The Celtics Destroyed Another Team To Remain Undefeated And They're Having Fun Doing It
I said it after the Magic blowout and I’ll stress it again here so we can all be on the same page before we dive into what was another extremely erotic two hours of Celtics basketball. In no way does how you look in preseason games dictate how the regular season let alone the playoffs will go. Nobody should be looking at the undefeated Celts and saying to themselves this is a high 50s win team that is going to cake walk to the ECF. Don’t be stupid. Preseason is a time for you to look for good habits, see how guys may have developed over the summer and if there are new facets to their game, potential lineups and how they work together, all that stuff. That’s the stuff to get excited about, not the final scores of these games. So when I think about my excitement of how this team looks so far, there’s a ton to love even if these games don’t count. Everything from the defensive execution, to the offensive adjustments guys are making, to the overall team chemistry. Put it another way, the Celtics could not have started this preseason off better in my mind, and that’s really all I could ask for.
This team is young, this team is fun, and they are beating the shit out of opponents with relative ease. Sure you take the opponent with a grain of salt because this was the Cavs, but ask me if I give a fuck. Let’s dive in.
The Good
– You know who is really showing some serious summer improvement? Jaylen Brown. Maybe it’s his individual workouts, maybe it’s a little but of Team USA, but Jaylen has looked really good for the most part this preseason and last night was no different
He really looks like the game is slowing down for him, he’s reading defenses quicker and is a much more willing passer (27.3% AST%), all while really making the most of his possessions. He isn’t a heavy usage player, just 17.5% last night which was fourth among starters, but he’s been really impactful on both ends. Jaylen led the team with a Drtg of 22(!!!!) and had an overall net rating of +82.7 (!!!!!!!). I didn’t even know those numbers were physically possible but he did all that in 15 minutes of work. The best part was Jaylen didn’t turn the ball over once, and I am in love with how aggressive he looks. I only counted one bad forced heat check three, other than that everything else for the most part was around the rim. Contract Year Jaylen is off to a great start and if he keeps this up while he may not get the max, he’s going to get PAID.
– You know the rules, you defend and you rebound then you’re going to win. Well, the Celts won the rebound battle 49-43 and held CLE to 31/17% splits and caused 27 TOs. Pretty sure that’s going to get it done on most nights, but the fact that they were able to replicate their exact same effort defensively in this game like we saw against the Magic is a great sign. Defensive consistency is what I want to see at this point of the season and it looks like Brad’s small ball lineup can fucking fly.
– A big part of the Celtics success on the glass that we can’t ignore is Jayson Tatum. We saw a little but of this in Team USA when they played Jayson at the four, he really held his own on the glass. This is important seeing as how he’s going to play the four a lot in this system and he finished this game with 9 rebounds. He’s averaging 6.0 rebounds a night and already has more rebounds this preseason through three games than he had in his previous two preseasons where he played four. His dedication to defensive rebounding is going to be big for this team due to their size issue, but also increases the chances that we get more Point Tatum which I am intrigued about given his improved passing.
– I love Carsen Edwards more and more every time we see him play. A ridiculous level of confidence, the ultimate green light, he has a chance to be their most impactful rookie hands down
If he can prove to hold his own defensively, Brad is going to give him legit minutes and with those minutes comes automatic shooting and with automatic shooting comes this fanbase falling in love and really giving him the Isaiah treatment. Sharing the same number doesn’t hurt.
– This ball movement has made my balls move every time I watch it. Add it with that Grade A Celtics porn possession and we were cooking with gas yesterday
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– Your favorite team doesn’t have Marcus Smart? Damn that sucks
Against ORL it was the Steph Curry move where he talked shit to the bench while his three was in the air. Last night it was back to being Marcus Smart with his First Team All Defense, awesome playmaking/passing, and knack for winning plays. He does look a little heavy to me which is weird because he didn’t look that way with Team USA, but as long as he makes his threes and does shit like this I could care less.
– There is no denying that Robert Williams is an extremely exciting player. When he remembers to move his hips and actually slide defensively he warrants minutes, and when he gets minutes he can do shit like this
On the offensive end it’s clear you can just throw it anywhere near the rim and he’ll go get it, and on the defensive end he was really impressive with his weakside help. You can’t bring weak shit around Williams or else he’s going to toss it into the crowd, and there is every bit of potential for him to earn real minutes this year if he can be consistent. That’s the hardest thing for a young player, but the raw talent is there. If he just takes a deep breath and doesn’t fall asleep on defense, Brad is going to play him because he’s athletic enough to run with the small lineup. Plus he can sneaky pass really well.
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– Kanter’s offensive rebounding is as advertised and it feels weird to have a player that can actually do that. he snagged 4 last night and was a big reason why the Celts won the 2nd chance points battle.
– Max Strus is competing for that 15th roster spot and for the first time really since Summer League actually put some good tape out there
The dude can shoot there’s no denying that, and frankly now my brain is in a pretzel. Javonte Green has looked really good, but every team does need consistent outside shooting and for a streaky shooting team like the Celts, you could make the case for Strus if he can shoot like this.
– OK, I’ve waited enough time right? Because Tacko Fall is a fucking problem and it’s amazing to watch
I mean what do you do as a defense? Tacko gets position and it’s over. You have to double him which means someone will be open and if you don’t it takes him one dribble to then dunk it in your head without jumping. THIS is the type of project that Two Ways were made for, and I keep saying he’s way more than a gimmick. Tacko can really play and is too interesting of a prospect to not give a serious look at. Watch those highlights again, he’s a goddamn monster.
– I really like how Daniel Theis works with this starting unit. He makes them super quick and switchable, he’s reliable, he can stretch the floor and guard both bigs and perimeter players. He’ll struggle with bruising centers, but everyone else? He’s probably the leader in the clubhouse to start.
– The chemistry on this team is palpable. They LOVE each other, they can’t contain it and I’m right there with em. We’re seeing the entire bench get up and go nuts to celebrate one another, there’s no egos, there’s no ill will, I am begging that this translates to the regular season because it is so goddamn refreshing to see.
The Bad
– We can be honest, it’s a little concerning Hayward is still shooting so poorly. I will say at this stage it’s more about seeing him be aggressive and take the right shots and not play timid, but at the end of the day he needs to be a much more efficient scorer. Another 1-3 performance for just 3 points in 17 minutes, he’s doing other things as a facilitator sure, but as a scorer I need to see more. That’s just the truth
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– What’s with the bullshit FT shooting? 13-22? Is that a joke? It must be a joke. Kemba missing two, hell Tatum didn’t even get to the line once, it’s just been a weird time from the charity stripe this preseason
– I don’t like this one bit
It looked pretty bad, they’re saying it’s a sprain but who knows. We’ve been lied to before.
– I have to say, the start to this game certainly didn’t look like the rest of it. I think they started like 2-8 or something terrible like that? It was your classic early afternoon hangover but woof, they looked bad.
The Ugly
– The Celts didn’t keep their 54 point lead. Unacceptable.
– I don’t know what’s going on with Semi, but his shot/scoring still looks broke as hell. I guess he feels like maybe he needs to show offensive skill to earn minutes? Not in my opinion. Make the occasional three sure, but he’s forcing things on the offensive end and just looks so lost. All I care about is that he defends multiple positions and rebounds. His 3-10 performance was a little too much Semi offense for my liking.
Again, it’s preseason. It was the Cavs. This Celtics team should blow a team like that out and that’s what happened. But who can ignore the fact that last season’s preseason sucked dick and look what happened. Why can’t the same be true this year, only the exact opposite? Exactly.