Exhale, At Least The Celtics Can Beat Cleveland
Just like with this wins over the Suns and Hawks, nobody should be throwing a parade because the Celtics had their largest margin of victory of the year against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, as I sit here this morning, the only real feeling I have about this game last night is relief. We never know what to expect from this group because they have shown us they refuse to be consistent, so as far as I’m concerned there is no cupcake on their schedule. This is a Cavs team that just beat the Sixers and Rockets, so why couldn’t they come into the Garden and shock everybody? Thankfully, we got the very much needed stress free night. Sure things got a little close there in the first and second quarter, but that’s to be expected for a team that usually can’t blow anybody out.
There’s no denying the Celtics played well, but also context matters. When you’re playing of the bottom of the league like this, a performance like last night should be expected, and that’s why the bigger test comes tonight against MIN who has been playing great since the Jimmy Butler trade. But let’s worry about that later, in the meantime why not relive what was the best offensive performance of the season because as fans of this team we have been waiting to see them put the ball in the basket like this for a lonnnnnnnnnnng time.
Just so we’re clear. Beating the Cavs, no big deal. Seeing guys perhaps busting out of their slumps? A slightly bigger deal. Let’s get started.
The Good
– You knew he would be motivated to play his old team, I’m just not sure we saw this type of performance coming
I would say 29 points in 3 quarters is pretty impressive, and the fact that he did it on 11-15 shooting, Kyrie set the tone right from the start. He had 13 points in that first quarter on 5-6 shooting and you just sort of knew from then on that we were going to get the best version of Kyrie. I say that because he was more than just a scorer in this game. I thought he was fantastic as a passer, where this wasn’t one of those nights where Kyrie scores a shit load of points and then doesn’t really find his teammates. Whether it was out of the pick and roll, or in transition, I would say this was one of Kyrie’s most complete showings of the year.
To do that, he had to defend, which he did. When I say he worked his replacement, I’m not kidding. On the defensive side he held Sexton to just 2-7 shooting on 33 possessions, and then on the offensive side he was 10-12. That’s an ass whooping if I’ve ever seen one. It was also good to see his outside shot come through, as he ended November going 10-17 from deep. For the month he had 50/42% splits while making 3 3PM a night averaging 25/5/6. Safe to say Kyrie is feeling great.
– We heard Kyrie and Hayward talk about how they want Gordon to hunt for his shot more and be more aggressive, well I suppose this is what a step in that direction looks like
Is it any surprise that on a night where Hayward looked pretty good all around that this was his shot chart?
Almost everything is at the rim! We all know it’s going to take time, but in the meantime I think we as fans are just looking for any sort of progress, and I could classify last night as progress. He simply looked more comfortable being selfish and looking for his shot, as his 9 FGA were tied for the third most on the team. The other area we need Gordon to be solid in is defensively, and opponents shot just 2-6 against him so he wasn’t a liability there either.
I wouldn’t say he’s fully back obviously, he even talked about how there was a layup that old Gordon probably would have dunked, but sometimes these games against dogshit teams are exactly what you need to get your mojo back. Hayward’s all around game last night might be just that.
– Brad calls him the most consistent player they’ve had all year and who am I to call Brad a liar. Once again Mook played well with 15/4 on 4-9 shooting, and he continues to flourish in whatever role this team gives him
Nobody loves buzzer beaters more than him, well maybe Terry, but that little scare of a Mook valley we had a few games ago seems like a thing of the past and he’s right back to being that solid 3/4 that this team will need going forward. In what may have been a mismatch on paper, I thought Mook did a great job on Larry Nance Jr, someone who only had 4 points on 31 possessions against him. That’s what makes him so valuable, he can guard basically 2-4 which allows Brad to mix and match as he pleases.
– Another strong night for the start Marcus Smart camp. There’s no denying he’s made an impact sine the switch, and while you always have to factor in the quality of the opponent, there’s no denying this team feels his presence almost immediately
What we’re seeing is a guard who is playing within himself and within the system and not trying to go out and jack up a million threes. Everything is coming within the flow of the offense, and you combine that with his great defense and passing, you can see why he’s so important. For example, on the defensive end he held Jordan Clarkson scoreless on 0-5 shooting, and opponents all together shot just 1-12 when being defended by Smart. This is the level of defense he needs to bring to warrant him being a starter. That shit against Kemba and Barea? Dogshit. The defense he’s shown since? Elite.
As we know, the biggest thing that had always held Smart back was his shot selection. I don’t know why it took until now to kick in, but it really feels like he can identify what a good shot is and what a bad shot is. If you’re telling me that I won’t really have to worry about Smart taking bad threes because he things he’s Ray Allen and instead will only take them when it’s warranted, well then I don’t know how anyone could have a problem of nearly 30 minutes a night of Smart.
