Over The Span Of 24 Hours The Celtics Got A Front Row Seat To Both The Thrill Of Victory And The Agony Of Defeat
Geoff Stellfox. Getty Images.The sport of basketball is a funny game sometimes.
This time yesterday, as Celtics fans we were all collectively in a great mood coming off a gigantic last-second made corner 3 that helped steal a win (eventually).
Today, as Celtics fans I imagine we're all collectively annoyed coming off a loss which came as a direct result of a last-second made corner 3 from virtually the exact same spot, just in a different city.
I can't think of a better representation of both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat than these two pictures
The fact that they came within 24 hours of each other is both hilarious and annoying, and really that's once again my takeaway from yet ANOTHER one possession loss.
If you're keeping track at home, that's now 9 of the Celts' 17 losses on the season coming by 5 points or less. A total of 6 of those 9 are by 3 or less. Isn't that fun?
But here I sit, with the same sort of mindset as we just experienced with the Pistons loss (by 1 point).
Giphy Images.
Advertisement
I'm supposed to be all worked up that the Celts fell just short in a B2B following a 2OT win that they pulled out of their ass while it took the Bulls making 21 3PMs just to win by 3, and it was Derrick Rose Night?
I'm annoyed, but that's really it.
In many ways I respect how the Celts fought in this game, given the context in which it was played. It was only their 3rd loss on a B2B all year, and 2 of those 3 have come by 5 points and 3 points. If anything, I'm way more annoyed/mad about being taken to 2OT by the Nets on Friday than I am losing this game last night. The Celts battled enough to give themselves a shot down the stretch, and just didn't have enough juice to get it over the finish line. It happens.
I am fully aware that continuing to play this moral victory card is pretty lame, but it's honestly how I feel after I see the Celts lose by one possession when factoring in the context around these losses. It's annoying for sure, but they should have been blown out last night. Losing to the Pistons by 1 point in their last loss is not something to get worked up about, you know what I mean? It's a weird feeling because there were real flaws that cost the Celts in these games, but it's hard to get all bent out of shape knowing this is all happening without the best player playing a single second.
Is it loser talk to then suggest the Celts get a bit of a moral victory pass when they come up short in these close/competitive games? I think the answer is both yes and no. Big picture, yes. Smaller, more immediate picture, no. Like, the lack of execution and the no shows by their good players still matter. Games played by this Celtics roster count the same as any other team in the league, so what they do on the court matters. It should just be taken with a grain of salt I guess is my point. Think of it this way, do you think Jayson Tatum makes an impact in last night's close loss? If the answer is yes, then you can certainly be annoyed that the non-Tatum roster didn't come through, but any sort of big picture proclamations are rather silly. Does that make sense?
It woud certainly be much easier if the Celts just stopped losing these one possession games, but I'd much rather battle and lose close than get blown out, and since no team is going to go 82-0, as annoying and painful as these types of losses can be sometimes, give me this shit over like what we saw against the Rockets or Bucks. There's something to be said about being in every game you play, while not having your best player.
I dunno, maybe that's not the best spinzone, but it's how I feel. Annoyed, but that's really it.
With that said, let's begin.
The Good
- In a game like this where your legs are cooked, the team got to their hotel at 4am, those are the ones where your best player has to fight through it and show up. These are the grind it out games, and as the #1 guy, you aren't really afforded the luxury of having a night off. If anything, these are the kind of games you need to deliver in.
Coming off his 27/10/12 in 46 minutes in the 2OT win, I'd say Jaylen Brown lived up to his billing
Advertisement
He finished an efficient 14-28 from the floor (2-8 from deep), once again led the Celts in scoring, rebounding, and was t-2nd in assists with only 2 TOs in his 37 minutes. In the 4th quarter, he came through on multiple occasions with huge late game buckets, whether it was the AND1 when they were down 111-107 or the game tying transition finish in the final 15 seconds to knot things at 111, in my opinion Jaylen did his part in this win. He couldn't no show on the B2B, and he didn't.
What was pretty noticeable about Jaylen's performance compared to the other stretches of games recently where he's had 30+ was the fact that his paint/midrange game looked MUCH better. This was more early season Jaylen than current Jaylen that's been pretty dogshit from those zones for the last month or so.
A solid 6-7 in the restricted area, 4-9 in the paint, and 2-4 from midrange, I'll take a 12-20 on a B2B. The way he was dominating his one-on-one matchups as the Bulls refused to send help is exactly what we saw him do earlier in the year. Use his strength to get into the paint, don't turn it over, and finish with either a little paint push shot or a midrange jumper. Finishing through contact, creating space and hitting the pull up, things like that. I don't know how Jaylen had the legs for it, but his approach was great
Against the Nets, he couldn't make a shot so he made up for it in his rebounding and playmaking. Last night he was doing a little bit of everything on a night where and Simons were really the only ones who could make a shot. That's what I ask for from the player in Jaylen's role, so I don't have too many problems with how he played.
The clutch FT shit needs to be figured out though. That's now multiple games.
