With Their Season On The Line, The Boston Celtics Responded By Winning Game 2 In Dominant Fashion

Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.

It was pretty simple. You either win Game 2 and protect your home floor, or your season is over. That's what was at stake as the Celts walked onto the floor last night. All that work to turn around their season, all the highs we've felt over the last 5 months, it essentially all came down to what happened after last night's 48 minutes. That might sound dramatic, but it's honestly the truth. I blogged yesterday what NBA history tells us about teams that drop to 0-2 by losing their two home games. It's a death sentence. We all wanted to see how this team would respond to some real adversity, with some real pressure. Would they crack? Would they fold? Or would they punch back and reassert themselves. Would they play pissed off because they know they let the first game slip by playing one of their worst games of the entire season?

Our answer was everything we ever could have hoped for and more.

They did punch back. They did play pissed off. There was no cracking or folding under pressure. The Celts immediately got back to looking like the team that was destroying the NBA since the calendar turned to 2022. Their defense was elite, the communication was constant and everyone filled their role perfectly. Offensively the ball moved, they hit open looks and finally stopped missing every 2pt FGA they took. When this team needed their two best players to step up and avenge their terrible Game 1s, they did. When they needed the role players to come through like they were unable to do in Game 1, they responded. Ime pitched another near perfect game. What we saw was a collective effort from everyone involved, and when that happens this Celts team is pretty fucking good. The best part? I believe they can play even better. That second half had some issues for sure. Said another way, this was not the best we've ever seen the Celts play. There are more levels to get to.

Let's also tell the truth here if that's OK. The Bucks did what they had to do. As of now, it is MIL that has the momentum in the series. The only way the Celts get it back is by splitting on the road. Heading home down 3-1 is just as much of a disaster, so it's not as if this series is over or even that the tables have turned. All the Celts did last night was prevent their season from ending. An important step for sure, but because of their Game 1 blunder, the pressure is still at an all time high to win one of the next two.

But we have the next 3 days to worry about that. For now, let's relive what was without a doubt one of the more dominant playoff wins of the year so far

The Good

- This was a very, very hard decision as to who to start us off with. If we're in the trust tree, I love having this problem. That means that multiple players did some pretty cool shit. After much deliberation, I have to do with my heart. Jaylen Brown was absolutely incredible

It's hard for someone to play worse than Jaylen did in Game 1. Couldn't hit a shot to save his life, couldn't stop turning the ball over, it was a mess and ultimately very costly. So what does he do? He comes out and puts the entire team on his back to start this game. I'm not sure what planet Jaylen was on but I sure as shit know it wasn't earth. It had been a while since we've seen First Quarter Jaylen this postseason, he's actually switched it up and become a bit of a fourth quarter monster, but last night was a nice reminder of what that guy looks like. By himself, Jaylen had 17 first quarter points on 6-7 (3-3) shooting. Not bad! The Bucks as an entire team only had 21 for the whole quarter. 

Jaylen was much better at seeking out and attacking mismatches, it was nice to see him continue to shoot the three with confidence despite his Game 1 struggles and look at what that gets you. From the sounds of it, everyone on the roster knew Jaylen was in for a big night

Remember, Jaylen is working with some hamstring issues so that means basically anytime he does anything on the floor I am beyond terrified. Every move he makes I am praying to the Gods that he comes out of it OK. Not only did he come out OK, he dominated. Not just offensively, but on the other end as well. This is the benefit of your two best players being two way monsters. They can dominate on the offensive end and nearly outscore teams by themselves, then when it's time to strap up and get some stops, they do this

We all know that a big factor in beating these Bucks is shutting off Jrue Holiday's production. With Smart out I was interested to see how Ime adjusted his approach, and I love the move to have a bigger guy like Jaylen take that assignment. He was great at staying disciplined and not biting for Holiday's pump fakes once he puts the ball on the floor and gets into the paint, something he loves to do to help create space. If you don't bite, Jaylen has the length to contest his jumpers and that's exactly what happened. He had this man in jail for the entire night. Without that scoring production, the Bucks had all sorts of problems executing in the half court, so for my money Jaylen gets a whole lot of love for that. 

- OK, I'm sorry for bumping him to the second spot, Jaylen was just that good. Do you know what you did last night? You watched the best professional basketball game of Grant Williams' career. That is no bullshit. It's not hyperbole.

We have never seen Grant play like he did last night. While that tweet talks about his offense, I would like to inform you that this was a two way masterclass. Maybe you've heard of this guy named Giannis. He's a Greek God that destroys everything in his path……except Grant Williams (and Al Horford)

When I say the Celts need to give this man a blank check this summer for his rookie extension, I am not kidding. Turns out that Danny Ainge fella can draft after all huh? What a concept! We all knew that a key to this postseason was going to be Grant coming through both as a spot up shooter and a versatile defender. Even with how awesome his season has been, I didn't really expect to see this type of dominance. To many who watched this game they may have been surprised that Grant was so effective on Giannis defensively, but we all remember this is the same man that completely eliminated Nikola Jokic from a game defensively with no help. Grant may be 6'6 but he plays bigger. He's tough as hell, he's stronger than any living human, and he's not afraid to sacrifice his body. When you're tasked with slowing down Giannis, you need all of those things. You have to be willing to play to contact, you need to have great positioning and you cannot be afraid. You tell me, does Grant look afraid of Giannis? The biggest factor for me is the 0 FTA. To guard Giannis on that many possessions and never send him to the FT line doesn't even seem real. Not to mention there were 3 or 4 charges that weren't called so really his defense was even better.

