The Way The Celtics Pulled Off One Of Their Most Impressive Wins Of The Season Should Have Every Fan Excited

Winslow Townson. Getty Images.

Historically, if there's one type of team the Celts have had issues with, it's teams that have quick, shifty, offensive minded guards. Guards that thrive attacking the paint but also with the skillset of stepping up and consistently making pull up 3s are players we've seen pretty much every version of the Celts struggle with. Whether it was in the NBA Finals or a measly regular season game, my spidey senses are always up whenever the Celts play a team with a player like that.

Obviously, the Cavs are one of those teams. Since bringing in Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs are 3-2 vs BOS in their last 5 meetings, with 4 of those games being decided by 7 points or less. Of those 7 games, a total of 4 of them have been decided by 4 points or less. Hell, even dating back to 2021-22 we saw 2 of those 3 games be decided by 6 or less. The point is, these two teams always play each other tough, and that is especially true of the Donovan Mitchell version.

Since he joined CLE, Mitchell is averaging an insane 35.8 points on 48/39% splits against the Celts (5 games), and we all remember what he did last year in the OT wins, so I was interested to see how this new version of the Celts was going to match up. More importantly, with the Celts right in the middle of this nice little homestand, it was important for them to start things off right with a win against a team they're about to play again tomorrow. Especially with that team being on a B2B.

By the end of it, we learned a whole lot more than just how this group stacks up against an elite scoring backcourt (results, meh). We saw resiliency, focus, and for the first time really all season a game that required the Celts to come back from a substantial early deficit. Most of their issues come with poor second half play, it's not often we see them stuck in the mud to start. What we saw was a maturity that's going to be useful down the road, and when it came time to tighten things up defensively and win the game, the Celts responded.

If the season is filled with mini tests, this is one I'd say the Celts passed with flying colors. Not every win is going to be easy or look pretty. Not every win is going to be a blowout. Sometimes you have to dig yourself out of a hole and then execute down the stretch when things matter most. That's what we saw last night, and it was glorious.

So glorious, it's time to talk about it.

The Good

- Competition for our top spot wasn't easy, as there were many worthy candidates for the most coveted spot. Honestly, this was another game where pretty much everyone who touched the floor played well, but I don't think we need to overthink things. The most impactful two way player in this game was clearly Jayson Tatum

It certainly didn't start out that way, with Tatum kicking things off with a slow 2-5 (0-2) start and a -7 first quarter minutes. He wasn't "bad", but he wasn't all that "good" either if that makes sense. Given the Celts were down like 18-4 in his first shift, that felt a little weird. It was clear that the Cavs did not have the defensive size to actually guard Tatum, and it took him a couple of minutes to realize this. Instead of settling for contested pullup jumpers, all he needed to do was shift his approach and the rest would take care of itself.

For me, the tides started to turn in Tatum's second shift. At the 3:10 mark of the 1st quarter with the Celts down 27-12, Tatum re-entered the game to join this lineup

White/Pritchard/Hauser/Tatum/Horford

That group went nuts, with  175 Ortg / 80 Drtg / +95 net in their brief shift together, and it was during that run we saw Tatum's true impact. It's not always just about his scoring. The gravity he plays with was more than enough to free up other guys, and Tatum's unselfishness and willingness as a passer is what empowered those players to take their looks with confidence. During that closing stretch of the quarter we saw guys like Pritchard make big shots, Al make big shots, and suddenly the lead was much more manageable at 10 by the end of the quarter. Essentially, the Tatum + bench lineup gave the team a second chance at life.

The second quarter was more of the same with these Tatum lineups. In the first 3 minutes of that quarter, Jayson Tatum was responsible for 9 of the Celts' first 12 points. Suddenly things were a 4-point game after the Celts trailed by as many as 15. Mind you, this was all happening while Tatum wasn't even really shooting all that well in the first half (4-10, 0-5). The difference was it didn't matter. His work on the glass (8 rebounds) his ball movement (3 AST) and his defense more than made up for it.

