Unlike The Patriots, The Celtics Showed It's Actually Very Possible To Not Completely Embarrass Yourself While Playing A Team From Wisconsin
Patrick McDermott. Getty Images.Both the Patriots and Celtics spent their Sunday with a matchup against a team from Wisconsin, yet I think it's safe to say they have very, very different experiences. Granted, the Packers are legit and the Bucks are arguably the worst team in the NBA, but the point remains.
While the Patriots spent 3 hours getting absolutely humiliated in every aspect of the game (while also on their own field), you can get the details from Old Balls HERE
On the Celtics side, their embarrassing play only really lasted around 6ish minutes of the first quarter. From there, they went belt to ass for another blowout win. After a shaky start, it was the exact performance you expect from them going up against a dogshit opponent. Part of separating yourself during the NBA season is making sure you do not fuck around when it comes to playing the bad teams. Those are Ws you need to be stacking without fail. Through the Celts first 10 games, that's exactly what they've done. After this win, they're now 7-0 against teams below .500 to start the season, which is the best record in the NBA.
It also doesn't take a math major to figure out that this means they are also 1-2 against teams .500 or better, which stinks. But looking around the NBA, the Cs are right in line with a lot of teams in how they've been beating the shit out of bad teams. The Sixers are 5-0, the Pistons are 4-0, the Hawks are 6-2, the Raptors are 5-1, the Lakers are 5-0, the Spurs are 4-0, the Wolves are 6-0, the Blazers are 4-0 etc. Over the course of the season, the real contenders will thrive against both, but cleaning up on games you "should" win is exactly how you get yourself off to a good start. Consider that building in some margin for error to have over the next 6 months.
Just how good has the Celts start been through 10 games?
Record: 8-2
ORTG: 117.9 (3rd)
DRTG: 106.3 (4th)
NET: +11.6 (1st)
Not bad! They also own the best point differential in the East (+10.7) which happens to also be the 2nd highest in the NBA. All of this while playing what I'd consider B/B-level basketball. What we've seen so far is nowhere CLOSE to their ceiling, which is certainly encouraging.
And let's be honest, coming from watching the Pats get completely embarrassed in all phases, I think we all needed a Celts blowout like this. Things could have gotten very bleak if the Pats lost how they did against the Packers and then the Celts somehow lost to the 1-8 Bucks. Thankfully, we don't live in that reality.
We all know what's looming tomorrow night, but before we can put all of our focus on that, let's talk through what we saw in the latest belt to ass Celts win
The Good
- When Paul George became a Celtic, it wasn't hard to see how well he was going to fit based on his skillset and how the Celtics play. There were (and still are) plenty of questions about his health and how much he has left in the tank, but in terms of fit? As long as he was healthy and on the floor, every sign pointed to things being a near-perfect basketball fit.
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As we now sit here 10 games into the season, I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say whatever you may have personally felt the "best case scenario" would be when it comes to PG13, what we've actually gotten has been no less than a billion times better. It's legit insane
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I suppose this is where someone would say "Who cares, it was against the Bucks"
Giphy Images.Me, I care. Yeah, this wonderful performance came against a group that barely counts as an actual basketball team. So the fuck what? The games count, do they not? He'd be dragged if he struggled in this matchup, would he not?
A starter best +16 in his minutes, it was another example of George thriving in every area he's been great in all year. The 3pt shooting was beautiful to watch, the defense was as good as ever (2 more steals), and it all came in just 28 minutes which might be my favorite part of all. Not only does George look healthy and spry, but Joe is keeping his minutes as low as he can. Nothing we're really seeing from George feels unsustainable, which is the exciting part. He's not going to forget how to play off ball defense. He's a 40% C&S player, he's not going to just forget how to shoot.
It really does feel like we're watching Wing Horford. Remember when Al was 36 and how impactful he was? That's what is happening with George to start this season, only he's a wing. Watching him play it did seem like we got 2023-24 Clipper George, who played 72 games and made the All Star team, but the more we see I think we may be dealing with late IND/OKC George. The one who was also an All NBA/All NBA Defender caliber player.
There is simply no denying that if things were voted on today, he'd be both an All Star and an All NBA Defender. The fact that I could even type that sentence and it not being blind homerism is absolutely incredible.
And let's be honest, I think most rational people understand that there may be some peaks and valleys. There could be some stretches of regression. That's fine. The man is 36 years old after all. But so far? 10 out of 10, no notes.
- For the second straight game, Jayson Tatum did not play a single second in the 4th quarter. He did all of his work in the first three, the Celts were up by a billion, and as a result we didn't exactly get the "stat padding" opportunity that many fans wanted as Tatum hunts his first MVP.
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I think we just have to accept that an approach like that just isn't going to happen with Tatum. For starters, he kind of sucks in his stat padding opportunities. He trolls, which usually has the opposite impact and tanks his night. But also, once the Celts get up big he takes that opportunity to make sure everybody eats. There's no 40% USG or whatever. He finished with only a 30% USG in this game, which was the same as George.
Watching Tatum play, you really do have to remind yourself that we're still under 40 games since his return from injury. You certainly can't tell by how he's playing, but it's probably the right decision to hold him out of these blowout 4ths and keep his minutes low. Bad for agenda pushing maybe, but good for the overall goal. Given he's playing the full 1st quarter, I also don't really hate when Joe gives him an extended break in the 2nd quarter if the team is rolling. I know that can throw him off a hot start, but you have to keep the bigger picture in mind. Would you prefer he was an early sub in the 1st quarter? I think there has to be a balance there, and as long as he's playing the full first 12 minutes, there are going to be games (especially against bad teams) where he doesn't come back until around the 4 minute mark of the 2nd.
