It's Hard Not To Love Everything About The Celtics Massive Game 3 Win

Megan Briggs. Getty Images.

I wouldn't exactly call Game 3 a "must win" in the traditional sense, but to my brain it may as well have been. After dropping Game 2, there was a lot of chatter that the 2024 Celtics were actually "The Same Old Celtics", and in many ways that type of bullshit was warranted. When you drop a home playoff game to the Heat in the exact same fashion the 2022-23 team did, it's not a stretch that people will make that connection.

But if that's the case, where these games tell us who the Celtics truly are, well then Game 3 confirms something about them that we witnessed all season long.

The 2024 Celtics are resilient as hell.

A team that lost 2 games in a row just 4 times all year (and one of those came in the last week of the season), this was certainly a performance that shouldn't have surprised anyone. If these are the same old Celtics, well this is what those Celtics do. They have embarrassing home playoff losses, they take all the slander on the chin over the next few days only to then go out on the road and dominate. As I've blogged before, to win an NBA title you have to be able to win on the road in the playoffs. Every champion does it, and over the last few postseasons few teams in the entire league have more playoff road wins than the Celts.

Since the 2021-22 run, the Celtics lead the NBA in playoff road wins, with 15. Naturally, the Heat are #2 because the Celtics keep losing goddamn home games to them, but you know who is #3 and #4? The Warriors (#3) and the Nuggets (#4). It's no surprise then that these four teams have done nothing but make deep runs over these last few seasons, two of which actually went on to win the title.

Mentally, I think we all need this. Us fans, the players, Joe, everyone. What makes the Heat black magic so powerful is once it works its way into your brain, what it does is begin to create a potential sense of doubt. It festers and grows to the point where you no longer trust what you've been watching for 6 months because you're convinced another 50% 3P shooting performance is coming. 

The only way to prevent all of this from happening is you need to remove that magic from your system immediately before it had a chance to spread. You need to cleanse your soul with the purity of Mazzulla Ball on both ends of the floor. That means in Game 3, you punch first and never let them off the mat. Just like what we saw in Game 1.

In that win, the Celts were up by as much as like 34 and there were 0 lead changes and 0 ties with the Heat scoring 94 points.

Last night, the Celts were up by as much as 29 and there were 0 lead changes and 1 tie with the Heat scoring 84 points.

A wire to wire ass kicking is exactly what the doctor ordered. The baseline expectation for this trip was a split, and getting that out of the way early changed the dynamic of the series. Now Game 4 presents itself as an opportunity for the Celts to throw another knockout punch, whereas had they lost yesterday they could have very well been playing for their season.

That's what made Game 3 so important. It's a swing game. The Celts got back to the team we saw open the series and to the surprise of no one, they had a very similar result. When this team decides to not play like dickheads and actually lock in, they are incredibly tough to beat.

It's annoying as hell that they needed an embarrassing Game 2 loss to be reminded of that given that these are the freaking playoffs, but such is our life. For now, up 2-1 is all that matters.

The Good

- After his Game 2 performance, Kristaps Porzingis promised us he would be better. The last time that happened was following the back to back Hawks losses. KP admitted he wasn't playing at his level and that he would be better. He then immediately went onto dominate and win Player Of The Week. 

So after the worst game of his Celtics career coming at the absolute worst time, he once again promised us he would improve. Shall we guess what happened?

It's no secret that Porzingis is the X-Factor of this entire run. However deep this team ends up going is going to be heavily tied to what version of Porzingis they get during this run. You don't have to take my word for it, just listen to Jayson Tatum

The version of KP we got in Games 1 & 3 is the version that helps this team win a championship. The fact that he showed up right away and started this game by burying multiple threes was such a relief I don't even know how to describe it. Defensively he was back to owning his space and protecting the rim at an elite level, his foul baiting was rolling, it was vintage KP.

He was pretty open about the fact that his performance was essentially eating him alive

and I respect this because it had almost been ruining my life over the last few days. I know exactly what type of burning on the inside he's talking about, because that's essentially my entire life. The difference is I can't do anything about it, whereas KP has the ability to go out on the court and completely dominate on both ends of the floor. 

If this entire game was an "exhale" type situation, my biggest exhale had to be seeing KP look like KP so quickly after his stinker.

- So far through 3 games, it's fair to say both of the Jays have showed up. In a game like this, you know where things start. The best players. To pull out a road win in that spot requires the Celts two best players to lead by example. Play smart, play with energy, show up offensively, play with toughness etc. Once they set that tone, the rest will follow.

I loved everything about what we got from Jayson Tatum in this game on both ends of the floor. If you are someone who believes that in a swing game like this it is on a player like Jayson Tatum to assert himself as the best player on the floor and carry his team to a win, that is exactly what he did.