When the game got tight down the stretch and it was time to deliver the knockout kiss of death, Tatum delivered. When it came to stepping up to the line and making his FTs, Tatum delivered (9-9). You look down and see 25/10/5 and a starter high +9 in his minutes and we really don't even bat an eye, but let's not pretend like Tatum didn't completely control this game on both ends.

- As I've said before and will continue to say, the best part about having both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on your team is you have BOTH Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on your team. While the entire roster was unable to make a shot to start this game, Jaylen put everyone on his back and made sure the Celts found a way to stay somewhat attached.

By the end of it, Jaylen finished with 25/2/4 on 10-17 (1-5) with a steal and a block (3 TOs) in his 34 minutes. Defensively, Jaylen continues to have a pretty strong season, holding Donovan Mitchell to just 5 points on 33 possessions (2-4) and only allowing 7 total points in all his matchups. 

While the outside shooting is still not where it needs to be (for him or Tatum), there's no denying Jaylen is starting to snap out of his shooting funk. Over his last 5 games we're seeing Jaylen average 24.4 on 53% shooting. Over his last 14, it's 22.4 points on 48.2%. Over that 14 game span, Jaylen also has 99 potential assists, trailing only Tatum/Derrick/Jrue. So not only is his scoring and efficiency coming back and his defense more than solid, but he continues to move the ball exactly how everyone wanted. I'll take 50 assists (99 potential) with 35 TOs over a 14 game stretch from Jaylen and you should too. 

I think what continues to stand out is even in these games where it's Jaylen who has the only thing going to start, we're not seeing him get shot happy and force things. His 17 FGA were right in line with Tatum's 19 and KP's 16. His 7 FGA in the second half were the fewest of the three, and that made sense since the others started to heat up offensively in the second half. That's the type of maturity and sacrifice that everyone needs to play with and it's great to see Jaylen get there. Even on a night where he started great, nothing felt forced the rest of the way.

- Finishing 26-26 from the FT (and needing every one) was easily the best possibly Hanukkah gift the Celts could have given me. There's a reason I obsess over this shit, because FTs are important. This team is too good at them to have these games where Tatum is missing 3, Jaylen is missing 2 and the next thing you know they shoot 65% as a group. Fuck that. While I don't think 26-26 is the rule, it sure was nice to see. Given their struggles recently, I feel like they owed us a night like this.

- If you were still curious as to why Brad Stevens believed Kristaps Porzginis is the missing piece, all you have to do is look at his second half

Go ahead, pick a poison. He can beat you inside, he can beat you outside, and he might just be the best foul baiter we've had in years. That's a skill that Porzingis brings that we haven't ever had at this position before. He knows how to get to the line or at the very least yell effectively so the ref calls a foul. 

Porzingis has a FTA rate of 44.7%. To put this into perspective, Jayson Tatum led the Celts last year in this at just 39.9%. The year before that? Derrick's 32.6%. So yeah, what KP can do in terms of getting to the line is a big deal, because you also remember he shoots 82%. 

After a first half where KP didn't make a single shot, he responded with 19 huge points on 5-10 (2-4) in his 18 second half minutes, which led all scorers. I think it's fair to say the Celts don't win this game without a massive second half from KP, and he continues to be everything we could want and more on both ends of the floor. 

Last night was a great example of what this team can now do down the stretch of these close games with Porzingis in the lineup. I loved how everything went through KP late, and it was through the post. That's the exact type of offensive versatility the Celts need to play with so they don't become predictable in those moments. Way less standing and dribbling in the perimeter, and more giving the ball to KP in great spot and letting him make the right decision. Good stuff.

- When the Jays are firing, Porzingis is back and doing his thing, AND the Celts get elite guard play, it's over for you.

On one end you have Derrick making big shot after big shot, and then on the other end the Stock Exchange was in full force. It's pretty ridiculous to get a combined 4 steals and 3 blocks from your starting backcourt, but that's just more of the same for these two.

With Jrue, I continue to be impressed how active his hands are. His steals don't really come from reading passing lanes, instead they come from being a complete stonewall with his on ball defense, and it always seems like he knows just where to reach/poke the ball loose on drives. You can't dribble around him. Then with Derrick, while Mitchell/Garland were burning a lot of their matchups, that is not true when it came to White

Add in they only had a combined 2 TOs and shot 9-16 (8-13), I'd say this was one of the best collective performances of the guard group we've had all year. 

