The Basketball Brain Of Brad Stevens Is Very Clearly The 8th Wonder Of The World
They were dead. You thought it, I thought it, we all thought it, and really who could blame you? With the way the Celts completely puked on themselves down the stretch of the 4th quarter, the breakdowns in OT, things looked as bleak as they possibly could in that moment. All signs were pointing to another loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets at a time when the Celts should be stacking Ws while in the middle of a lighter stretch of their schedule. To rub salt on the wound, it was setting up to be another one-possession loss, which would have been their 9th of the season (they have 16 total losses).
But then it happened.
What was looking like another candidate for the worst loss of the year suddenly became one of the most electric wins of the entire season. A game where you choke, come back from near death, and then secure the win in 2OT would be thrilling no matter who was involved, but what makes this win in particular so incredible is where it came from.
Make no mistake, Brad Stevens' brain is why we are all feeling the way we're feeling this morning. It's probably why many of us should consult a doctor because things have NOT gone down in 4 hours.
Guess who identified Joe Mazzulla as THE GUY and the perfect coach for this team? Brad Stevens' brain.
Guess who's identified Hugo Gonzalez and found the biggest steal of the Draft? Brad Stevens' brain
Guess who identified the next Celtics big of the future and got him in the 2nd round? Brad Stevens' brain.
We have the Great Wall of China, Petra, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the Giza Pyramids as our 7 Wonders of the World, and friends, the time has come to add an 8th to that list, and I dare you to find something more wonderful than the basketball brain of Brad Stevens. Let me help you, you can't. We've never seen anything like it and will probably never see anything like it again. He's never missed. Even things that may appear to be misses at first end up actually being hits.
Not only have we seen this result in a championship, the most wins and playoff wins in the NBA over the last 4 years, historic production on both ends of the floor, sometimes we see it in a random late January game against a dogshit team where the Celtics get absolutely bailed out by a couple of rookies who are only on this team because they were identified by Brad Stevens' gigantic and glorious basketball brain.
Should any of this have even happened? Of course not. Win the game in regulation like a normal team, especially when you have a B2B the next night. But as we know, this team is not normal. That's what makes you love them. They are going to put you through hell for 2.5 hours with some of the most mind-numbing shit you'll ever see on a basketball court, but then somehow someway they are going to find a way to pull it out. Collectively, we went through every human emotion from about 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter through the 2OT. The lowest of lows and the highest of highs, all in a random regular season basketball game.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself as a reminder that this is real
but then I remember that this entire program was built by the greatest basketball mind on planet Earth. I know this is just one win against a 12 win team, but that's not really the point.
Pay attention to how they won. Pay attention to who came through in the biggest moments.
That, is the reason for excitement.
The Good
- If we're being honest, I'm still very drunk on Celts Kool Aid as I type this blog. That shit has been flowing through my veins at an alarming rate since last night, so just know anything you read from here on out could very well just be the Kool Aid talking.
We're obviously starting with the biggest takeaway from this game, which is the play of both Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams. First, let us enjoy their performances before we dig deeper
Let's start with Hugo.
First off, I love him.
If you were to create a "winning player" in a basketball lab, it would be Hugo Gonzalez. That's the one thing we've learned for sure so far in his NBA career. This is a player who impacts winning at an extremely high level. Not just because he hit that MASSIVE 3PM, but because every single time he steps on the floor, he immediately does something that helps you win. Sometimes it's a great steal that leads to a break, sometimes it's crashing the offensive glass, sometimes it's knocking down shots, sometimes it's a great defensive rotation, the point is, at the age of 19, Hugo Gonzalez is a winning player. Period.
I do not think it's crazy that if there were a re-draft of the 2025 Draft that Hugo would be safely in the top 10, and that's me trying to not be a homer. What I really wanted to say was top 5.
Brad Stevens' brain got him at #28.
The defense is already elite, and wouldn't you know it, the offense isn't too far behind. It looks as if Hugo has figured out the timing on his eurostep after that move really never seemed to work at the NBA level, and the C&S numbers are about as solid as you could ask for from a rookie who had a questionable jumpshot coming in. Did you know Hugo is shooting 41% on the season on C&S 3s? So far this season he's 21-51, so low volume but he made a couple last night including the biggest shot of the game, so I'd say it's totally fair if you want to buy into Hugo's C&S production.
