Even When It's Ugly, The Celtics Are Still Finding Ways To Win

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Given that we're in the final push of the NBA's trade deadline, you can sometimes forget that there's also basketball being played over these past two days. So much of the focus is on rumors and "sources" and trade slop, the actual games being played can sort of be pushed to the side.

While trade buzz is fun, what will always matter more to me is what happens on the hardwood. Even a game like last night against the 10th seeded 22-29 Hawks. We've reached the point of the Celts season where they need to stay focused and finish strong into the All Star break, and that includes winning at home against teams under .500. You may remember they had an issue with that earlier during this 7 game homestand, and the Hawks entered Boston last night 4-2 over their last 6 games, leading the NBA in over 136 points a night. They've been as red hot offensively as you're going to find in the league, and the exact team that if you fuck around and play with your food the next thing you know you have another embarrassing loss on your resume.

Having already made a trade earlier in the day, it's only natural that players might be distracted. Nobody knows who else Brad is going to send packing, so I can only imagine the mental stress it takes on everyone until today's 3pm deadline. Making sure you stay focused enough to handle your business is important, especially at a time when more and more players are going to start checking out as we inch closer to the break. This is the time to stack some Ws so that in a few months you find yourself with the privilege of maybe being able to rest down the stretch of the season.

I wouldn't exactly call last night the prettiest Celtics win I've ever watched, but that doesn't really matter either. Not all wins are going to be like your playing the G-League Grizzlies where you win by 40. Sometimes you have to grind shit out and find a way to win. Personally, I think there's value in games like that. I want to see the Celts win all kinds of ways, whether that be blowing someone out, making a big comeback, overcoming shitty quarters, etc. That's what the regular season is for in my opinion.

So while most of the focus will be on whether or not Brad uses the Grant TPE today, we should still take a minute and talk about win #39. Even with its flaws, it still ruled.

The Good

- New blog rule. If Al Horford does something that no big man in the history of the NBA has ever done, he starts us off

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Hold on, it gets better. That Statmuse tweet talks about big man only, but what about all players in NBA history? I wonder what that list looks like

What else is there to really say about Horford that we haven't said before. Yes, he remains perfect. I'm pretty sure that if you give Al Horford 2 days rest, he teleports back in time and is suddenly 24 again. I mean did you see how he was flying around in this game?! I'm to believe that player is 37 years old? No chance. In fact, the numbers back this up too. On 2 days rest, Al is shooting 54/40% on the season

I'm not sure if he's just chugging a shit ton of chocolate milk or what

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but the evidence is clear. A well rested Al Horford is still very much that guy. It's remarkable that there really hasn't been too much of a dropoff for Al this season despite his age, almost like he's LeBron or some shit. Based on what my eyes saw last night, Al on 2 days rest is basically Heat LeBron. I mean he did everything. Al finished 2nd on the team in 3PM (4), 2nd in rebounds (8), led the team in assists (8), led the team in steals (2), and led them in blocks (4). 

It remains complete bullshit that we have no way of giving this version of the Celtics the 30 year old Horford who first got to Boston in 2016-17. I would give anything to give this core and roster another 5+ years of vintage Al, and it's why you should never, ever, ever take Al Horford's impact on this team for granted. Sure they have stars, but Al is the ultimate connector. Don't take my word for it, just listen to the best player on the team

- Listen, it's not our problem that Adam Silver doesn't know ball. He cares about money, and Canada has a lot of NBA fans so I understand why he went with Scottie Barnes as an All Star reserve.

Please allow me to present my counterargument

31 points on 13-19 (2-4) with a couple blocks in his 31 minutes, Kristaps Porzingis continues to prove that he is a true gift from the Basketball Gods. Every game it feels like we say the same thing, but that's simply because he keeps doing awesome shit whenever he's on the floor.

