"At The End Of The Day Our Team Is Whole Now" - At Long Last, The Celtics We Know And Love Are Back

Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.

How's everybody doing this morning? Pretty fucking great right? You too? All I can say is the cup of coffee I am drinking right now has never tasted better, and that's not just because the Celts blew another team out to the tune of a rather easy 20 point win. That alone would help, but for obvious reasons, this cup tastes so much sweeter. If we're being honest, the second I woke up this morning I had to double check my timeline/highlights/etc just to make sure I did not dream what took place at TD Garden on Friday night. Something so good, you would be certain you made it all up in your head….only it actually happened. I still even all these hours later, can't even fully process it. 

Joe Mazzulla said it pregame

"at the end of the day, our team is whole now"

Watching the game? That's exactly how it felt. All this bullshit about how Tatum would fit into how the Celtics play (you idiots), all this bullshit about the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dynamic and how they would coexist (you morons), all the bullshit about how Tatum would ruin or detract from what a great season this has been (you absolute bafoons), it took maybe what, 2 possessions for all that shit to be put to bed?

Yeah, I know the Mavs stink. But you're doing that thing again where you expect me to give a shit. We all know what our eyes saw right from the opening tip.

The Boston Celtics looked like the Boston Celtics we know and remember and love.

From a Tatum standpoint, from an execution standpoint, from a playstyle standpoint, from a player production standpoint, all of it. Now we know why they brought Tatum back. Not only is he ready, but he's himself. I saw him utilize and execute the exact same moves and approach he played with pre-injury. Only now? Now he doesn't have a fucked up wrist on his shooting hand to go along with it. I'd argue this is the first time possibly ever that Tatum's shooting wrist has been this healthy this late into an NBA season. Are we surprised that once he got his legs under him, his shot, especially from deep, looked incredible? I'm not.

Watching it all unfold last night, the only way I can describe it is that it felt like an out of body experience. I don't think any of us knew what to expect, but just like we've seen with every other aspect of this season, it was the best possible outcome. A blowout win, everyone playing well and instantly working together like it was nothing, all while Tatum looked incredible in his first game in nearly 300 days.

Remember my Basketball Divine Intervention blog from last week? Still think that may sound crazy? Are you starting to see it yet? 

Then you stop and realize, it's only going to get better from here. This, is the worst Tatum will look. The more reps he gets, the more confident he'll become. A team that was already a basketball machine, has their crowl jewel back. They've now added something that no other contender this season has added.

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Giphy Images.

If you, like me, found yourself blacking out at several points during this beautiful 48 minutes of basketball, do not worry. I have you covered. Let's begin.

The Good

- I mean, sometimes in life you don't need to overthink things, and this is a prime example. We're starting with Jayson Tatum. Thanks to Timi The Goat, please enjoy all 9+ minutes of his debut

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When I say the Jayson Tatum we know and love is back, I mean in every single aspect. Remember, this is the team's best scorer, rebounder, passer, and defender. So should any of us be surprised that Tatum immediately made an elite impact in scoring, rebounding, passing, and defense, all in his 27 minutes? This is what he does.

And then there's the overall impact side. Jayson Tatum rolls out of bed a +20. Even when he missed every shot he took early, he was a +5 in his early minutes. Why? Because few players on earth are able to make a positive impact in a basketball game like Jayson Tatum. This is why it didn't really matter how he looked last night. Those who have watched him his entire career know the deal. His just being on the floor is a cheat code. It covers all your holes and turns them into strengths, even when his jumper isn't dropping.

What you saw, was the return of a #1 option, top 5 MVP, perennial 1st Team All NBA player. Those players are rare, and the impact they bring whenever they step foot on the court is even rarer. As they say, there are levels to this shit. 

There were a few plays specifically that really let me know he was confident in himself and back to normal. The first was the missed dunk. While the haters and losers of which there are many will use that play as an opportunity to clown on Tatum, I was more encouraged than ever after that play. Why? Because of the move he made to set it up. 