I also want to give Jrue a shoutout when it comes to his outside shot. He's one of the few Celtics that have actually been effective as both a C&S guy and a pullup 3 guy. Over 36% in either, that has been as advertised in my opinion.

- Whenever you play the Cavs you have to make sure you own the glass, and the Celts finished 45-35 with only 6 OREB allowed. As is the case with most teams, if you win the rebounding battle by 10+, chances are you're going to win the game.

- So far this season the Cavs own the 8th best defense in the NBA. That's what makes them so tough, on one end Mitchell can go crazy, and then on the other they can use their length and size to really make things tough. So for the Celts, who started 0-billion to finish this game with 45/40/100% splits and 18 3PM is pretty damn impressive.

I love how they didn't stop shooting with confidence despite nothing dropping early, and it was important that they didn't. With the Cavs finishing 19-45 from three, it was crucial that the Celts stayed committed to Mazzulla Ball and stayed attached in the basketball math. 

- Great adjustments by Joe in the 4th quarter to switch things up defensively, bail on the drop and give the Cavs different looks. It worked, given that CLE scored just 21 points in the 4th on 42/30% splits. Mitchell/Garland only combined for 5 points on 2-8 shooting, so when it came time to win the game it was nice to see Joe be able to adjust on the fly and find an approach that worked.

The Bad

- While I thought Jrue was mostly great defensively, he did have some issues with Mitchell/Garland. Those two went a combined 8-11 when being guarded by Holiday. Some of that is shooting over screens, but I wouldn't call it good.

- As we talked about, the first quarter was gross. Just 36/10% splits, another 30+ quarter allowed defensively, nobody could slow down Mitchell, 4 TOs, it was all pretty gross. 

Normally, a start like that snowballs into a 20 point deficit, so while it's great that didn't happen, I can't say that makes me feel any better about a slow start. At home with plenty of rest going up against a team on a B2B, we shouldn't be watching a team be down 18-4 before we even know what happened. 

- We get it Max Strus, you're mad the Celts cut you and kept Tacko. You've made your point and frankly, it already cost the Celts a ring so maybe just chill out. Easily one of the guys on the random Celtics killer list, enough is enough already. How is it that he never misses vs BOS but only misses against everyone else? Ainge fucked up, we get it. 

- Few things irritate me more than ATO turnovers. We had a couple in this game and each one was more annoying than the last. This is where people need to remember that timeouts aren't these magic cure-alls. The players still have to go out and execute, and ATO turnovers are just so deflating. Jaylen's ill advised pass, Tatum not being able to dribble, that shit needs to be cleaned up.

- Maybe it's me, but doesn't it feel like the Celts give up the middle of the paint way too easily? It seems like whoever they play has no problems whatsoever putting the ball on the floor and getting into the paint for a little midrange/pullup whenever they want. That feels problematic. Caris LeVert last night, Jalen Brunson the other night, to me that feels like playing with fire.

The Ugly

- I know a majority of this is PTSD from the 2022 Finals, but seeing the Celts play and stick with drop coverage while a guard is having his way with pull up 3s triggers the absolute shit out of me. I get you have to switch things up and I understand why someone would play drop in theory, but man was that shit not working against Mitchell, especially to start the 3rd quarter.

We cannot live in a world where the Celts defense is easily broken by simply setting a high ball screen. That has to be figured out. It was pretty clear that once Mitchell saw one go in he knew he could get that shot whenever he wanted, and then the avalanche came. He didn't do anything crazy, just used a screen and stepped into his open 3 because Porzingis was so far in drop. If that didn't give you Steph Curry flashbacks, you're a better man than me. 

I would imagine guys like Evan Mobley are back for the game on Thursday, so things will probably look a little different. The Cavs won't be on a B2B so they should have their legs come the 4th quarter, and now with the added motivation coming off this loss, I fully expect them to throw another punch on Thursday. We're about to learn more about the focus of this team, because previous versions would let last night's win impact Thursday's effort/performance. As long as they come with the right mindset, 12-0 at home is on the table.