There Goes That Isaiah Thomas Again, Scoring 19 In The Fourth Quarter To Help The Celtics Win Their Fifth Straight
What else is there left to say? As I sit down to try and write this all I find myself doing it sitting here, giggling to myself like a schoolgirl and I honestly ask you, what more is there to say about what we are seeing? You know what happened the last time we saw someone play at this level in the NBA? They became an MVP.
For the bazillionth time, when the game got tight and the Celtics needed heroics in order to finally fucking beat the Toronto Raptors, Isaiah like he so often has stepped up and delivered. Before we dive in to what was one of then best performances of the season for Isaiah, I want to make sure everyone knows why this game was so important. A few things are obvious, this game did things like extend the Celts lead as the two seed to 1.5, extended the win streak to five, and got Brad one step closer to coaching the All Star game. But you’re naive if you think there won’t continue to be fluctuation between the Celts and Raptors when it comes to seeding for the next two months. The Celtics desperately needed to start making up ground against TOR in their own H2H matchup, already down 0-2. Tying that up 2-2 is very important because if for some reason they end the year with the same record, the tiebreaker goes to the team with the better division record. Well, the Celtics have some work to do to catch TOR here (9-2 vs 7-3), so getting a H2H win AND giving TOR an important division loss is what made this win so crucial. I consider wins like this playoff collateral. These are the ones you want because they are going to help determine your future.
And yeah, I can admit, I had a few extra glasses of Kool Aid after this game ended because you know what, the Raptors have kicked our ass for quite some time and sometimes it feels great to finally win one.
Let’s go.
The Good
– A tradition unlike any other. You know the rules, my hands are tied. When the Gawd blesses us with a 44/4/7 on over 50% shooting with 19 fourth quarter points, we stop and smell the roses. Enjoy.
I mean you’re laughing and shaking your head right now too right? Just two days prior Isaiah had dropped 41/8 with 24 coming in the fourth quarter which was outrageous in it’s own right. If he drops another 40 spot tomorrow, he’ll be the first Celtic ever to drop 40 in three straight. What made last night’s performance so special is the guy had a fucking 50/40/90 game. A huge reason in my mind for Isaiah’s offensive success, is he’s back to getting to the FT line. He had 15 FTA on Monday, and 16 in this game and it was the third straight game he’s had at least 9.
With so many stats flying around in regards to Isaiah, it’s hard to pick a favorite. One that stands out to me is something I just saw on TV. Isaiah has made 17 go ahead fourth quarter baskets this season, trailing only Boogie Cousins. I don’t know about you, but I want my star player to not only score in the fourth quarter, but I want him to make big time, big boy shots. Safe to say almost nobody does that more than Isaiah. Now part of that is telling that the Celtics are always in this type of situation, but when you have Isaiah on your team I’m not convinced they don’t keep games close on purpose.
Oh and it’s not in the highlight, but don’t tell me Isaiah can’t play defense. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes
You saw it in the highlight video, but I need to put extra attention on one specific move from Isaiah. I’ve said it before and it remains true. The Isaiah Thomas hesitation is a top 5 deadliest move in the NBA. You can’t stay in front of it, I don’t care who you are
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As soon as I see Isaiah start to slightly turn his body I almost can’t contain my excitement. Absolutely love this move.
– Look, there are some things we are just going to have to accept, and one of those is Marcus Smart might never learn how to shoot. But guess what, if you played more than 20 minutes last night and your name isn’t Isaiah Thomas, no other Celtic matched Smart’s +8. His total line of 10/5/5 again won’t jump off the page at you, but it also doesn’t tell the whole story. Marcus Smart won this game for the Boston Celtics almost as much as Isaiah did (OK that may have been the Kool Aid but go with it).
Here’s what I mean. When no Celtic on the roster showed any interest in rebounding which has proven to not be the smartest strategy, there was Marcus doing shit like this
Which was a great precursor to the biggest sequence of the game. Up two with around 20 seconds left, the Celts came out of a timeout and got Jae a wide open look from about 15 ft. Unfortunately, he wasn’t close. Uh oh you probably thought, now TOR is going to get the ball back with a ton of time and a red hot Kyle Lowry. But….not so fast my friends!! Marcus Smart made yet another winning play.
That rebound is straight up stupid. A PG is bodying multiple Raptors, a 7fter and none of that matters. That’s the type of shit all of us Marcus supporters feed off of. But he wasn’t done there. How about the presence of mind to use his left hand on this tip that sealed the game? Awesome stuff.
– We are seeing Jaylen become more and more confident with each appearance. We even saw him get a little mad! Did you know he could get mad? I didn’t. He is starting to fit in because it is very Celtics to get so angry about a foul where you barely get touched. For such a quiet guy this was the most animated we’ve seen him in some time. He even talked shit to Tony Brothers on a missed foul call! I am falling harder and harder for Jaylen with every game, and also shit like this doesn’t hurt
– Was it Al Horford’s best game? Absolutely not. But I will say this, he started 1-9, and finished 4-13. He responded in the second half with a 9/2/3 and was a +9. Not to mention his gigantic three with 3 minutes left in the fourth. Listen last night was a night where almost no other Celtic was making a shot, so while you obviously want him to play better, he did come through in the fourth quarter again against a good team, which I’ve heard he doesn’t do.