This, is a staple move in Tatum's offensive arsenal. If it felt familiar, it's because you've seen it a thousand times. Here's just one of my favorite examples, just to refresh your memory

I don't care that he got Mutumbo'd by the rim. I care about that A) he trusted his achilles/body to make the move B) he executed it flawlessly and just doesn't have the lift yet. 

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Then there was this jumper. What has been a huge part of the 2025-26 Celtics offense? Operating and dominating in the paint/midrange. That's a shot historically Tatum has struggled with. Well, how would you say this looked?

The fact that he not only was looking for that shot, but executed it, makes me very very excited. Are we about to see a midrange game be added to the arsenal now? 

Defensively, he more than held his own. Lateral quickness and movement looked good, his positioning was solid, and you could see right away how valuable a 6'10 wing can be who can both guard the perimeter and hold his own in the post when he has to guard bigs. We saw good explosion on his defensive rebounding, and just wait until he starts getting the ball more off Queta rebounds and gets to operate in transition. We saw flashes of that at times last night, and I can't wait for more.

But above anything else, I'm just happy for Tatum, the person. I'm happy that he got to experience the starter intro. I'm happy that after a slow start shooting, he had one of the best debuts off an achilles you could ever want. I'm happy he got to experience the Garden erupt whenever he did anything. That's the reward for all of his hard work. I can only imagine the exhale he had after the game, because he probably knows he's back. He probably needed to experience/see it firsthand to truly believe, and that's why playing well as he did is so important. He proved to himself that he can be the same Jayson Tatum he was pre-injury. Remember the Hayward mental block? I really don't think that's going to be an issue here.

- One of the dumbest things we as Celtics fans had to endure while we waited for this return was the Jaylen Brown discourse. He's going to hate Tatum coming back, it's going to change everything, it's his team and now the other guy is back blah blah blah. Fucking morons.

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24/7/7 on solid splits, I thought this was one of Jaylen's better all around performances of the entire season. I loved how he read the game and gave it exactly what it needed at certain times. Nothing felt forced, nothing felt like he had to show that he was still THE GUY, because anyone who doesn't suffer from brainworms knows that on this team, the beauty of the Jays is that we have BOTH.

There were possessions with Tatum off ball, which were awesome because he's an elite off-ball player. In those, Jaylen was able to cook. When Tatum sat, we were back to the pre-return offense. When Tatum had it going, Jaylen stepped back and played that way. It's the exact thing they have been doing for 8 years, which, for some reason, the media and morons all over the internet refuse to accept. These two know how to play and win together, because nobody in the entire NBA has done more of it since they joined forces. That is a fact, not an opinion.

This was a prime example of what has always made this team special. Most teams are lucky to have one player of this caliber on their roster. The Celtics, are fortunate enough to have two, each with their own ways of dominating a basketball game. Together, they become unstoppable. That's how it's always been, and that's how it always will be.

- There may not be a player on the roster whose life is about to change more than Neemias Queta. This is a player who was already having a breakout season, and he hasn't even had the Tatum Stimulus Package added to it yet

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Unfortunately for the Mavs, they had no real size. As we know, if you are a team that does not possess real size, that means Neemy is going to feast. That's just how it goes. So his 16/15 in 26 minutes is pretty much what I would expect in this kind of matchup. He completely overpowered the entire Mavs frontline. We saw how devastating he's going to be as a lob threat for Tatum from here on out, and all I kept thinking of watching those two work together was this

Pool. Getty Images.

Had Neemy not fumbled a couple of those early Tatum dimes, he's looking at a triple double in his debut, so I'm going to need him to make up for that this weekend.

- Welcome back off ball Derrick White you beautiful bastard. Of all the players that looked great in their old roles, it's hard to ignore how good Derrick looked sliding back into his #3 spot

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Instead of being tasked with self creation, now Derrick can get back to what he thrives at. I'm talking C&S 3s and cutting without the ball. Right away, we saw the value in Tatum's gravity when it came to Derrick's cutting, and that's what I mean when I say Tatum just being on the floor changes the geometry of everything. Those buckets are going to be there whenever they want, whether it's Derrick cutting or someone like Hugo. 

