The Way The Celtics Have Started Their Season Has Been Erotic

Michael Reaves. Getty Images.

I think we all knew what a massive season this was setting up to be. When you lose in the NBA Finals the way the Celts did, to be so close to that elusive title only to see it be ripped away from you is tough. It's really a fork in the road moment for your franchise if you think about it. 

Can you find a way to use that pain as motivation for the next season, or will you be unable to move forward and kind of spiral?

By law, I have to stress that we are still VERY early in the NBA season. With only 15 of 82 games played, there is still 82% of the season left to go. In the NBA, things can change in a blink of an eye if you aren't careful, just look at what's happening to the Cavs. They were the hottest team in the league out of the gate, everyone was hyping them up and now they've lost 5 straight and are 8-6. You should never take anything for granted in this league because nothing is guaranteed, which brings me back to the Celts start.

It's been incredible. Let's just start there. 

Whatever you thought might be possible when you went to sleep on October 17th the night before the opener, I'm pretty sure what this team is currently doing is exceeding even your wildest dreams. No Rob, new players, a 34 year old new head coach, loads of pressure given their Finals run, a more competitive league/conference, who knew what to expect?

But just go down the list (which we're about to do). Nearly every aspect of their season is better than we hoped for. Even their dogshit defense to start has turned a corner and has been the 7th best defense in the NBA over their last 11 games. So while nothing we see in November guarantees anything come April and beyond, I do think it's important to take a moment and acknowledge what we're watching.

Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown

The most important pieces to the most important season of our lives are off to incredible starts. Tatum is playing at a legit MVP level, which isn't just my homerism talking, it's the reality. What he's doing on both ends right now is truly special. 

Right along with him, you have Jaylen. Career highs in points, rebounds, assist (tied) and the 2nd highest FG% of his career (48.2% vs 48.4%). Not only that, but Jaylen is shooting 83.1% from the FT line while also getting to the line more than he ever has before in his career (5.0). 

We knew that if this team was going to be for real and actually contend, it was on the two franchise pillars to set the tone. That is exactly what they've done.

Marcus Smart

To put it simply, Marcus is playing the best basketball of his life. Defensively, offensively, as a passer, it's all been ridiculous. We've watched enough of this team to know that for them to truly reach their ceiling, this is the version of Smart they need. It's very similar to the version we saw over the last 6 months of last season.

His FGA are under 10. He has a career high in assists at 7.1 while basically never turning the ball over. He's making the most 3PM of his career (2.6) and we're seeing his shot selection be as close to ideal as we're going to get. Just look at this shit

Joe Mazzulla

There was a reason Brad was steadfast that Joe was the guy. While we didn't know if he could do it, it's clear Brad did. We're at the point now where it might be time to just blindly trust and believe what Brad tells us. 

He's started to figure out that you can actually call timeouts during games, his ATOs are legit as fuck, he has this team playing hard, and I haven't even mentioned the fact that his offense is literally making NBA history. The league has legitimately never seen an offense like this. It's the highest Ortg of all time and it hasn't mattered who they play. Nobody has seemed to be able to stop Mazzulla Ball.

Think of how rare this is. A 34 year old that's never been a head coach before is thrown to the fire basically a month before the season starts of a legit title contender……and the team doesn't miss a beat. In fact, there are plenty of ways they may actually be better. Whatever you thought Joe was going to be able to do as head coach, the reality has FAR surpassed that.

Malcolm Brogdon

Yes, like you I spend about 16 hours a day freaking out about Brogdon's health. That's always going to exist. But in terms of the player when he's active? Beyond perfect fit. Not just from his mentality and how he accepts his role, but what the product actually looks like when he's out there.

The way he can carry an offense for stretches as a scorer, his playmaking, how he fits with the best players, what he gives you on both ends and the lineup versatility he creates, the trade has been a home run and I don't think it's even up for debate.

The rest of the bench

I'm going to give you a name and you tell me if they are a hit or miss this year

Derrick White

Sam Hauser

Grant Williams

Luke Kornet

Payton Pritchard

If you weren't sure, the answer is

Hit

Hit

Hit 

Hit

Hit

The normal rotation guys like White, Grant and Pritchard look as good as ever. Grant's showing us his breakout year last year was not a fluke, Pritchard is showing he's a fucking beast who causes chaos and then kills you with threes, Derrick is playing at a high level, it's all been great.

Then there's Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Two guys Brad told us to be ready for and that he believed in, and of course he was mocked for it. Radio shows dragged him for it, because they don't watch. In reality, Sam Hauser might actually be the best shooter on the planet. That's not a joke. He's shooting 45% on 4.4 3PA a game. 

With Kornet, he's serviceable. In fact, that might be selling him short. He's been incredible filling in as that reserve center, and every time he's on the floor all we see is solid play. Nothing flashy, in fact it looks pretty hilarious, but he's been effective. Once again, Brad knew.

Their contender profile

Here's what we know. The Celts own the

- Best record in the NBA

- Best offense in the NBA

- Best net rating in the NBA

- Best scoring average in the NBA

- 16th ranked defense (improving)

- 10th in the NBA in assists per game

- Best 3PM shooting team in the NBA

- 2nd in 3P% in the NBA

- 2nd best FT% in the NBA

- 4th fewest TOs in the NBA

- Best +/- in the NBA

Let's just stop there for a moment. Read that shit again and tell me this isn't better than you hoped for 2 months ago?

Part of a contender profile is also who have you beaten? So far, the Celts are 6-2 against teams .500 or better. That's the most wins in the East and tied with OKC for the most in the NBA. Wins over PHI (healthy)/MIA (healthy)/MEM/DEN/ATL are as strong as any top seeded team in the league. We're seeing this team beat every kind of opponent under the sun. At home or on the road, it hasn't mattered. They're 3-0 on B2Bs. A solid 5-1 record in games 10+ or more which is telling you they aren't collapsing like they used to once they get up double digits. 

In the clutch, they are 6-2!! Remember last year when they couldn't win a clutch game to save their lives. Now half of their wins are clutch time wins!

And just think, they're doing all of this without Rob, who is one of the most important pieces of this team. Not just defensively, but offensively as well considering what he does as a passer/rebounder/lob threat. There are still more levels to go for a team that is already the best team in the NBA right now.

Again, it's early. We all have to understand that. But through 15 games there is no denying that the Celts are off to an incredible start, and any sort of worry you may have had coming off a Finals loss seems to be for nothing. This team has figured it out and god damn are they fun to watch.