What Porzingis has done for both the Celtics offense and the Celtics defense cannot be understated. It's changed everything. Offensively it's not just about his outside shooting, it's the fact that when things get murky, they have a fail-safe option. Just lob it to the 7'3 guy and let him shoot it. There is no spot on the floor he can't score from, he can operate in the post, in the P&R, as a C&S guy, you name it KP can do it. So against a team like ATL that doesn't really have the frontcourt to bother KP, it's no surprise he finished 13-19. 

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Here's some additional good news. You know how if you had to pick one part of KP's season that hasn't truly been insane, you could pick his outside shooting? Well, since about mid January (last 9 games), Porzingis is shooting 45.1% from deep on 5.7 3PA. He's making nearly 3 a game (2.6) which to me, feels like a pretty big fucking deal. Again I will ask, what is a defense supposed to do if they have to guard KP 30ft from the rim, but then also have to worry about him on the block? It's a pick your poison situation that has no right answer, and it's reason #1 why Brad's basketball brain should be studied when things are all said and done. He cracked the code.

- Just like with KP, it's not our problem that Adam Silver doesn't have eyes and didn't select Derrick White as an All Star reserve. That's fine. While he may not have the "All Star" title, the Celts are still getting All Star level production from the player which for my money is just as good

Earlier this season I talked about how I was working on a theory that Derrick White is one of the few players in the league who possess the clutch gene. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have it, but you know it when you see it and last night was our latest example of why I'm convinced Derrick is one of the lucky ones.

Whether it was the end of shot clock 3s or the 4 massive 3PM in the 4th quarter, last night was nothing new for Derrick. In fact, unless your name is Steph Curry, there is not a better clutch 3pt shooter in the entire NBA than Derrick White. That's not hyperbole, that is a legitimate fact

Imagine seeing this tweet in 2021. Crazy.

The beauty of Derrick isn't just the fact that he's morphed into a legit offensive weapon, it's the fact that he's also going to give you hell on the defensive end. With no Jrue in the lineup it was pretty important that Derrick win his matchup with Trae Young, and I'll just let you decide if you think he did that

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- Shoutout Jaylen there too. It was pretty clear that Jaylen decided enough was enough and he took it upon himself to shut Trae down after it looked like maybe he was about to go on a little mini run. In fact, what I loved most about Jaylen's performance last night was the fact that he did almost everything other than shoot the ball in the second half. This was a player who took just 1 FGA in the second half, yet still found a way to make a winning impact with his defense, rebounding, and passing.

It wasn't a night where Jaylen was shooting poorly (7-11), but it was a game where we saw him contribute without scoring. That's what everyone says they want to see right? In a game where someone had to step up defensively, I thought Jaylen took that upon himself, even if it came at the price of his offense. That shouldn't go unnoticed.

- As I always say, perspective is important. Was this the best the Celts have ever looked? Of course not. But if we see a game in which Tatum can't make a three and Jaylen scores 0 points in a half and the Celts STILL put up 125 and win by 8 points, that's a pretty good spot to be in.

No longer being Tatum/Brown merchants is how this team wins a title. Winning games where you are getting "down" nights from your two best players at the same time is impressive, and it's just another reason for you to believe that this team can be something different from what we've watched in the past. If the Celts got a 2-13 performance from Tatum and a scoreless half from Jaylen, it feels like that was almost always a loss.

Now? It was win 39. Mazzulla Ball.

- I will say, despite his outside shooting issues, it was much more noticeable how quickly the Celts were able to recognize when Tatum had a mismatch in the post and then getting him the ball. I need that to become a team rule if we're being honest. If Tatum has the advantage on a smaller player in the post, no other player is allowed to shoot unless Tatum passes out of the post into an open look. At the very least, he has to touch the ball, no excuses. What he then decides to do with it is his choice, but the ball needs to keep finding him in those moments like it did last night, especially in the playoffs.

The Bad

- If this was Saddiq Bey's final audition to Brad Stevens, I'd say he did pretty well. What is it about that guy in the Garden where he turns into the greatest shooter of all time? Very weird and annoying considering he's definitely not as good a player as we saw last night, yet the Celts never seem to have an answer for him.