In terms of that final play?
Just an incredible job from everyone involved. Joe Mazzulla showing you why he's the clear choice for COTY, reads the game and situation perfectly and has his "Malcolm Go!!" moment. A great cut to the ball by Jaylen to make the Nets defenders pause for just a second as you can see there was a split second of miscommunication and uncertainty about what to do, great patience by Baylor to not just panic and give the ball to Jaylen and instead have the guts to throw it to Hugo, and then an incredible job by Hugo to get to his spot, keep his heels up so he wouldn't step on the out of bounds line and he shot that shit with the utmost confidence I could cry. Hauser knew right away, the make was as pure as it gets, and from there I'm pretty sure I blacked out.
The very definition of making a big time play in a big time spot from a guy who very clearly is well on his way to becoming a big time player.
Getting what we got from Hugo was more than enough for me. That level of Celtics porn was all I needed.
But then we got the Amari Williams minutes.
As big as the Hugo 3PM was, let's not overlook Amari's role in what could arguably be considered an even bigger shot. This one right here
Not only was this play huge for what it meant for the score and the game situation, it was also massive because it saved Joe from having to call a timeout, which he then used to put Hugo in. Amari's passing is one of his best skillsets, so for the Celts to go to him in that spot and for him to come through with the PERFECT pass to Pritchard is just the kind of stuff that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Down 5 with 7 seconds left? That's almost always a loss.
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Then once we got to 2OT, Amari completely took over. The AND1, the rim protection, and then the game sealing block. Look, I don't want to get ahead of myself so I'm technically not going to be the one who says what you're about to read. Who did Amari remind us all of with that game ending block?
The fact that Amari flew in that same day because Queta was sick, sat for 95% of the game and then came in and essentially played a major role in why the Celtics won this game is so awesome I can't even stand it. It's everything we want to see with Amari, and once again, all you can do is bow down to the greatness that is Brad Stevens' brain.
- With no Derrick White, that meant Payton Pritchard's role was going to have to go up a level. This was not a game in which the Celts could afford an offensive no show from Payton, and honestly in the first half that's sort of what we got. The good news is, NBA games are 48 minutes and the final 24+ for Payton were pretty lights out
32/5/4 and not a single FTA is about as ethical as it gets. That's the thing with Pritchard, he has these 30 and 40 balls while basically never getting to the line, so it's all shotmaking. It was Pritchard's run in the 3rd quarter that really carried things, and he led all scorers with 17 points on 7-11 (3-6) shooting in his 16 2nd half minutes. He then had another 8 points in the OTs. The Celtics don't win this game without Pritchard waking up after that slow first half, and he credited Joe for challenging him at halftime, so chalk another one up for the COTY.
With the role change since there was no DWhite, it meant that Payton had to shift from his playmaking duties to being more of that 2nd scoring option, and he responded by finishing 13-24 (6-11) overall with a great balance of paint pressure and 3P production. Why some Celts fans still think Payton Pritchard isn't good or isn't a starting caliber player is beyond me, but all I know is that he continues to find ways to thrive in whatever role he needs to play on any given night.
- You'll never believe this, but there's a certain group of Celts fans that want you to believe Jaylen Brown, despite his 27/10/12 and only 2 TOs and a team leading +11 was actually bad in this game.
Pay them no mind.
Now, what is true is Jaylen's shooting has been complete dogshit for a few weeks now. We'll touch on that in a second. But what's important to remember is that there are ways to impact winning that go outside of shotmaking. Would it be nice if we didn't have to see tour dates from Jaylen every game? Of course. But in the same way I don't really give a shit what Tatum shoots when he's doing everything else, I do not really care what Jaylen shoots when he's also doing everything else.