Will Grant always shoot 6-7 from three? Of course not. But this shooting is not a fluke. He was among the league leaders in three point shooting all season long. He's one of the best corner three shooters in the entire league. If the Bucks are going to let Grant take open looks, he's proven that he can consistently knock them down. You add in some All NBA level defense and you have yourself what I would describe as the perfect role player.

- Let's talk a little bit about that defense on Giannis. What an adjustment from Ime. In Game 1, they were committed to the double and while it may have been effective at stopping Giannis from scoring, it allowed their role players and spot up shooters to feast. So what does he do with Game 2? He tells his guys we aren't doubling and it's on you to stop your man. The results speak for themselves. In two games to start this series, here's how Giannis is doing

Overall for the series Giannis is shooting 38/12% from the floor/ I'll remind you, he shot 55% during the regular season. Looking at each zone, here's how the Celts defense is doing

Restricted Area: 68%

In the paint: 16.7%

Midrange: 33%

3PA (above the break): 20%

That restricted area percentage may seem high to you, but then you learn that during the regular season Giannis shot 76.6% in that zone. In the first round, he shot 79.6%. The length of Al and Rob is making it much tougher for Giannis at the rim, and then the strength and positioning from Grant is making his life hell. As I said to start the series, you're never going to truly stop Giannis, the goal is to just slow him down. I look at those numbers and that's what I see happening. 

If I had to guess, we'll get a big Giannis FTA game in MIL because we haven't seen it yet, but Ime's strategy seems to be effective. Listen, in the first round everyone kept saying there was no way KD and Kyrie would continue to be so bad offensively, and it just kept happening. Now in Round 2, we're all doing the same thing. We keep saying there's no way Giannis shoots so poorly again, but it keeps happening. It doesn't guarantee future success by any means, but it also should not come as a surprise that this Celtics defense continues to find ways to limit players who I'm being told are the best in the world. It's a little insane but also something I enjoy greatly.

When the Celts don't have to double on Giannis and as a result don't have to rotate, it's obviously much easier for everyone to stay home on their guy and limit the "others" from having big nights. That's what makes Rob/Al/Grant so important on that end. They keep handling this dude with no help and I'm not sure how you score on this defense.

- It feels crazy to have gone this long and not even talk about Jayson Tatum yet. You remember that guy right? If not, here's a quick reminder of what he's capable of

Ho hum, just a cool 29/3/8 on 50/50% splits with 5 3PM and great defense. Like I said to start this blog, if the Celts were going to keep their season alive, their two best players had to show up. This was a spot where your franchise guys need to come out and refuse to allow their team to lose. That is what happened. 

With Tatum, I love that he didn't force things. He let Jaylen cook early, he was fine to be a distributor and create for others, and then when it came time for Tatum to do his thing he was more than willing. It was Tatum's 9 points in the 3rd that kept the Celts afloat when the Bucks went on that run, then in the fourth there was no collapse because Tatum responded with another 10 points on 3-5 shooting. When they needed him to close, Tatum was ready.

Something to keep an eye on moving forward is that little relocation play they ran multiple times in the fourth to get Tatum an open corner three. That's some Steph Curry shit in terms of how they use him to get open looks. Either Giannis is going to have to follow Tatum out to the perimeter which opens up the rim, or he's not going to and Tatum will have a wide open look. My guess is we're going to continue to see that shit until the Bucks adjust.

- This Game 2 win isn't really that hard to explain. The Celts won the rebounding battle, they were even on 2nd chance points, and they stoped turning the ball over. Only 11 total turnovers for 17 points off turnovers after a disastrous 18 TOs/25 points off turnovers in Game 1. If this team doesn't throw the ball away, the Bucks have a really hard time scoring in the half court. It's not crazy to point out that when the Celts take care of the ball, they barely lose.

Not only that, but after making 10 2pt FGM in Game 1, they finished with 18 in Game 2. Last time I checked the Bucks still had the same rim protection as Game 1, which is why I considered that shit an exception and not the rule. Missing that many 2pt FGA had never happened in Celtics franchise history, so to see them get back to normal in that area isn't all that surprising. Yes, the three point shooting was huge. Going 20-43 is a little ridiculous, but more importantly the fact that the Celts were able to convert their 2pt FGA at a much better clip was equally as important.

- I love Playoff Al more than you love anything in your own life and I'm not sure it's close

So steady, so prepared, such a calming presence, every single day it baffles me that there are NBA franchises out there that could not utilize Al Horford. How is that even possible? Al didn't even make his 3s in this game (1-5) and it didn't matter because of what a monster he was on the defensive end. He did a great job on the glass as well and while I'm a little nervous about his minutes, he's about to have 3 days off and we know what a beast Rested Al can be. 