- Heading into this game, Anfernee Simons' shot had really gone missing over his last handful of games. Over his prior 3, he was shooting just 31/17% in 28 minutes off the bench, which was a pretty big dropoff from the 50/50% stretch he had in the 8 games before that.
The point is, his jumper had abandoned him over the last few, but what I found notable is that he did NOT let that impact his defense or effort. That feels like growth to me, especially considering what the perception was around Simons when he first became a Celtic. That if he wasn't scoring, he couldn't really make an impact. I would say even in his little mini slump, that was not the case.
Advertisement
Usually when a player continues to play the right way and doesn't let poor shooting impact their play, the Basketball Gods eventually reward them by busting them out of their slump. That's how I view Simons' performance in this loss
The defense has remained consistent, and I'm at the point where I think we need to start talking about Simons as at worst, a neutral defender. He's made that much of an improvement in my eyes. He's certainly no longer this gigantic liability, which is what we were all hoping would happen right? He's not only been passable on that end for about 2 months now, he's sneaky been pretty good.
In a game like this, with tired legs and all, the scoring sparkplug off the bench did his job. He was able to handle the load int he non-Jaylen minutes, he was efficient, he rebounded, he moved the ball, he was in the right places defensively, there wasn't a lot to nitpick about. Against the Nets I thought Simons played well despite shooting like ass, last night I thought he played well by showing up on both ends of the floor.
Advertisement
You could easily make the case that Simons' should have seen the floor at some point over the final 3 minutes, and I won't argue with you there. Of all the right buttons Joe has pushed, this felt like a situation like the MIA win where Simons was really one of the few who had any juice offensively, and you'll remember he closed that game in the comeback. Given how last night was going there was a need for Simons' scoring down the stretch.
- Another game in which Baylor/Hugo/Walsh all play well, which is encouraging even in defeat. Their box scores weren't anything crazy, but they all gave us signs of their development that will continue to play a key role in how this team operates.
With Hugo, it's just instant winning impact at all times. A made 3, a couple of steals and nice defensive plays, no surprise he was a +7 in his 11 minutes.
With Baylor, the way he's been able to stay in front of guys and use his chest to block off drives and not foul has been awesome. The defense he is playing is why he's on the floor, and we're seeing him guard all types of players, which is important.
With Walsh, it's the flashes. The C&S 3s, the drives, the impact. A team best +8 for him in his 17 minutes.
Really, the lineups with Hugo/Walsh were huge in the first half of the 4th quarter, and while it sucks the Celts ultimately lost the game, what makes it tolerable for me is the fact that the young guys all continue to play well and make an impact in their minutes.
Remember, that was the goal of this entire season back in October. The development looks better and better every time we see these guys hit the floor, and I'd say they all had key moments over this B2B.
- Other than that? Not all that great. Let's move on.
The Bad
- If, despite being a Celtics fa,n you were still for some reason unaware of how and why 3P shooting is so important, this game was yet another example.
The Celtics won the shot margin of this game by +14. They made more FGM, crushed in points off TOs, won the turnover battle, were +1 in FTM and +10 in points in the paint (52-42). They had more 2nd chance points.
When you do all that, you tend to win in the NBA. That is of course, unless you lose two of the most important areas, which unfortunately the Celtics did.
They lost the rebounding battle, and the 3PM battle.
The 3P production ultimately was the difference
BOS: 15-47
CHI: 21-45
This wasn't a case of the Celts playing the wrong way and trying to beat 3s with 2s and losing via math. They did what you should do when an opponent is red hot from deep and matched their volume. The problem, was the rate in which they converted those shots compared to what the Bulls were doing.
A game like this is why the 3P shot is the ultimate equalizer. You can take fewer shots and make fewer shots, but if you're hot from deep, then none of that matters.
As someone who has been harping on the opponent 3P issue since around mid December, this does not surprise me one bit. Not only had the Bulls been hot from deep over their last few, the Celtics are quite literally one of the worst teams in the NBA at limiting opponent 3s. It's really remarkable how a team this good, with this much defensive talent just can't seem to stop an opponent from having a magnet ball.
And I KNOW. I know it's their strategy to pack the paint, which in turn can leave shooters open. I dunno, maybe change that up a little bit. But I will say, even if that over-helping once again led to a handful of open and wide-open looks, the Bulls also made a handful down the stretch that were contested with good defense. Sometimes it's just your night, and it certainly helps get yourself into one of those zones if you're feasting off open looks early.
Advertisement
But what we can't ignore is the actual production.
Since December 19th, or over the last 19 games, the Celtics rank 29th in opponent 3PM at 15.5 a game (!!!!!!!!!). They also rank 29th in opponent 3PA at 43.9. If you go back a little further to December 1st, or their last 25 games, they rank 28th at 14.9 3PM. Very bad!
To put that into context, the Celtics themselves on the season average 15.8 3PM on 42.7 3PA. That's the 2nd most made 3s in the NBA
So basically, anyone who plays the Celtics for the last month plus essentially turns into the 2nd best 3P shooting team in the NBA. Very, very bad!
