The Celtics Returned From The All Star Break And Wasted No Time Reminding Us Just How Dominant They Can Be

 

Heading into the All Star break, you sometimes have to worry about players looking ahead to their vacations and in return, the team loses a game they have no business losing, usually to a bad team.

Coming out of the All Star break, you sometimes have to worry about players still mentally being on vacation and not focused, the team is rusty and they lose a game they have no business losing, usually to a bad team.

The Boston Celtics entered the All Star break with a 50 point win at home over the Nets, and have come out of the All Star break with a 17 point win on the road over the Bulls. 

Those may seem like two insignificant wins in February, but I disagree. All year the one thing this team has consistently shown is the right mentality. They are not playing with their food nearly as much, they aren’t overlooking anyone it seems, and you could probably count on a few fingers how many time this season the Celts have “mailed in” a game. 

What we did get was a continuation of the dominance that has run through the entire league since October. Now 7 straight wins overall and 7 straight wins on the road, the Boston Celtics currently own the longest active winning streak in the league. Can we talk about consistency for a second? That’s what everyone wants right? Well I’m not sure it gets more consistent than this

(win streak tweet)

Not bad for a team that keeps falling into all these supposed bad habits!

After waiting what felt like years, I have to admit that what we watched last night was absolutely worth the wait. It was the full Celtics experience that we know and love. There were parts where they looked so good it gives you a raging Porzingis in your pants, only to look like the worst basketball team on the planet for a stretch, only to respond to that poor play by once again being dominant. Those are the Celtics we know and love, and I missed them over the last week.

With that being said, let’s talk about win #44

The Good

 - There should be no real surprise who is starting us off today. While a handful of players had themselves a night, nobody was better on the floor in this game than Bald Derrick. While the voters didn’t seem to view him as an All Star, that’s perfectly fine by me. I know what my eyes see, and I don’t see too many All Star guards doing shit like this

I know we joke around here, but we have now reached the point where it is undeniable what going bald has done for Derrick White. Frankly, I’m starting to get a little upset he didn’t do it right before the 2022 Finals if this is what it meant for him as a player. 

 If his 28/3/5/2/3 on 9-14 (5-10) felt familiar last night, it’s because he also had 27/5/4/1/0 on 10-16 (5-10) right before the break. I’ll remind you, this is the Celts 4th offensive option. 

 The more we watch Bald Derrick play, it’s pretty clear the biggest improvement in his game is his confidence. We can talk about the shooting, the blocked shots, the fantastic on ball defense, all that stuff is important. But none of it matters if Derrick doesn’t play with confidence. If he hesitates or plays tentative because maybe some open looks aren’t dropping, it impacts the whole team. When he is locked in like we’ve seen over these last handful of games, the Celts become nearly unbeatable.

 Which is why I don’t think we should underestimate what having a clearly defined role paired with all of his teammates, most notably the best players, all demanding he be aggressive at all times can do for a player’s confidence. The skill has always been there, but it’s the confidence to know that it’s perfectly OK for White to call his own number and be aggressive that has led to the consistency. That was the next box for Derrick to check. It’s easy to play well every once in a while, but in 2023-24, Bald Derrick has been this good every single night. 

 When it came time to close the door in the 4th quarter of this game, it was White that led the team with 10 points on 3-5 shooting to go along with 3 assists and 0 TOs. One would assume that would be the Jays time, but that’s the beauty of this roster. They can close through a variety of different options, with players who are not only going to execute, but they are going to do so efficiently and without mistakes who feel confident in those moments.

 Should everyone go bald ahead of the playoff run? I’m not ruling it out.

- By pretty much anyone’s standards, Jayson Tatum’s first half was pretty gross. Just 5 points on 2-7 shooting, 2 assists and 2 TOs, he was a -3 in his 18 minutes. But if you watched that half, you could tell that it was only a matter of time before he broke out and took the game over, because for the most part his offensive approach was what you want to see. 

Well, wouldn’t you know what happened as soon as we got to the second half

The Tatum takeover in the 3rd quarter is essentially what put this game out of reach. It was your classic situation where coming off such a disastrous 2nd quarter, that’s the spot where the best player on the team says enough is enough and shows up in a big way. Considering Tatum had 15 points on 5-8 (3-5) while playing all 12 minutes of the 3rd, a quarter the Celts won 37-21, I’d say that’s exactly what he did.