An efficient 20 piece with 5 STOCKS is about as vintage Bald Derrick White as you're going to get. After a dogshit TS% all year, his first game back with Tatum and boom, 59.2%. That, is not an accident. That's the result of him being able to slide back into his normal role, which we know makes this team an absolute wagon.

- Celts won the shot margin, they won the 3P math, they won the rebounding battle, and they won the turnover battle. As a result, they dominated the possession battle. What happens when they do that? They blow teams out.

Compare that to the Hornets' ass kicking, where they lost all those areas and got killed in the margins. What happened in that game? They got rocked. Sometimes basketball can be that simple.

- Given the Celts were playing a dogshit team, we knew that meant that it was the perfect time for Payton Pritchard to get his shot back. After a disaster showing the other night, this looked much more like the Payton we not only remember, but the Payton the team is going to need once they eventually play a good team

It's not just the 18 points on 8/17, it's the fact that he played with a much more aggressive approach. I cannot stand when he goes out there and only gives you cardio minutes to the point where he isn't even looking for his shot. The man has the greenest green lights in the history of green lights, so just take them. His not shooting is 1000000x worse than him shooting and missing. This team will get the OREB, I promise you. But what can't happen is a lack of aggression.

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Considering he also finished with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, this was the all around performance that his role requires, especially now that Vuc is out for a month.

- As I often say, every single game Hugo will do one thing that will make you legit gasp. This was one of those moments

- Shoutout Garzilla and Baylor Scheierman as well. Two guys who continue to make the most of and thrive in their opportunities whenever they arise. With Baylor, it was sliding back into his reserve role, which he had no problems doing. The defense and rebounding, the C&Ss, it was all there.

With Garzilla, he's now the primary back up big just like earlier in the season. Right away, he was back to inhaling offensive rebounds and earning extra possessions. This is a testament to the culture and the buy in that this team has. Everyone just focuses on their role and how they can impact winning, whatever it might be. Credit to them, and credit to Joe and staff for creating that winning culture. 

The Bad

- Obviously it's the Vuc injury. That sucks not because the Celts don't have a way to survive, they do. It sucks because I want to see Vuc and Tatum play together. It sucks because losing a month of games ahead of the playoff is not an ideal situation for a guy who is figuring out his fit. He needs the reps.

It's also yet another injury right ahead of the playoffs for a Celtics big, which unfortunately has become a yearly tradition. This is the hell we have to deal with before every run. Pick an era, it's beent he same shit. If Vuc was the sacrifice we needed to make to have fully healthy Tatum back, then fine I guess I'll pay it knowing he'll be back, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

A broken finger on his shooting hand? That he got after only like 2 seconds of floor time? Why must the Basketball Gods punish us like this. Enough already. Enough!

- We're at the point now where we may have to just accept this team is incapable of getting off to good starts at home. I don't know what happened, but there may not be a worse team on the planet when it comes to their ability to shoot on their home floor in the first quarter. It's remarkable how bad the Celts are to start these games. Bricks like you read about. I'm not talking rim outs, I'm talking about jumpers that aren't even fucking close for the first 12 minutes. 

Only 21 points last night, and thankfully they were playing a team that also cannot score, but that changes over the next 3. If we see this same level of execution againts CLE/SA/OKC, we won't like the outcomes.

- Yes, Klay Thompson's magnet ball gave me 2022 Finals flashbacks, thanks for asking. PTSD every single time as I watched him hit nothing but net despite his looks not even being all that clean. I don't think that will ever stop triggering me, so that's fun.

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The Ugly

- New blog rule. When the Celtics franchise player returns from serious injury, we skip this section and instead rewatch his amazing debut. Sorry if you don't like it, you don't make the rules around here.

I already cannot wait until tomorrow. The gauntlet the Celts are about to enter is about as true a test as you could ask for now with Tatum back. We'll see if he plays on all three, but even if he doesn't, it's important for him to get game reps at playoff level intensity against playoff caliber opponents. Last night told us he's ready to play NBA basketball and dominate teams that stink.

Now we get to see how it looks like against contenders. My gut says it's going to pretty great.