– What do I always say, this shit comes down to defense and rebounding. Well, they held CLE to 39/31% shooting and won the rebounding battle 47-36. Sometimes it’s that simple.
But the biggest surprise of the night has to be the points in the paint difference. This is a Celtics team that often feels allergic to the paint, yet the dropped a heavy 54 points in the paint last night. When was the last time they had such a dominant performance in that area? That tells me Brad made sure this team knew not to fuck around.
– It’s pretty crazy how much better this team looks when the ball goes in right? This is why in their early struggles rational people understood that their biggest problem wasn’t because they were hyped in July or that Jaylen gave an interview. It was because they couldn’t buy a fucking basket, and this went for everyone not named Mook. Well when you go 53/54% and make 17 3PM, things look a little bit better don’t they. Obviously those numbers are not sustainable, but it does show you that when this team is able to not be the worst shooting team in the history of the sport, they can actually hang. Throw in the fact that they only had 10 TOs, and you have yourself a near flawless offensive showing.
– It wasn’t just Kyrie that got this team off to a great start, we’re seeing Tatum continue to show he’s out of his slump as well
As I’ve said before, with Tatum is all comes down to his offensive approach. I’m happy to report that of his 12 FGA, 7 of them came from the paint, and 3 more came from behind the arc. We had only one truly bad long two, so it’s pretty clear he got Brad’s message and is no longer infected with the Kobe disease. Thank fucking god.
– I mean, Baynes is perfect. What more is there to say
– Now, the real reason this game was so awesome? Our wishes were granted. The hope going in was that both Yabu and Robert Williams were going to get some burn, and not only did that happen, but they absolutely delivered
Yabu also had a nice drive and finish in garbage time, and I don’t know how you watch those two, especially Williams and are not overjoyed with excitement. What’s impressive is both are so much better at passing than you would think. Guys almost seem surprised when Williams finds them, and that tells me this dude is playing with a great basketball IQ. I know he played just 7 minutes, but it felt like 30. Add in his 2 blocks and he gave us Celtics fans just enough to be ready to put him in the conversation with the all time greats. Hell I’m pretty sure Tommy called him Bill Russell, which as we know he doesn’t just give out to anyone. You have to be truly special.
– I’m not ready to say Terry is ready to be consistent, but I will acknowledge that he has been much better these last two games.
The Bad
– Here’s a question, why on earth can the Celtics never keep Tristan Thompson off the offensive glass? This wasn’t even a situation where Horford was playing who he owns. He had 6 OREB last night and 13/12 overall. It doesn’t matter when he seems to play this team, he always manhandles them and frankly I was a little surprised Baynes let that shit happen. Of all the random Celtics Killers out there, Tristan Thompson is by far the most annoying.
– If there’s one area where we still need to see a much better effort in, and it’s Terry Rozier’s defense. We saw Marcus turn the corner and look what happened, well Rozier is still pretty much swiss cheese. You know that little run Jordan Clarkson went on? Where all of us deep down in a place we don’t talk about may or may not have been a little worried that another bench guard was going to drop 30 on us? Well a majority of those came against Rozier, who only held Clarkson to 4-7 shooting. Nobody guarded him more as Terry was on him for 21 possessions, and until he can not be a negative defensively, Brad has to be careful how he uses him whether he likes it or not.
– Not enough Yabu/Timelord. They should have both had at least 15 minutes easy.
– You know how Hayward has to mentally get over his injury and play aggressive? I need to mentally get over not being able to look whenever I see him jump. This play right here? I pretty much threw up in my mouth because I am still so triggered
The Ugly
– The Celtics played at home and the FT difference was 35-16 in favor of CLE. I don’t even know what to say anymore, it’s just so bizarre it’s almost funny. Yes, the Celtics took 31 3PA of their 92 FGA, but they also lived in the paint. How is it possible every team in the league suddenly learns how to defend without fouling whenever they play the Celts? Obviously this difference doesn’t matter, but it’s crazy how this team is still not getting to the line, even at home! The first half was a 21-6 difference, I mean come on.
So yes, it was a relief that the Celtics didn’t shit their pants and lose to one of the worst teams in the league. Other than that, I don’t really put all that much stock into it. Show me this same sort of performance tonight and I’ll be in a much better spot. We’ve fallen into this trap before this season where the Celts have a good showing and we think they are back, only to see them play like assholes the very next night. Give me a consistent run of quality effort on both ends, and I’ll start to believe this team has really turned a corner.
12 down 50 to go.