As always, when you want to know what Tatum's energy level is, look to the rebounding. In this game, Tatum led the team with 11. While he only scored 22 points, make no mistake, he controlled this entire game while he was on the floor. He didn't even shoot all that well 6-16 (2-7) but it didn't matter because he was aggressive (12 FTA) while also manipulating the defense as a creator. The way he was able to take his time against the Heat zone and find the right cutter or the right passing lane all while not turning it over was a huge reason why it was mostly ineffective last night. 

There will be nights where Tatum's impact needs to come from his point total, but last night it was about everything else. A focus on winning the margins and the effort categories while then sprinkling in some buckets when needed. I can't remember a single possession it felt like Tatum was taking the possession off defensively, and when your best player is locked in like that, it spreads.

With Jaylen in this matchup, he's giving you all you need form a #2. Efficient scoring, good rebounding (8), and like Tatum much better ball security. Going up against MIA the jokes all were about Jaylen's left hand and TOs right? Well through 3 games he has only 5 TOs. An efficient 20+ points with low TOs and good defense is exactly what this team needs from Jaylen in that role. 

- What a difference effort and ball pressure can make huh? If anything, this performance just made Game 2 even more annoying because THIS was the defensive pressure that should always exist. THIS was an example of how much harder you should be closing out on shooters. Everything about the Celts defensive approach and execution was so much better in Game 3, and was the main reason why this series is now 2-1.

For starters, the pick up points were much higher. The Celts made a conscious decision to not even allow the Heat to think shooting would be a good idea. Much like the Heat did to them in Game 2, the Celts took the 3 away as best they could. Then, once the Heat put the ball on the floor, we saw a slight adjustment that made all the difference in the world.

In Game 2, whenever the Heat would drive, the Celtics would always overhelp. Most of the time it was Jrue in his free safety role which would eventually force the Celtics into rotation, ending in a wide open corner 3. Everyone kept crying about drop coverage, but to me, it's not about the drop coverage, it was about overhelping. Look at all of those Herro drives and what do you see? You see the Celts staying home on their shooters and not helping, leaving Porzingis or Horford to challenge at the rim without fouling.

In the first clip, we see Derrick White stay with Jacquez in the corner. He is abiding by the #1 rule in life, which is never help off the strongside corner. That is not what we saw in Game 2. The Celtics are forcing Herro to beat them scoring over their bigs, which is a much better option in terms of shot quality compared to a wide open corner 3.

In the second clip, it's the same thing. Al and Jaylen stay home on their shooters along the perimeter, and Herro is forced into trying to shoot over another 7 footer, this time Luke Kornet. Sure there was an OREB putback, but the initial defense is what matters.

In the third clip we see another P&R with Porzingis in drop, Jrue sort of stunts because I imagine he read that Herro wasn't looking at his guy (Martin, that's a missed opportunity imo), and once again things are forced into Porzingis who handles the matchup perfectly at the rim.

In the fourth clip, here you go again. KP is still in drop coverage, but look at Al. He doesn't even consider rotating in and leaving the strongside corner, instead allowing things to filter into KP at the rim, and once again that is a match he's going to win the majority of the time.

So contrary to what the internet was demanding, the issue of Game 2 wasn't really playing drop. You can play drop against MIA and be effective, as long as you play it correctly. Taking away their open 3PA isn't always a case of changing your defense and switching instead of playing drop etc. Sometimes it's just staying home on the shooters and letting your 7'2 unicorn do his thing. You combine that with harder closeouts on 3s, and that's how you get a dominant defensive performance. 

- When you look at the shooting production, you can't help but notice what a difference the Celts made in limiting 3s

They allowed 21 wide open 3PA in Game 1 and 23 wide open 3PA in Game 2, so for that number to be nearly cut in half is pretty substantial. Even though the Heat shot a solid percentage on those (38%), that's fine. The issue is when they shoot 65% on wide open 3s like we saw in Game 2. The Celts can handle things if the Heat are shooting at a 38% clip, even on a night where they can't make a three of their own.

So far in this series, the Heat's shooting breaks down as follows

GM1: 32.4%

GM2: 53.5%

GM3: 32.1%

No surprise that in the games the energy and effort showed up in are the ones the percentages tanked and ended in losses.

- Boy was it nice to see Aggressive Derrick White again

It was White's 12 points on 5-7 (2-3) in the second quarter that really helped the Celts get their separation. Tatum had already started to get things going that quarter (13 points), but it was White's close over his 6:58 of time on the floor that was the knockout punch. 

In Game 2, it felt like White was more reserved, waiting until the 4th quarter to really be aggressive. Last night, it felt like he was aggressive from the jump. Whenever the Celts needed a respond bucket, White was there to deliver. When it came to making the small margin plays, White was there to deliver. As long as he remembers to let it fly when he has even an inch of space, things will be fine. We also shouldn't ignore that he's doing all this on both ends while also not turning the ball over.

