The Beauty Of The Game Of Basketball Is That Sometimes The Heroes End Up Being The Person You Least Expect

Julio Aguilar. Getty Images.

What a difference a day can make. On Friday, the Celts literally threw a very winnable game against the Magic away with some of the worst 4th quarter turnovers you could possibly ever see. Between the shot math, the offensive rebounding, and the careless turnovers in high-leverage situations, what was a very winnable game ultimately ended in a frustrating loss. It was another collapse against a playoff-caliber opponent, something that has really been a consistent theme in their young season.

On Sunday, in the rematch against the Magic, the Celts were once again faced with the challenge of executing in the 4th quarter against a playoff-caliber opponent while on the road. This time? They came through. This time, they executed. This time, their role players, the same ones who were not so great on Friday, ended up being the heroes. This wasn't just the championship core saying enough was enough and backpacking everyone to a win. In fact, I would argue that since the first quarter, it was actually the bench and 2nd unit that did most of the heavy lifting in both the first and second halfs. 

To those who get upset at outcomes like this and want nothing but loses, I get it. We all understand the big picture. But I can't stress enough that context is important, even in the wins. If the Celts are winning games and the young/unproven players aren't contributing, then that's "not great". That doesn't help you long term.

But if they are winning games with those players, guys who are 19, 21 and 22 years old making real contributions? That DOES help you. You shouldn't lose sight of what this season is about. Yes, part of that is whatever pick they can arm Brad Stevens with over the summer. But another part of that is finding out which of these young guys can stick around and be a part of your future. If they are showing you things that not only help you win (which is the goal once Tatum returns), but are things that actually look sustainable and could be a part of a rotation moving forward, then that should very much NOT upset you. 

That's what last night was. It was a night where guys like Hugo, Minott, and most notably Jordan Walsh all had huge moments that ultimately impacted winning. Is that not what this roster needs? Cheap, young players who provide versatility, who you figure will fit next to your best player, while also filling a positional need for the next iteration of the roster? This wasn't a case of them playing well against the Wizards or whatever. The Magic are legit. Their defense is legit. Many think they'll be a contender in the East. 

I know personally, I've waited like 3 years for Jordan Walsh to have a moment like he's currently having, and I will not apologize for enjoying it.

Let's begin.

The Good

- In perhaps the upset of the century, we begin this section with a player that I have to admit, I never in a million years would have thought would get us started. That player, is Luka Garza

You know what? I'm going to take it one step further. The Celtics do not win this game without the performance of Luka Garza. I'm not kidding, this isn't a troll, this is the truth.

Look, if we're going to kill Garza for his stretches of horrendous play, then we also have to tell the truth and give him his props when he plays his dick off and impacts winning. What I've gathered from the Garza minutes to start the season is he's the type of player where you only get the extremes on either end of the spectrum. Either his bad minutes are truly horrific, or his good minutes are so good he somehow morphs into the best big on the floor. It's remarkable really. 

The one thing I can say, is this dude plays his ass off. He may have limitations on both ends of the floor, but he plays HARD. Is that good for anything? We'll see. But last night, he was the best big on the floor for either team, and that's not a joke

In the 4th quarter alone, he finished with 8/5/1 on 4-4 shooting with a couple of massive OREBs. One thing that is legitimately a weapon is his ability to come out of the P&R and perfectly execute that little soft push shot in the paint. The touch he has on that floater is legit, and it's really the only time I feel truly confident when Garza takes a shot. If teams are going to sell out on Brown/White/Pritchard etc in the P&R, they need to continue to feed Garza for that floater. He's proven he can make it at a high clip, and once defenses adjust to that, it'll help everyone else.

Easily his best performance as a Celtic, and I'm not sure that's up for debate.

- For years, we wondered what things would look like for Jordan Walsh if he was ever given the opportunity for consistent minutes. Could be bad, could be good, but honestly, through 3 years we really had no idea, mostly because it never happened.

Well folks, it's starting to happen. At 21 years old, we're starting to see more and more signs of a player who is not only taking advantage of his opportunity, he's thriving

Right away, what stands out most about Walsh during this run is his improvement defensively. We saw flashes of this in his blowout minutes last year, where he was getting better and better at using his size and length to stay with bigger players and really hold his own when it came to 1 on 1 defense. His wingspan is so long that time and time again, we saw him be able to poke the ball away and cause turnovers without fouling. 