This is now the 3rd straight game we've seen Jaylen finish with 10+ rebounds, and I thought his process in this win was pretty ideal for the most part. As the Celts started to initially pull away, a lot of that was due to Jaylen not forcing his offense and finding a way to create for others, most notably Neemy. He finished with 4 AST and just 2 FGA (1-2) in the 4th quarter, and I'll take a 12:2 AST to TO ratio every day of the week, especially in a game in which Jaylen played 46 minutes against a team in BKN that plays with a great deal of ball pressure.
When the Celts needed some sort of make in the first OT, Jaylen stepped up with the big 3PM. In the 2OT he led the entire team with 4 rebounds, which we obviously know are very important when it comes to winning.
In years past, when Jaylen would have a 9-27 game, that would pretty much be it. There was no real impact anywhere else. Now, we're seeing him still find ways to impact the game outside of his scoring, which is what growth looks like. It's also the requirement of a #1 option. You have to be more than just a scorer, and last night was an example of Jaylen doing just that.
- At what point do we just accept that Sam Hauser might never miss again? We've seen Hauser Heaters before, but this time things feel different. I think it's because not only is Hauser continuing to be automatic game in and game out right now, but his strong play is exceeding even outside the shooting. The defense, the rebounding, we're currently watching Hauser play the best basketball of his season
Joe put Hauser back in the starting lineup and boom, he's immediately responded
I'm sorry, you can't trade this skillset and contract value for "big depth". Not when Amari Williams exists. I said this after the Pacers win, but Hauser is becoming closer and closer to untouchable for me. It has to be a real blue chip player for me to take this level of shooting away from Jayson Tatum when he returns. Add in the fact that Hauser is just straight up a good defender now? You can't let that piece go.
- I am so Luka Garza pilled it's not even fucking funny
Another solid 12 points on 5-6 shooting off the bench, we're inching dangerously close to a Luke Kornet level of off the bench impact as a back up big when it comes to Garza. You can take an uber-efficient 10-12 points with some offensive rebounds to the bank whenever he checks in, and to think this is where we are with Garza given the start to his season is batshit insane.
The same way we're watching Queta develop into a legit starting center, I think we're also watching Garza develop into a legit back up center. His motor is crazy, he's shooting like 47% on C&S 3s, all he does is impact that game when he's on the floor, and while there are some defensive issues at times and the lateral footspeed isn't great against quicker defenders, whatever. We're talking about a back up big here, not a $30M center. Garza is giving this team the type of consistent production in his role off the bench that we just saw Kornet provide for the last 2 years. I don't know how else to explain it.
His screening is a weapon, his motor is a weapon, his shooting and offensive rebounding are weapons. For my money, the Garza development is one of the more pleasant surprises of this entire season. I actually find myself craving more Luka Garza minutes, and that is NOT something I thought I'd feel at any point, but he's won me over.
- Just want to shoutout Baylor Scheierman's defense. He shot like shit, but his rebounding and defense was top notch. I'd also say the same with Simons. He's another guy who shot like ass, but I thought played pretty well. He was active defensively, he made some timely baskets, and he for the most part played hard. Those were two examples of guys finding ways to impact winning despite not being able to make a shot.
- 35 AST and only 8 TOs. That's about as good as it gets folks.
The Bad
- So I guess Michael Porter Jr just owns the Celtics now? Kind of weird, but certainly not the most random Celtics Killer we've ever had. For whatever reason, the Celts can't figure out how to guard a pin down, so that was pretty annoying. We only had to watch MPJ bury the Celts with the same play a billion times in the last game these two teams played, so that was not what I would call great execution by the players as MPJ once again had 30 while once again burying the Celts with the same play. We saw Joe have to pull guys on multiple occasions for going under the screen on MPJ, which was clearly not the intended plan.
They also apparently have a Nic Claxton problem, because right after he had his first triple double ever against BOS in the last meeting, he had 18/9/4 on 8-13 in this game. Not the best Neemy performance if we're being honest.
- Speaking of Neemy, you can't be giving you 6th foul in a high leverage situation 94 feet from your basket. Very bad situational awareness in that moment and it almost was very costly. Then again, that bonehead decision helped us get Amari minutes, so I suppose I'll let it slide. Still bad though.
- Alright, let's talk about Jaylen's shooting.