– After such a brutal beating on the glass the last time these two played, at least the Celtics kept it relatively close in this contest, falling 39-41. The biggest improvement? Toronto had just one offensive rebound in the entire second half.
– That’s important because the Celtics don’t come back from being down 18 points if that doesn’t happen. Through three games the team that has lost has blown a late double digit lead, which tells me how even these teams are. We’re yet to see what these teams look like against each other while fully healthy, but what we know is when these two teams play, no lead is safe.
– I think we should also give credit to the Celtics defense for the last 24 minutes of this game. After a brutal first half where they Raptors were basically shooting 90% from inside the arc, they scored just 23 points in the third quarter, and 19 in the fourth (12 by Lowry). This actually broke their trend of losing when giving up more than one 30 point quarter, and you can’t crawl back into games if you don’t defend. The players talked about how mad Brad was at halftime so this doesn’t really surprise me. You don’t let Angry Brad down, you just don’t.
– Between Smart, Avery, and Terry Rozier (7 reb) name another team in the NBA who’s best rebounders play the PG position. You can’t. Actually I’m not sure if this is a good thing but I’m saying it is for the sake of this blog.
The Bad
– The Celtics were lucky to shoot 41% as a team. Without Isaiah I don’t even want to know what that number is. All I know was the way the Celtics started this game, and how they played in the second quarter, was some of the worst offensive basketball I’ve ever seen this team play. Moving forward, the Celts are not going to be able to compete with these good teams if Jae/Horford are going to 9-26, especially if key players are still going to be hurt. Nobody loves wild Isaiah performances more than me, but in the back of my mind I sneaky wish we didn’t need them so often, and that only happens if his teammates help him out.
– This was our first Jared Sullinger revenge game, and safe to say the Celtics did not come out on top. Where was that Sully during the ATL series? Hitting 30 footers, rebounding, hitting jumpers, all of it annoyed me. Here was a guy shooting like 30% since coming back from injury, and you guessed it, had the best game of his season against the Celtics.
I will say this though, shame on you if you booed him last night at the Garden. Was it annoying he never got in shape? Absolutely. He also gave the Celtics way more value than we thought when we took him 21st. He didn’t leave and go to a rival or anything like that, the Celtics decided they didn’t want him anymore and they moved on, not sure why that warrants booing,
– A big part of the first half was the fact that the Celtics weren’t the more aggressive team. Despite playing the night before, the Celtics allowed the Raptors to come into the Garden and set the tone. That can’t happen. This team loves to play with fire more than almost any other team in the NBA, and while it didn’t burn them last night, you can’t get off to that type of start if these teams meet in the playoffs or you’re cooked.
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– My problem with the defense last night was it reminded me too much of the November defense. Tons of points, and tons of fouls. The Celtics were back to being in the bonus for almost entire quarters again. They continue to foul three point shooters, the continue to go long stretches of not moving their feet and getting caught out of position. Say Avery not being there is a big reason all you want, but I saw Marcus have problems staying in front of Lowry down the stretch, and if this team can’t guard the perimeter, nothing works.
– The sad pathetic people who want to cry about TOR not having DeRozen and that’s why this win means nothing. I laugh at you and ask you this. How many times have the Raptors beat a fully healthy Celtics team? Zero. The answer is zero. So if the earlier Celtics losses meant TOR > BOS despite the Celtics missing players, why is that TOR not having players is a valid excuse? Sucks being stuck in a corner doesn’t it?
The Ugly
– I can’t be the only one who is officially seriously concerned about Avery Bradley right? He’s now missed what, 13 or 14 games? All for being “sore”? I am all for being overly cautious, especially with Achilles, but that doesn’t mean my ears aren’t perked up. Something just doesn’t feel right, and it keeps me up at night. I wake up in a cold sweat probably three times a night and check Twitter to see if there is a Woj bomb announcing he just had surgery. I know I’m overreacting but I can’t help it. I’m officially shook.
– Not really an “ugly” topic, but more a caution of something that could turn really ugly. Are we sure Isaiah isn’t playing too many minutes? He’s been around 33mpg all year, but for the month of January that jumped to 36, and he played 38 last night. I understand when he’s going on these type of runs you can’t take him out, but I’ve filed this in the back of my mind for later. On the flip side you have guys like Steph Curry who haven’t played a fourth quarter minute in like a week, it would be nice to give Isaiah a couple more early nights.
– What the fuck happened on that shot clock violation/turnover/not a turnover with about a minute left in the game? Sure the ball hit the rim so I understand why it wasn’t a shot clock violation, but then the Raptors player shot it over the backboard. Why do they get the ball back? Not to mention they scored on that extra possession to take a 101-99 lead before Isaiah saved the day again. I joke that it’s hard to get calls at home, but really it’s hard for the Celtics to get calls at home.
Nights like this are why people like me and fellow Green Teamers believe in this team. They can play like shit against one of the best teams in the conference, and they are never, ever out of a game. The Raptors missed FTs which kept the Celts in it, and when you do that and give Isaiah a sliver of hope, he makes you pay. Looking ahead the Celts are about to start a LAL/LAC/SAC/POR stretch, so things are looking pretty good around these parts.
Oh and before we go, let this be a warning to the rest of the NBA. Isaiah hears you.
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31 down 21 to go.