The Celts gave up at least 6 3PM in 3 of the 4 quarters in this game. I don't care who you are playing, that is not a winning formula.
- It's no surprise that the one quarter they didn't give up a ton of 3s was the one quarter they won. The Celts took control of the game with a 30-22 2nd quarter, and it looked like they were about to settle down defensively.
Ha! Wouldn't that have been nice. Instead, they took that momentum from a 6 point lead at the break and turned in this 3rd quarter. In my opinion, this is one of the main swing factors of the game
How would you say the defensive effort looked in those 12 minutes? Personally, I would consider allowing a team to shoot 70/60% and make 6 3PM as some pathetic ass dogshit defense. You let Isaac Okoro cook you? OK man. Call it the tired legs if you want, but all I see is bad defensive execution. Not guarding 3s, they were giving up plays at the rim with ease, they didn't really force turnovers, and then on the other end the Celts shot 42/30% with the starting guards being a combined 2-9 (0-4). Not great!
It's a tale as old as time. In the NBA, if you don't defend, you die. Jump shooting will come and go, but defensive execution needs to remain consistent. This team has too many good defenders on it to be laying a collective defensive egg like this, even on a B2B. It's not like this was the 4th quarter, this is what we got coming out of halftime, where you know, guys rest!
- I am man enough to admit part of me is bitter about the Huerter game winner because I was forced to see losses in both the Paul Pierce and KG jersey retirement games. That was bullshit. But the second Jaylen tied the game with 14 seconds left, I think we all knew what was coming
Advertisement
Brutal to see Hauser get got by a ghost screen, and overall just not great defensive execution at a time when you needed it most. A miscommunication between Hugo/Hauser sort of fucked things up which titled the floor, DWhite has to close out on Coby White because you can't let him get a clean look, and at that time Queta probably should have already been rotating over to the corner. He was a half step too slow, and that's all she wrote. Good on the Bulls for executing in this high leverage situation, bad on the Celtics for how they showed up defensively.
- It's a small thing, but with another clutch time missed FT, Jaylen is now shooting 56% from the line in those situations. It's not like that miss was what cost them this game considering they lost by 3, but it is something that has become a legit issue. He's having the best FT shooting season of his career, but 56% in the clutch is beyond unacceptable for anyone, let alone one of the best players on the team.
The Ugly
- Not the best night for the starting guard duo. While he was huge against the Nets, Pritchard did not carry that over to the Bulls, finishing 4-10 (1-3). He did have a solid 7 AST and 0 TOs, but his shotmaking and really overall offensive aggressiveness was missed.
When it came to Derrick White, I think we were all hoping that his rest day would make a world of difference, as it so often does with players. Sadly, that did not happen when it came to helping DWhite's jumper. He finished a brutal 5-18 (3-11), and while he did show flashes of his old self with 10 points in the 4th quarter, overall it was another game where his offensive production wasn't quite enough.
I know he does everything defensively. The Celtics are not where they are without DWhite. That's all true. But it's also true that at some point his offense has to come around at least a little bit. There can be a balance there. If we look at the 9 losses this season by 5 or less, there really is one constant theme. Derrick has had an offensive stinker in every single one
As the #2 scoring option on this version of the roster, a 33/26% stretch in all these close losses is a bit annoying. Considering 6 of these were by 3 or less, you could make the case that DWhite just needed to make 1 more shot in a handful of these and they turn to wins.
Obviously things change when Tatum returns and White moves back to more of an off ball role where he thrives, but even in this on ball role we all know he's better than what he's currently producing.
From the floor, he's finished below 40% from the floor in 4 of the last 6 games he's played in. During that same stretch, he's been under 30% from deep in 5 of the 6. Weirdly, 5 of those 6 games are on the road, so maybe he just needs some home cooking or something? Who knows. Maybe he just needs the month of January to end considering this appears to be the only month of the season in which he can't make a jumper?
Advertisement
That's pretty much where I'm at. I am begging to get to Feb 1st. DWhite is too good a player and shooter to be doing THIS, even with an expanded role. As he goes the Celts go, and it's no surprise that in his worst games is where we see the Celts lose close.
- When I say the Celts had every opportunity to win this game, all you had to do was look at the final 3 minutes. This was a 2 point game with 3:41 left in the game. From that point on, the Bulls made just 2 shots (2-8). The Celts gave themselves a chance, it just required some offensive execution.
Their result? 3-7 (0-1) over the final 3:41 with 6 of those shots coming in the paint
Over the final 2:21? Bulls left the door open (1-5), and the Celtics simply refused to take advantage (1-4).
In many ways, the Bulls were begging the Celtics to steal this game, but whether it was a Queta miss in the paint, a Jaylen miss in the paint, a missed DWhite 3PA, nobody could make shit. This is where maybe Simons' may have helped given his prior shotmaking in the first half of the quarter, but in the end the Celts were done in by a lack of execution.
A tough loss no doubt, but again coming off a 2OT B2B, the fact that the Celts didn't get blown out is commendable. All you can ask for in those spots is a chance to win, and they had one. They probably should have lost against the Nets, so call it even. Annoying, but even.