Much like Grant, Al has the size and the strength to absorb the force Giannis creates, and I was really impressed with how active his hands were. How many times did we see Giannis try and make a move and lower his shoulder only to see Al eat that contact and poke the ball away? He has the lateral speed to stay with guys off the dribble which is what makes him such a valuable and versatile defender, and those are two skills you need if your goal is to limit a player like Giannis. 

- Everyone knows the key to my heart is ball movement. When I see shit like this

it does something to me. As a team, the Celts finished with 28 assists on 38 FGM which is a ratio we all should love. They smashed the target assist number (20), their two best players accounted for 14 of the 28 assists, and I thought Derrick White did a great job of filling in from Smart in terms of being a ball mover and facilitator (5 assists). The Celts are not going to lose many games in which they have a 28:11 assist to turnover ratio, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that they shot so well to start because as we know the Basketball Gods reward good ball movement. 

You'll notice things looked much different in terms of their shooting in the second half, and to me, that was due to the lack of ball movement. The Basketball Gods clearly sent the message, so for Game 3 in need 48 minutes of good ball movement, please.

- Feels great to be able to watch Rob do cool shit again

I see a player who is getting his game legs under him the more he plays which is all you can ask for. The rust is coming off, we're seeing no signs of him being limited from his injury and I'll be honest I legit gasped when I saw Rob take and make that baseline jumper. Is that going to be a thing in the near future? I would like that very much to be the case.

At the same time, it's going to take me a while to not be so fucking nervous every time I see Rob land. I do nothing but look at his lower legs and pray everything works out. I know that's stupid and I don't have to do that, but I can't help it. Sometimes he lands on one leg and I feel myself freaking out. This is a "me" problem, I acknowledge that, but it's how I feel.

- I was really impressed that once the Bucks cut a 25 point lead down to 12, there was no pooping of the pants by this Celtics team. They didn't cave or collapse, they punched back. They got the lead back up to a comfortable margin each and every time it looked like the Bucks were going to make a run. That's a sign of a mentally tough team.

The Bad

- If I could give Rob one adjustment for his minutes on Giannis, it would be to come up more into his body. Too often we see Rob allow Giannis to have a runway to build up speed and momentum, and too often that either ends in a bucket or a foul. This is what I mean

Rob can't absorb the contact quite like Grant/Al can, so he needs to be a little different in his approach. I trust his ability to recover and block shots, and I think he has the lateral quickness to at least get close to staying in front of Giannis. It'll never be perfect, but it's something I would adjust in Game 3. Just play up more and trust in your help.

In terms of their matchup last night, Giannis got whatever he wanted in terms of efficiency against Rob and having that runway is a big reason why in my opinion.

- Speaking of Giannis, we all know that charge/block calls were going to be inconsistent and frustrating, but holy fuck. All I want is consistency. That's it. If something is going to be a charge on Tatum, I would like that same exact play to be called a charge on Giannis. If it's not on Giannis, it shouldn't be on Tatum. That's it. Why is it so hard to be consistent? You know things are bad when even SVG is calling it out on the broadcast. 

I get that Giannis' plan is to barrel into the paint and through guys. That's not exactly new. I'm fine if they want to call those fouls, just be consistent on the other end. 

- Speaking of the officials, why are we reviewing every single common foul as a flagrant? If it's a play to the head I get it, but why are we reviewing this play

for a flagrant? All these reviews killed the flow and momentum of the game and I found that to be extremely bullshit. I'm all for getting the calls right, but I also don't need every common foul reviewed.

- It wasn't a huge deal, but I did feel like Tatum was a little loose with the ball (4 TOs). For a guy who will have high usage and will face a ton of ball pressure, it's important that Tatum find a way to take better care of the basketball.

- At some point, I'm going to need Derrick White to start making some buckets. He doesn't need to be lights out, but he can't be missing every shot he takes. He's only shooting 28/16% so far this postseason and that's about as bad as it gets. While he does provide other areas of value. if anyone else was going to shoot like this they would live in this section so White is no different.

I like the looks he's getting, at this point it feels more like a confidence thing. For things to work during his shifts, he needs to be a threat offensively. If defenders are going to just help off him and pack the paint, he needs to make them pay. That has not happened at all this postseason so far.

The Ugly

- Whatever the hell that third quarter was. Just 18 points in the quarter on 31/18% splits with close to as many TOs (4) as FGM (7). The ball stopped moving, guys stood around and watched and we got back into bad iso habits. It's what allowed the Bucks to creep back in the game and something that I think Ime will make a point of during this break.

Making sure they stick to their principles is crucial if they want to win this series. Having lapses where they fall back into bad habits both in terms of ball movement and shot selection is how you let Giannis get momentum. Avoid that shit, and you won't have to sweat.

So here we sit. Tied 1-1 with a chance to take back homecourt. If the Celts play like Game 2 for the rest of this series, they'll be fine. I love how they responded to a big spot and it has me very encouraged as this team now heads on the road. Last night was the team we all know and love, and that team is a fucking wagon.