The truth is, since the Clippers game, the efficiency with Jaylen has been a complete disaster. Over that span, Jaylen has played 9 games and his is efficiency in those 9 games is a cool 40/35% with a TS% of just 52.3%. That is objectively, not good.
When you look closer, Jaylen has been under 40% from the floor in 4 of his last 6 games. Also, not good.
Where have the struggles been coming from?
Rim - 64%
Paint (non RA) - 43%
Midrange - 21%
Above the Break - 39%
Corner - 20% (low volume)
Interestingly enough, the issues are coming mostly from Jaylen's best zones. At the rim, in the paint, and midrange. His outside shooting actually hasn't been all that bad, and this tracks with what we saw last night. The midrange production has completely disappeared since the 50 ball, but so has the paint finishing. Even if we all knew there would be some regression to the 50%+ midrange efficiency in the first few months of the season, I'd say the 9-42 stretch over the last 9 is a little extreme.
Some of these are just tough misses, but this is the game you play when you rely on contested 2FGA as a mainstay of your offense. There are going to be dips. With tired legs, those shots become tougher. How many times did we see Jaylen be super short on his midrange fadeaways? That's tired legs but also being stuck in a low percentage look over longer defenders. By nature, those are not efficient shots.
This is why the rebounding and playmaking is so important, as is his ability to get through the line. He's what I would call officially in a shooting slump as this has been going on for most of 2026 and really since mid December when it comes to his midrange regression. Finding to ways to impact the game outside of scoring is important, but it's almost as important that Jaylen get back on track offensively. He's too important to be throwing up sub-40% every game.
- It's a tad embarrassing that right after the Nets were blown out by 60 that it took the Celts needing a Hugo prayer just to avoid another devastating loss. I know any given night in the NBA blah blah blah, but the Nets have given the Celts everything they can handle in 2 out of the 3 games this season. Credit to them for playing well, but also I need the Celts to cut the shit.
If we're being honest, I don't think the Celts have played that well in any of the matchups, and they're fortunate to be 2-1 and not 1-2. Have to be better against the bottom of the league.
The Ugly
- What a collapse down the stretch of the 4th quarter, and it was another example of a lot of the Celtics fatal flaws showing up in the worst moments.
For starters, the late game defensive rebounding was horrendous. I mean as bad as we've seen all season. In the 4th quarter alone, the Nets finished with 6 OREB / 14 2nd chance points. It's how they scored their final 8 points of regulation and force OT. How many times have we seen the Celts be unable to get a rebound in this spot and that inability to rebound cost them games? At least 3-4 already, and this was a Hugo 3PM away from being another.
In total, the Celts were destroyed on the glass 58-41. They allowed 16 OREB / 24 2nd chance points, which is almost always followed by a loss. It is so frustrating to watch the Celts get these initial stops late in games only to never be able to secure the ball and instead continue to give up back breaking points. Just rebound the fucking basketball.
Up 9 with 2:26
Up 5 with 50.8 seconds
Up 1 at the line with 11 seconds
That is a game you should win in regulation. I'd say 95% of the time you see a team close that game out. The Boston Celtics? Of course not.
Naturally we saw an 89% FT shooter in Simons go 1-2 with 11 seconds left, and while they were bailed out by an MPJ missed 3, they of course gave up the OREB putback to send the game to OT. Well, that's also because Sam Hauser threw this inbounds pass. What the hell was that?
Speaking of missed FTs, Jaylen going 5-10 from the FT also was pretty gross. He's shooting nearly 80% this month so you make sense of that, but this was another case where FT shooting almost cost them another win. Things were already lopsided 34-16 in terms of attempts, so to go 10-16 as a team is pretty gross. Between Jaylen missing 5 and Simons missing that one late, that was almost it for me. That probably would have killed me had the Celts not won this game.
Look, sometimes over the course of 82 you need to pull a game out of your ass. That is what the Celts did in this win. You take it and move on. The challenge is now tonight's game against CHI on Derrick Rose Night, which was already going to be a tough battle. Now you have to pull it off on a B2B after a 2OT game. Mental toughness test like you read about. Win this one, and you have to be feeling pretty damn good about yourself.