One thing that has become VERY noticable and has brought joy back into my life is that Tatum is back to hunting his pull up 3PA. You know what's largely disappeared from his shot diet recently? Long contested midrange. I could cry. I think his shot diet has been perfect these last few games, and it's easy to see just how important that pull up 3 is to the entire offense. If you play drop against Tatum, you HAVE to make the defenses pay by being a pull up threat. He wasn't doing that shit early in the season and their halfcourt offense stunk. These last few? Every chance he gets he's taking that shot and the results have been great
Over his last 3 games, Tatum is taking 6.3 (!!!!!!) pull up 3PA a game, and shooting 47% (!!!!!!!!!!) on that shot.
Pull ups are back, he's getting to the FT line, he's thriving at all 3 levels, the list goes on and on.
- It's actually astonishing just how bad the Bucks frontcourt is. Myles Turner….woof! Is that the worst current contract in the NBA right now? What a disaster.
The good news is going up against such a dogshit frontcourt is the perfect opportunity for the Celts bigs to continue getting in rhythm. Neemy back as the starter, Mitch back in his reserve role, is anyone surprised it seems to be working MUCH better than what we saw to start the season?
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We know what Neemy can do, so the real takeaway from the bigs performance in this win was the play of Mitchell Robinson.
THAT is the guy I was promised. 18 minutes / 12 points / 7 rebounds (4 OREB) / 4 steals / 1 block / +19
Impact. That's the name of the game when it comes to Mitch. The Celts need the player who immediately makes a positive impact when he steps on the floor, which is what made him so devastating as a Knick. These last few games? That's exactly what Mitch is doing in his reserve role. Sure, it came against MIL/CHA/MIL but whatever, I'll take it.
So what happened? I do think going back to the reserve role has helped, Joe adjusting his positioning has helped, but also he mostly looks to be in better shape, something he admitted postgame
Given how poor his start was, there was definitely cause for early concern had things not flipped. But now that they are starting to flip and Mitch is stacking performances that are in line with what the expectations are of his minutes, I think it's fair to step away from the ledge a little bit. We'll see how it looks against better frontcourts, but I'm not picky. I just needed to see ANY sort of progress based on where we were like a week ago, and he's responded with 3-4 straight solid outings.
- Celts own the shot margin 95-79, they made 18 3PM, they won the rebounding battle 48-36, they only turned the ball over 10 times and they finished with 27 assists.
When they are that good around the margins and also don't miss every shot they take, they win by blowout. That's not news, that's how it's been during the entire Mazzulla Ball Era. You saw their formula work to perfection in this win. Maximize possessions, limit turnovers, make your open shots, pressure the paint (44 paint points).
After their slow start they stopped playing with their food and look what happened. Funny how that works.
- Given what we saw the last time these two teams played, I was thankful we didn't see another collapse. In fact, there was only 1 lead change in this entire game. Progress? Progress!
The Bad
- I get why Joe maybe gave Mike Conley the starting nod after how he played his ass off in the Hornets win despite it being a blowout. A nice little opportunity to reward a guy who probably won't play much.
At the same time, those early minutes to start the game were a disaster. It was a big part of why the Celts found themselves in a 20-6 hole, and overall Conley was a -11 in his 10 minutes. It wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't exactly what I would call "good" either. I will say his legs do look fresh and he seems to have a little burst here and there, but at the end of the day you could classify it as another big brain move by Joe that didn't exactly translate to on the court success.
I won't lie, coming off the Pats loss to see that 20-6 start, I got nervous. The vibes felt off. Thankfully the Tatum + bench lineup was great, but I did not love how they started off.
- A combined 0 points from Walsh/Hugo in a game like this against a team like that was…..not great.
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Only 3 combined FGA from them, it felt more like they were out there getting cardio than making an actual basketball impact. Baylor also wasn't all that great, so these are the types of games that are slightyly concerning when it comes to the young wings. These are the matchups they should really separate themselves in, and I don't think that really happened for any of them.
- I understand I'm the only one who cares about this, but 9-14 from the FT line was gross. Both in terms of the percentage (64%) and the volume. Mitch only missed 1, so it wasn't even all on him either. 0 FTA from George, White, Pritchard, Walsh, Hugo, Baylor, etc wasn't exactly ideal, and while it didn't matter because they were making their jumpers, the Celts have been so much better at getting to the line I do not want them going backwards.
At the same time Tatum was absolutely hosed on several calls and probably should have been closer to 11-12 FTA, and instead finished with 4, so that didn't help either.
The Ugly
- A big part of that slow start was also allowing Kyle Kuzma to turn into Steph Curry, which I find disgraceful. No offense to Kyle Kuzma, but I get irrationally angry whenever the Celts allow him to do anything positive. Remember that loss to the Bucks when he had like 34 points? I couldn't look myself in the mirror for a week. That was disgusting.
So to see him bomb 30 footers left and right in the first 6 minutes of the game, I mean have some pride. Kyle Kuzma stinks, so allowing that fuckery to happen was inexcusable. You want to let Herro go crazy? That's not great but I can understand it. Kyle Kuzma? Get your shit together.
- The Bucks might have the worst future in the NBA following the Giannis trade. The players they got from the Heat all stink, and it looks like it only took 10 games for them to quit on their coach. I'm not sure what they do, but dark days are ahead.
And now we turn the page to tomorrow night. By my calculations, it will be one of the most toxic nights in the NBA in quite some time. We all knew it was coming when the schedule came out, and now it's here. Play like they have these last few games, and the Celts should be just fine. Fuck around? And you're going to be on the wrong end of a Sixers belt to ass performance. It may just be Game 11, but it may as well be Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Not a must win, but definitely a can't lose.