He turned back into a pumpkin in the second half 2-6 (0-2), and I'd be shocked if he was actually the wing Brad goes for, but the fact remains that for whatever reason, Saddiq Bey is still on the list of random Celtics killers, especially in Boston. Very strange.

- I'm going to keep harping on this until the Celts decide to wake the hell up and do something about it. Their inability to prevent their opponent from feasting on the offensive glass is probably my biggest concern with them right now. It's been awful during this homestand (30th in the NBA), and the Hawks finished with 13 OREB and 18 2nd chance points last night.

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It was basically a repeat of their playoff series. You know how everyone is annoyed the Celts let that go to 6 games? You know why that was? Because the Hawks feasted on OREB and 2nd chance points. It's the easiest way to let a bad team hang around, and it's something that the Celts need to find a way to limit. Every team they play cannot keep finishing with 10+ OREB and 15+ 2nd chance points, it's not a winning formula long term. It's how you find yourself in a series that goes 6 that you probably should have swept. Given what we all want to see happen, those extra games and minutes eventually add up and tire you out.

- What if I told you not a single starter took just a FT in the entire second half, and everyone played at least 15 minutes? Jayson Tatum, despite being aggressive, had just 2 FTA in 35 minutes. Jaylen, had 1.

Yes, the Celts shot 49 3s. The Hawks also shot 41 and somehow got to the line 20 times. Yet when it comes to points int he paint, the Celts had 58 to ATL's 56. So what gives? How is it possible that this team never gets to the line in their own building, despite attacking the rim? Makes no goddamn sense.

The Ugly

- Everything about the first half defense. Giving up 67 points and not really showing any signs of resistance early, that was gross. I understand Trae Young is shifty, but it was more of the same. Nobody stopping the ball on the perimeter, giving up 9 OREB and 30 points in the paint, I dunno if it took a while for the Celts to get their legs after being off or what, but in no world should they be giving up 37 point quarters on their own floor. 

- I can't sit here and tell you 2-13 from Tatum is good. It's gross. But to me the issue isn't so much the number, it's the decisions. If you saw how the Celts closed this game, you saw a whole lot of decisions by Tatum that often times get this team in trouble in those moments. 

Possession after possession we saw him settle. There were signs of it earlier in the game when he wouldn't even attack Patty Mills and instead settled for a contested jumper, and plays like this

are the ones we'd like to see Tatum find a way to avoid. As with everything, time and situation matter. The shot with 50 seconds left is the one that bothers me more, because at that point the game is still in the balance. Momentum was starting to shift, so the need to get a high quality look is pretty important in that spot. A side step contested 3PA when Tatum had been cold all night is not a high quality look in that instance.

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Those are spots where I think we all want to see Tatum be aggressive, and at least get to the line or make the defense rotate so someone else can get a clean look. What we got was the type of offensive possession that has plagued the Celts when things have mattered most in high leverage games. That's why ultimately it doesn't matter what changes Brad makes, everything will always come down to the late game decision making of Tatum/Brown. 

You could make the case the Celts got a little lucky at the end that Bey missed that corner three, because the way they closed the final 3 minutes of this game was the exact way they CANNOT play when it matters most. Playing the clock, playing without pace, no real ball movement, everyone standing around watching Tatum dribble, with things ending in a side step contested 3PA. That's bad offense, that's bad decision making.

But hey, 39-12 is 39-12. The Celts have the opportunity to hit the 40-20 rule tomorrow night against the Wizards, and it'll cap their homestand off at 5-2, which is pretty good to me. Keep that train rolling into the All Star break and you'll earn your well deserved rest. Sometimes you have to win ugly and sometimes things won't always go your way, but we continue to see a Celts team with a level of mental toughness and resiliency that will ultimately serve them well in a couple months. Not a bad place to be if you ask me.