Not To Be Dramatic, But Tonight Is Easily The Most Important Game Of The Celtics Season

Gary Dineen. Getty Images.

I don't want to be dramatic but at the same time, I feel like being very dramatic. Today is the most important game of not only the Celtics season, but basically my entire life. Sorry, that's just how I feel. Nothing in my life matters right now other than tonight's Game 4. I know there's a whole lot of drama going down in the Barstool world right now and that might be fun for everyone else, but I've spent the last 48 hours trying to figure out how Jayson Tatum can not have the worst playoff performance of his life. That's what I care about. After blowing a huge opportunity this weekend to take a 2-1 series lead, if you are someone who believes the series is on the line tonight, I won't fight you. Getting down 3-1 to a team with Giannis is probably not the best plan if your goal is to win 4 games and move on to the next round. Winning 3 of the next 4 is already a tall order, having to win 3 in a row is an even bigger matzah ball to conquer that if I had my preference, the Celts would avoid. 

I've clearly spent a lot of time thinking about this because I have a sickness and should probably seek help, but one thing I don't think any Celts fan should do today is think that just because the Bucks barely won on Saturday despite Tatum's struggles and all the missed calls/bullshit that today will be a cakewalk as long as everyone shows up. It is my responsibility to remind you that no two playoff games are the same. That's not really how these things work. Each game, each possession, each situation is different. Having said that, there are reasons to be encouraged from the Boston side

Admit it, you feel a little better after reading those Grande bombs. I sure do. It doesn't guarantee anything but that's a pretty good nugget that is the exact propaganda I need to read as we all stare at our clocks until tip off. 

There's also the reminder of what has happened so far in this exact series. The last time we saw the Celts fuck around and blow a game they probably should have won through careless play and one of their stars no showing, this is how they responded

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Yeah, that was at home but it doesn't change the fact that the Celts' backs were up against a wall early in this series and they responded exactly how we all hoped they would. It's something they've shown the ability to do basically all season and especially in 2022. Again, it doesn't guarantee that's what happens tonight, but it does give you a reason to feel as confident as we possibly could at the moment.

There's also this nugget

That's pretty fucking good. This series has really come down to one major issue and that's the Celts ball security. When they turn it over, they die. It was the 18 TOs in Game 1 that led to 27 MIL points, and in Game 3 it was the 7 TOs in that 3rd quarter which resulted in a 34-17 frame. When the Celts take care of the ball and make the Bucks beat them in the halfcourt, these games look a little different. Ime just talked about this in his presser yesterday and he couldn't be more right. When the Celts take care of the basketball and don't do careless/stupid shit, they are incredibly tough to beat because of how good their halfcourt defense is. Just look at the Game 2 win. As a team, they only had 11 TOs which led to just 17 Bucks points. That took away a huge part of their offense for a team that never had more than 26 points in a single quarter and had three quarters of 21 points or fewer.  In Game 3, they were neck and neck with MIL in every other quarter other than the 3rd, and that's because their turnovers were very low in 3 of the 4 quarters. If they take care of the ball tonight, they can easily even this shit up.

Now it's not all roses and butterflies. There's this little factor to deal with as well tonight

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Those numbers are….a little concerning. Maybe you think Brothers is there to extend the series, sort of like what Foster did last night in Philly, but who the fuck knows. I'm someone who knew at some point the Celts were going to have to deal with Tony Brothers simply because they hadn't had him so far this entire series. This is why blowing Game 3 is so fucking annoying, because now you open the door for some shady shit to potentially go down.

But make no mistake, the Celtics chances tonight have little to do with what Tony Brothers does or doesn't do. It comes down to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. With their team facing a massive 3-1 hole, this is when they need to be at their best. There can't be a no show from either guy tonight. In Game 1, it was Jaylen and the Celts lost. In Game 2 they showed up and the Celts rolled. In Game 3 it was Tatum's no show that resulted in a loss. This is the game where the best of the best step up and refuse to lose. We know Giannis is going to be doing that shit on the other end, so it's on the Celts best players to match that and then some. They need to be locked in defensively even if their shots aren't falling initially. They can't bitch to the refs. They can't settle and need to remain aggressive. The good news is these are all things we've seen both players do on several occasions.

Look around the playoffs and every team that needed a win to tie their series 2-2 got it. The Sixers and the Mavs punched back and gave themselves new life. The Celts will have to do it on the road, but that's the price you pay for not taking care of your business on your home floor. The goal of these two games has been to simply get a split, and that is very much still possible as long as they play the right way. 

They say the playoffs are never supposed to be easy, and we know the Celtics as a franchise never seem to make things easy on themselves. We know Giannis is going to get his, just like he did in Game 3. Tonight is about limiting everyone else and taking care of the basketball while finding ways to get your own stars easier looks. Do that, and you ride that momentum back onto your home floor with control of the series. A best of 3 with 2 games at home is a decent place to be. But none of that matters if they don't take care of business tonight. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go puke my brains out because these nerves are killing me.