Well, what did you just see in that clip? You saw Walsh repeatedly hold his own against Paolo Banchero. You saw that length be disruptive and force turnovers. Defense has always been his path to minutes, and I'd say both his defense and rebounding have been so good, I don't think you can keep him off the floor from here on out. If his shooting is also going to be league average?

Again, this player is 21 years old. 

I'm not saying go crazy, all I'm saying if the goal for Walsh this season was to prove that he could give you a more than playable 15-20 minutes a night on a consistent basis, so far I'd say that's exactly what he's done. Back up wing is still a position of need moving forward, and if Walsh continues to grow, why can't he be an option for that spot? 

And of course, there's the final dagger shot

There are a lot of things to love about that possession. The unselfishness of Jaylen, the extra pass by Pritchard. Walsh not only recognizing he needed to relocate, but then once he got the ball he shot that shit with zero hesitation and full confidence. To no surprise, when you do shit like this, the Basketball Gods reward you. 

- The same way I believe the Celts do not win this game without the performance of Luka Garza, I believe this game would have been a blowout loss if not for the insane shotmaking of Anfernee Simons. His first half explosion was about as on fire as an NBA player could possibly be. It was as close to a Baby Dame performance as we've seen so far this season, and I think everyone from Simons himself to the fanbase needed to experience a run like that

His 23 points in 9 minutes in the first half is what helped the Celts close their early 12 point deficit, and it's that level of shotmaking that makes Simons such an interesting player. When that shit is on? He's incredibly fun to watch. I mean he wasn't even coming close to hitting the rim on any of those makes. It was the very definition of being in the zone.

But, his impact is also solely related to his shotmaking. He's been OK I guess on defense, but the playmaking isn't really a weapon, nor is his rebounding. His minutes and how they go really depend on his ability to put the ball in the basket, which limits his ceiling/value. But when that shit is going in? You can clearly see his scoring ability and how much of a microwave scorer he really is. Simons sees one drop, and his scoring comes in bunches. That's why I sort of like him on the floor without Jaylen, move Derrick to an off ball role, and if Simons makes his early jumper, let him ride that wave. 

Joe even went back to Simons in the closing lineup of the 4th, so it's not like he was buried after his hot start, which in my opinion should help his confidence as well. What we saw last night is the role Simons must fill for however long he's a Celtic. He needs to carry the offensive load with the second unit and provide the shotmaking, and then when he plays with the starters, just spread the floor and thrive off C&S 3PA. We got that in this win, and it made a massive, massive impact on the result.

- Celts got back to winning the 3pt math and would you look at that, they won. I for on, am shocked!

- I won't say we're there yet, but god damn was it great to see Derrick White finally hit some jumpers, especially in high leverage situations in the 4th quarter

I loved his aggressiveness (18 FGA), it was a good mix of 3PA (9) and paint FGA (9), he got to the line 6 times (but missed 2 fts?!?!?!?) and for the most part he took care of the ball (2 TOV).

His reaction after the dagger 3PM with 44 seconds left felt like a gigantic weight had been lifted off his shoulders. That was the big time late game shot we've seen him make for years, but so far this year, had been nowhere to be found. You had people really thinking Derrick White shouldn't take open 3s just because of a shooting slump. It never made sense to me.

Derrick White did not forget how to shoot! He was simply missing open and wide open looks, which happens to every basketball player on earth! You always, ALWAYS shoot the ball with confidence if you're Derrick White. It's not about how many you've missed, it's about believing in your talent and playing how you always play. If DWhite is open, I want DWhite shooting the ball. Why? Because he's fucking awesome, and fully capable of hitting late game daggers.

This was also a great example of how impactful effort and never giving up on a play are to winning. How many times did we see Derrick refuse to give up on a play which earned the Celts extra possessions? Full on sprinting to catch a player frmo behind, sprinting his ass back to he could stop a 2 on 1 fastbreak by himself at the rim, not giving up after misses and tapping the ball free to earn extra possessions, DWhite was everywhere this game and when you play like that it's not surprising that the Basketball Gods reward you with some makes. That's usually how things work.

