rim/paint, or he's shooting threes. Two things he does at a pretty legit clip. 

I would say both he and Tatum are perfectly balancing their star roles. This is why I don't really care about games where Jaylen finishes with like 1 assist and 30 points. Some games he's asked to be a finisher. Other nights like last night he does both. Tatum does everything all the time. They've found the perfect balance to compliment each other and it should then be no surprise that the team has since taken off. 

- Remember how ridiculous it was the first time these two teams played and the Jazz made 27 3PM? Last night was the Celtics version of that. They made their first 10 shots and finished the first quarter with 78/77/100 splits. They scored 125 points against an elite defense with their DPOY active and finished with 59/53% splits and 19 3PM. It was insane. We can all admit that, it doesn't take away from anything, but that is not normal. Especially for this team who can't really shoot. Are those days over? Many people are saying.

Honestly though, this was yet another example of how this Celts team isn't even giving opposing teams a chance. They have double digit leads before you even realize what happened. They are up 20 before you can even catch your breath. It's insane. That's all I can say and I know that doesn't really do it justice but I don't know how else to feel. Watching this team carve up an elite defense like that was truly insane to watch. It looked like a Varsity vs JV game. 

- And does everyone know why the offense looked so awesome last night? It's not a complicated question. There's one very clear answer. Any idea? Oh I dunno, could have been due to the play of their starting point guard

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Remember, I was told that Marcus Smart was not the right fit next to Tatum and Brown because he wasn't a natural passer. His playmaking wasn't good enough. People wanted him traded for Ricky Rubio. Hey morons, do you feel ashamed of yourself yet? Not only does Marcus Smart have the Celtics single game 3 point shooting record, he also now will see his name on another franchise record, this time about passing. 

Oh, and if you were curious how my favorite picture on the internet looks, it's pretty fucking unreal

would you please look at all that green. Luckily for you I did the counting already. We're looking at a 24-3 record since 1/8 in games started by Marcus Smart. If I had to describe Smart's play in 2022, it would have to be flawless. That's what he's been. Whether it's on the offensive side in terms of his decision making, shot selection, passing, approach, all of it has been perfect. Then on the defensive side? I dunno, this feels pretty good

- Speaking of that ball movement. Holy shit. 37 total assists on 50 FGM. A total of 5 players with at least 3 and 3 players with at least 5. This was your classic example of ball movement becoming contagious. Smart set the tone early and it spread to everybody. When you see good ball movement end in points, everyone gets on board. Guys become more unselfish, scoring becomes easier, it's a domino effect. That's why ball movement for this team will always be high on my priority list. It's easier to continue good habits when you get good results, and to get those results you have to play the right way. But more importantly, guys want to play the right way because winning is fun. Aren't we all having fun right now? 

- The DPOY was on the floor last night and he was not on the Jazz. The best center on the floor last night was also not a member of the Utah Jazz. No, you're not confused, Rudy Gobert played. It's just that Rob fucking dominated him

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How else would you like me to say it? Gobert was essentially a non factor on both ends while Rob was very much a dominant force on both ends. That surprises exactly…..zero people. This is what Rob does every single night. Game after game of Rob doing cool shit will never get old. Defense, passing, finishing at the rim, moral, he brings it all and to win a matchup against Gobert like he did is a pretty big deal. 

- I'm officially declaring Al Horford's three point shooting as back. I've seen enough. Those safety valve threes where he's wide open at the top of the key? You know, the ones that truly make this offense unguardable because you can't double Tatum? Yeah, he's making those again. A 3-5 night in this game, the fresh legs are doing wonders for Al. If you remember how awesome he was in the playoffs, it was because he was consistently knocking down those open safety valve threes. Now that those are back in our life, it raises this team's ceiling.

- I'm grouping them together as an entire unit, because the bench was outstanding. Everyone from White to Pritchard to Theis came in and gave this team fantastic minutes

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Theis had a candidate for block of the year for this team, DWhite came in and immediately attacked the rim and facilitated while also knocking down some threes, and then there was Payton. What more can we saw about the guy. He's so locked in right now it's becoming a little terrifying. As it stands now he's shooting 70.8% from three in his last 4 games (17-27). 70.8%! On legit volume! 

What a difference confidence can make in a player. Payton is playing with the most confidence I've seen from him since last year and it's no surprise he's back to his old self. Remember how poorly he started the year from deep? He's now at 41% for the season. That's big time.

- Watching this team offensively, it feels like so much more happens during a 24 second possession. Earlier in the year, it felt like you would look at the clock and there would be 8 seconds left on the shot clock and the Celts hadn't done dick yet. Now? Before we even get to 10 seconds I feel like there is so much player and ball movement that the possession feels like it's 40 seconds long, not 24. 

It's that movement that has truly changed how they look on that end. Guys aren't standing around and watching, instead they're moving. The ball isn't sticking with one guy, it's moving. They are now forcing defenses to actually defend, and as it turns out the Celts look pretty unguardable! 

- Keeping another team to under 100 points feeds my soul. I crave it. I need it to survive. It gives me strength I didn't know was possible. Not a single 30 point quarter for the Jazz in this entire game. They shot 38/22% and had 14 TOs. It was never close at any point over the course of the 48 minutes. 

You may not know this, but the Utah Jazz have the #1 ranked offense on the season. Call me crazy, but that defensive showing seems pretty good.

The Bad

- I guess they had some issues with Donovan Mitchell? I dunno I have a hard time giving a shit about any of this stuff in this section right now. It's not like he ever made it close or anything so whatever. His points were empty points as far as I'm concerned. The trio of Tatum/Jaylen/Al had some issues in that matchup but I trust their defense moving forward so I'm not sweating his 37 points. At the same time I wouldn't call the defense on him "good" outside of Smart so here we are.

- One thing that did sort of bother me and is something I put a pin in for later is how easily the Celts are letting teams get into the middle of the paint. We saw that shit all the time against the Pistons in that loss, same thing with the Pacers. When the Jazz kept doing it and got it to 19, Ime called a timeout and probably told them to figure that shit out. If there is one weakness in this elite Celtics defense, it has to be that. They let bigger guards get right into the middle of the paint at will far too easily. In a playoff series, that could be their undoing. If they can't prevent it, at least make it tough.

- It's nitpicking, but how can I get Ime to play his scrubs earlier in these blowouts. If the lead is 25 points with 8 minutes left in the fourth, I don't want to see any starters on the floor. I want to see extended Nesmith minutes. I want to see Hauser let it fly. That's how you develop. It feels like Ime tends to wait a little too long to pull the trigger and that makes me nervous. With 8 games to go or whatever, I want to limit any and all risk. If this team can't keep a 25 point lead with 8 minutes left, what are we doing?

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- The Celts only took 7 FTA in this game. How is that even possible? A 21-7 FTA difference….at home? 

- I dunno guys, I'm out of stuff. What do you want me to do in a game where the Celts played as close to perfect basketball as you can get?

The Ugly

- You know the rule. Win 5 in a row, we skip this section entirely. Boy does it seem like I've been able to do this a lot lately. I'll tell ya, I don't hate it. In fact, you could make the case that I love it. This section can go to hell for all I care. See ya never.

Now we wait. It is going to feel like 10000000 years between now and Sunday. While the rest is good, I'm selfish. I need to experience this team playing again immediately. The #1 seed in the East is in play. I know there's talk about who the Celts should avoid but you know what? Fuck that. If they play like this I say bring on anyone. In fact, teams will be starting to dodge THEM, and that feels absolutely fantastic.