 His overall line of 25/7/5/3 on 8-17 (5-10) suddenly looks a lot better, and it’s a nice reminder that an NBA game is 48 minutes. Given how poor his start was, Tatum still was 2nd on the team in scoring, led the team in rebounds, was 2nd in assists led the team in steals, and was tied for the lead in 3PM, all in a performance that wasn’t even that crazy for him. It was pretty normal, which rules. 

 But of all the things Tatum did last night, it’s what came after the game that stood out most to me. Please, no matter what you are doing right now, stop and hit play

That’s it. That’s a guy who gets it. During his entire career fans have been waiting for the moment where it seemed like Tatum has flipped a switch in terms of his mindset, and I don’t know how you could listen to that clip and not walk away feeling like we’ve finally made it. The mentality, his approach once he’s on the floor, his production, it’s sometimes hard to remember that we aren’t even in Tatum’s NBA prime yet.

He knows and fully embraces what the expectation is for him from here on out. Fuck MVPs, Tatum is judged by titles, like the true greats. I think in order to achieve that, you need to have the right mentality and right mindset. Compare that quote to other previous MVPs who don’t seem to have the same type of postseason success, and then compare it to the MVPs who have won the title, and who does Tatum sound more like in that clip?

As awesome as Tatum’s second half was in this game, it’s that moment that truly moves me. That’s the shit that will matter in a few months, not beating up on the Bulls.

- Quick check in on Mazzulla Ball for all who observe

Hm, that seems good. But unfortunately, NBA Twitter coaches will still tell you that Joe stinks or his system is flawed or he’s not the guy for this team. Meanwhile, all he does is win and create historic offenses. 

Maybe, just maybe he actually knows what he’s doing? A crazy concept I know, but the proof is in the pudding.

- One thing I’ve started to notice when it comes to Jaylen Brown’s season this year is how much better he seems to be at not forcing his offense, even on nights where he has it going. Make no mistake, Jaylen’s offense is what carried this team in the first half, especially in the 2nd quarter

20/5 on 7-10 (3-4) in the first half, it wouldn’t have been crazy to think he’d come out in the 3rd and continue being aggressive and getting his shots up. But once it became clear that guys like Tatum/White had it going, we saw Jaylen adjust and take a step back. This is a guy who took only 2 FGA in the entire half!

This also isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this from Jaylen either, which is new this season. To me, that shows the same type of growth that we’re also seeing from Tatum. Their mentality has shifted. In previous years, Jaylen probably makes sure he goes for 40 in this game, even if that’s not the best approach for the team. 

Now?

He got his supermax, he got his All Star nod, and it just feels like he’s way more comfortable adjusting and taking a back seat offensively if that’s how the game is flowing, even on a night where he shot the ball great. I mean the guy had 1 point in the second half and was still a +14 in his second half minutes. He found ways to do other things while being unselfish and not forcing shots so that he could “get his”. If that’s not an example of his growth, what is?

They say things start at the top, and I truly do think that a huge reason why this Celts team feels so different isn’t just the additions of the new pieces, but also the maturity in how both Tatum and Jaylen are playing as the two tops guys. If you need more reasons to feel like they are finally ready to get over the hump, I’d start there.

- I’m not really sure why Luke Kornet gets the hate that he does from some fans. Is he perfect? No. Does he have some issues guarding in space? Sure! But he’s the 3rd center so who cares. Also, he’s capable of this

I’m not sure what else needs to be said. Throwing up a dabs celebration in 2024 is so perfectly Luke Kornet that didn’t surprise me one bit. Not only an elite vibes guy, but he also was rather dominant in his minutes which probably had something to do with Xavier Tillman being cleared to play. It didn’t look like Luke was ready to give up his minutes just yet.

 - In addition to Luke, I’d say the entire Celts bench showed up in this game. The shooters made their open looks (5-8 fom deep), they all did well on the glass, and they entire group finished with only 3 TOs. 

I dunno about you, but I’ll take nights where the Celts are getting 30 points from their second unit, especially on a night where Hauser could only play 14 minutes because Luke Kornet smashed him in the face. 

- As poor as the Celts defense may have been in the first half, they sure as hell locked in over the final 24 minutes. This team isn’t going to lose many games where they hold a team to 50 points on 43/28% shooting and cause 7 TOs in an entire half, and it was great to see them adjust and solve some of their first half problems.