- Speaking of turning the ball over, this might have been my favorite part of this entire win. To beat MIA in the playoffs, you cannot give up points off TOs. In the Game 2 loss, that number was 20. Way, way too many points off TOs. Last night? 4. They won that battle 24-4. 

Yes. This is what I lay awake at night praying for. For years it's been the same story when playing MIA in the playoffs. Take care of the ball, limit points off TOs, and you will win. Don't, and you will lose. It is those TOs that help feed into the Heat's black magic. Those wasted possessions lead to transition open 3s, and once those start dropping they become more powerful. Just look back at Game 2.

So for the Celts to only allow 4 points in an entire game is a very, very big contributing factor to this win.

- I have no idea if Jrue Holiday is ever going to make a shot in the postseason, but if he plays like he did last night I'm not going to give a single shit. I can deal with a lack of offense as long as you're showing up defensively and creating for others, and that's what we got. The 1-5? Whatever. The 6 AST, 2 TOs and much better defense? That'll do.

Do I love the fact that Holiday is shooting under 30% to start the playoffs? Nope. Does it scare me a little? Absolutely. But he was fantastic in this win and that is what matters more. He allowed others to feast, didn't really force his own offense outside of maybe 1 3PA, and his bounce back defensive effort was the foundation for what the Celts did on that end. That's what made his Game 2 so annoying, because we should be able to always rely on Jrue defensively regardless of what his offense looks like.

- Winning a road playoff game in which you only shoot 29.7% from three is big time stuff. One of the big questions was always what would the Celts do in the playoffs if the 3s weren't dropping, and so far the answer has been lock the fuck in defensively.

- Al Horford forever. That's all that needs to be said.

The Bad

- Alright, what the hell is going on with Jayson Tatum's FTs. I'm not sure I can remember a time where he missed 4 FTs in a single game. Is it his new routine before shooting? This has been a weird trend for him all year it feels like and frankly it makes no sense. At this point, I am dumbfounded how Derrick White isn't the defacto FT shooter for this team. He's a 90% FT shooter. I think he's touched the rim on maybe 4 FTs all season because everything he throws up is pure. 

We already have to deal with Jaylen's FT issues, I cannot live in a world where I am also not able to trust Jayson Tatum from the FT line. 2 misses in the 4th quarter in Game 2, 4 misses last night, what the hell is going on.

- I don't want to be dramatic, but do we need to be worried about this team's second half offense? So far in this series, the Celts have just a 108 ORTG in the second half. That's pretty gross. In fact, their second halfs have been pretty poor on both ends, with a 116.7 DRTG and -8.7 net. 

If you look at just the last 2 games, the Celts second half ORTG is a brruuuuuutal 97.6. When looking at how things looked over the final 24, it's certainly not pretty

and I suppose there are a few ways to look at this. On one hand, this is concerning. The offense hasn't really shown up for 48 minutes so far this series. On the other hand, the Celts are still winning games while not being able to score for an entire half. Only 40 second half points in Game 2 and 41 last night, shit like this might work against a depleted MIA team but it is not going to work moving forward.

- Not sure I'm totally thrilled about only having 22 AST on 39 FGM. Part of that of course is guys missing clean looks on C&S 3PA when the Heat went to their zone, but this offense is truly humming when that AST number is closer to 28-30. 

- I dunno if this happens to anyone else, but I get legit surprised whenever I see Sam Hauser miss a wide open corner 3. I just didn't know he was capable of doing such a thing. My body is pre-conditioned to see him go up for one and just assume it's going in. Not quite what happened in his Game 3 performance, which naturally means he's going 5-7 in Game 4.

- There might be a spot for Luke Kornet in this series, but it's not in double big lineups. In fact, I think we scrap double bigs all together. Play one big and shooters and spread the Heat out. I'd much rather see Hauser get those minutes when Al is in the game, and when Al sits play Kornet and shooters just like you did during the regular season.

The Ugly

- Hard to really complain about too much in a game you led by 29 on the road, so I'll just say this. Every time the Celts may lose a basketball game, it does not have to be a complete referendum on who they are or what they can do. Guess what? It'll probably happen again this postseason. But the insane overreaction to Joe, who they are as a team etc was a little pathetic. The playoffs are hard. Winning is even harder. There are going to be ups and downs over the course of a playoff run.

We saw what happens when the Celts have better execution and play with the right energy. They didn't reinvent the wheel, they just got back to playing how we know they should play. The noise is naturally much more quiet after a win, which is to be expected, but it's also a reminder that everything doesn't need an over the top hot take. Sometimes you just need to execute better.

We now turn the page to Game 4, and the Celts now control their own destiny. Put the pressure on and head back to the Garden up 3-1 and then close this shit out. If Game 3 was about sending a message that the Celts are done screwing around, Game 4 is about backing that up and taking care of your business.