- Another 27 for Jaylen which was nice, despite it not being his most efficient performance of the season (10-24, 1-4)

Forget the fact that his whistle is complete dogshit, what I liked about Jaylen's game is that again, nothing felt forced. When the team needed some buckets in the 4th, he came through (2-4). When a situation arose where he needed to make the right play rather than force things for himself, he did. When it came time to make his FTs, he did (6-7).

This is the part of Jaylen's role that should not be overlooked. Being "The Guy" doesn't always mean scoring all the points and taking every shot. It's about leading, and sometimes a leader needs to empower those around him. He needs to show that, as the #1 guy, he trusts everyone on this roster to come through if that's what the game is dictating. 

We see Jayson Tatum do that shit ALL THE TIME. It's what makes him so special. He gives the game what the game needs. Sometimes that's his scoring, sometimes that's drawing a defense and creating for others. Down the stretch of this 4th quarter, that's exactly what Jaylen did. He could have easily forced things and taken every shot because he's the "#1". Maybe it would have worked, maybe not. But to me, seeing how he approached the end of this game shows you the growth he's had as a player and as a leader, and it was beautiful to watch.

- I am so Hugo pilled it's not even fucking funny.

Oh, and he hit a massive 4th quarter 3PM, so yeah. Brad Stevens fucking did it.

The Bad

- Did Josh Minott or Sam Hauser play in this game? It's hard to say. Both finished with 0 points, Minott only had 2 rebounds in his 15 minutes and Hauser 4 in his 17. The up and down stuff is expected with a young guy like Minott, but Hauser's rut at the moment is a little more annoying. At least this time he was servicable on the glass, but taking just 2 FGA (0-2, 0-1) isn't exactly going to cut it. Thankfully Simons scoring was able to carry the load, but the Celts need to find a way to get Hauser going and out of his shooting rut.

- After a few games of progress, it feels like the last few we've seen some regression from Jaylen when it comes to his ball security. Another 4 TOVs last night, and while I understand he has the ball way more and is in a situation where TOVs could be high, that doesn't mean we can pretend like 4+ TOs every night is good. 

It's not.

They aren't all ball handling or passing TOs either. That offensive foul on Suggs in the 4th is one you just have to have the presence of mind to avoid. The entire world knew you were trying to post Suggs up. We all knew the ball was coming that way, and Suggs is a savvy defender. After battling for position, you knew Suggs was going to try and draw that foul, which he got. Was it a bullshit call? Maybe, but that's not the point. The point is situational awareness. 

It's not the first time we've seen Jaylen's physicality go against him in those spots so far this season, so it's clear that's something he needs to keep in mind once he finds himself in those late game situations. Especially when he's being guarded by a smaller player. The small guy ALWAYS gets the benefit of the doubt in those scenarios. 

- Another 17 2nd chance points allowed, which is just too many. I know this is something we're going to have to just accept this season, but it continues to be so bad. Thankfully, the execution and shotmaking prevented this from resulting in another loss, but giving up 17-20 2nd chance points a night is not sustainable if you're goal is to play winning basketball. 

- Along those same lines, another game with 27 fouls and 31 FTA allowed. Again, you cannot continue to defend this way and think winning is in your future. The way the Celts simply cannot defend without fouling this season is as big an issue as anything else when it comes to why they sit at 5-6. Every night allowed 30+ FTA while you have arguably the worst whistle in the NBA is not a winning formula. Being in the bonus for long stretches is not where you want to be, but it's currently where the Celtics live.

The Ugly

- At this point, it's not debatable that the officials are clearly making their point in regards to what Jaylen Brown said after the Jazz game (which the NBA backed up). To not call a foul on this play is all you need to know

I'm sorry, but every player in the NBA gets this call. It's laughable. Unfortunately, it looks like Jaylen is now dealing with the Jayson Tatum whistle now that he's the #1 option, and sadly, there's no cure for it. This is just how it's going to be all year I'm afraid.

So on one hand, being 5-6 is still pretty gross. On the other hand, the schedule has been brutal and for the most part the Celts have been in every game they've played. So far, I'd say things are going how most expected, with some positive and encouraging signs from the young players. Can they build on it? That's what I can't wait to find out.