 For example, Nikola Vucevic was getting whatever he wanted in the first half, and it’s why the Bulls were able to hang around/have a 3 point lead at the break. In the second half? Just 2 points on 1-7 shooting with 3 TOs. Ayo was a non factor after his strong first half as well.

As important as the offense will always be for this team, it still remains true that at the end of the day, for them to reach their full potential they HAVE to defend at an elite level like we know they are capable of doing. That is not what we saw in the first 24 minutes, but the final 24 is the good shit. That’s the level of engagement and defensive execution that we will need to see consistently throughout the playoffs if this team want to be serious about winning the whole thing.

- Mark my words, at some point during a playoff run we are going to see Jrue Holiday have a gigantic steal when someone tries to drive to the rim. His hands are so ridiculous and his timing is so impeccable in those moments, at this point it’s undeniable.

I don’t know who it will come against, I don’t know what round it will happen in, but I feel it in my bones. It will look like someone got beat off the dribble and the next thing you know Jrue will perfectly time his reach, poke the all loose, and the Celts will finish in transition that will help swing momentum. You heard it here first.

The Bad

- I may be the only person who is even paying attention to this anymore, but I continue to be worried about the Celts defensive rebounding. For about a month or so now, game after game afer game we are seeing opponents feast on the offensive glass. 

The Celts gave up another 13 OREB in this game which led to 14 2nd chance points, and this is something that happened even when Joe went with double bigs. Vucevic (4) and Drummond (5) had nearly 2x the OREB as the entire Celts team (5).

In the playoffs, all the teams are good, so giving those type of offenses 2nd and 3rd chances is how you get yourself into trouble. It’s how you lose a playoff game you have no business losing, and now a series is potentially going longer than it should, and we all know what happens next.

Over the Celts last 15 games, they rank 25th in opponent OREBs. If you’d like a larger sample, they rank 25th for the entire season. 

- It goes without saying the 2nd quarter was unacceptable on pretty much every level

While the Celts were able to right the ship, those type of mental lapses defensively cannot happen. Losing a quarter where you played that well by double digits because you can’t get a stop to save your life is pretty brutal. Call it fluke hot shooting if you want, but there have been a handful of these 39 point quarters recently and as we know, one bad quarter can sink you in a playoff game. We’ve lived it.

I’m not suggesting the expectation should be that the Celts have to be perfect for a full 48 minutes, but I do think it’s realistic to expect them not to allow 39 points on 70/70% shooting while being fully healthy. Let’s call it like it was, which was horrendous defense.

- Brutal friendly fire for Sam Hauser

I’m a little surprised he didn’t break his face or something like that, and part of me is sad we won’t get Masked Hauser. He’s already automatic from deep, imagine him with a mask?

- Only 1 FGA for Al feels a little light. On the plus side he only played 22 minutes which is great, but outside of his 5 rebounds it was a pretty quiet night for him overall. That’s fine, just a little weird considering he’s usually good for 3-4 open 3PA

 The Ugly

- Pretty brutal 5-16 (2-9) showing for KP, but I’ve always felt like he was a rhythm type shooter so having a week off is sure to mess with that. This is a guy who had been shooting like 45% from deep for the last month, so my guess is now that things are back and he’s playing again, we won’t see too many of these type of outings in the future.

I would love nothing more than for opponents to keep letting KP have wide open 3PA coming off the P&R or if they choose to double Tatum/Brown, because he’s too proven of a shooter to be sweating his 2-9 last night. Once we also saw his post up midrange jumpers not really fall either, it was pretty obvious he just didn’t have his rhythm.

 - Only 2:33 of Xavier Tillman was a tad disappointing, mostly because we all want to see the new shiny toy Brad has brought us. Granted Kornet earned his minutes, but given what we saw in that 2:33, I’m ready for more. I like his instincts, I like how he seems to be a loose ball magnet, I like his size etc. Now I’d just like to see what things look like in a game that isn’t a quasi-blowout.

 

In the end, the wagon rolls on. Nobody is throwing a parade for beating the under .500 Bulls, but this isn’t about them. This is about the best team in basketball coming back from the break and hitting the ground like they never left. Things get much tougher the first week of March, so now is the time to make sure you stack as many wins as possible, and last time I checked no team in the NBA has more.