After Blowing Out The Kings, The Hospital Celtics Once Again Show Why They Are One Of The Most Unstoppable Forces The NBA Has Ever Seen

Rocky Widner. Getty Images.

Go ahead, tell me that wasn't the most Boston Celtics shit you've ever seen. Blow a 17 point lead in tragic fashion and get buried by Steph Curry (again) the night before? Have a B2B against a good Kings team that was 10-3 at home, fully healthy and had won their previous 3 games in a row? Be without your best player in Jayson Tatum and 6th man Al Horford?

OK, no problem. While the rest of the world probably thought all that stuff leads to a loss, we were reminded just how much this team still zigs when most think they'll zag. There was no loss, instead, there was a 144 point outburst and a 25 point win because of fucking course there was. The Hospital Celtics are one of the most devastating teams in NBA history, so really this was just par for the course. It's not problem that players had to move a level and overachieve a little bit with the firepower not playing, and the good news is that if you were a Boston Celtic and you touched the floor last night, chances are you were great in your minutes.

And let's be honest, this was a big win for the mental health of everyone. After what happened in GS the night before, you could make the case that everyone from the fans to the players to Joe to Brad to Wyc was probably a little tense or a little antsy. There was a real possibility of starting this trip 0-2, having a fucked up Tatum ankle for the red hot Clippers (won again, 9 in a row), and then a tough Christmas game against LeBron on the horizon. Starting things out 0-2 would have been a bit of a disaster. Now? At 1-1? Things feel much better. Granted now we also have to worry about Porzingis' ankle, but to me last night was the reassurance that there isn't anything wrong with how the Celts play, GS was just one of those rare off shooting nights. This team isn't going to miss 41 3PA and 21 shots inside the paint all that often if ever, so last night was a good example of why you don't overreact to one shitty performance. It's a long ass season.

At the start of the trip, I think most rational people considered 2-2 or better a win. As of today, that's how we're pacing. At 21-6, the Boston Celtics still own the best record in the NBA. They have the most wins in the league against teams .500 or better. Healthy, not healthy, this team remains a wagon in every sense of the word.

Let's talk about it.

The Good

- Now this was a hard choice. How do you pick a player to kick us off in the top spot when everyone played well, the team drops 144 on the road, and there doesn't seem to be a wrong choice?

Easy. You don't overthink it.

We are starting with Jaylen Brown. Not just because he finished with 28/5/6 with 0 TOs and a +22 in his 29 minutes, but also because of what this type of performance meant. As the other franchise pillar and supermax player, with Jayson Tatum out it is his responsibility to elevate his play and be a #1 option type player. This doesn't just mean a high point total, it means completely dominating the game in every aspect. Think of what Tatum does on a pretty regular basis. He controls everything. The scoring, the passing, the defense….he's THE GUY. That is the role that Jaylen had to play up into, something we all sort of wish he did in Game 7 last year. 

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Last night is what that player looks like. He's had higher scoring outings this season, but for my money this might have been his best game of the year, simply because of what his role was going to have to be and the expectations on him to live up to it. On the road on a B2B against a good team? Those are the games your star needs to lead by example. The same would be true if Tatum played and Jaylen was out. These are the nights where your stars earn their keep.

The thing is, a performance like this has really been the norm for Jaylen for about a month now. Ever since that MIL win on 11/22, Jaylen has been playing at his All NBA level and then some

The biggest thing we all want to see is consistency right? Well that looks pretty consistent to me.

24.2/4.7/4.2 on 50/32% pslits with 2.3 TOs 

over this 13 game stretch, that's essentially half of the Celtics season. Jaylen has been this good all while his three point shot still kind of stinks, which makes me feel incredible. The obvious jump isn't just in the box score numbers, but also when you actually watch him. He's under control, he's making BEAUTIFUL reads to consistently create great looks for his teammates, he's making his FTs, he's not really turning it over, and defensively he's having his best season in years. Whether or not people want to admit it, Jaylen has been one of the most consistent and best players on this roster since Thanksgiving, as he should be. That's why he earned his deal.

Of all the awesome things Jaylen did in this game, I continue to be impressed with how willingly he's accepted whatever role a specific game needed. It's not like we entered last night with the blinder mindset that he had to have 40 with Tatum out. Instead, he just played the right way, maximized his opportunities and played like a leader. THAT to me is the biggest takeaway from Jaylen's night and really his season overall. He's playing a much more "we over me" style this year compared to previous seasons, and the impact is as clear as day.

- If there's one guy who you can bank on stepping up when the big guns are out, it's easily the captain of the Hospital Celtics ship, Derrick White. I mean holy christ. It was always sort of a joke that Bald Derrick had morphed into an unstoppable basketball force, but watch this and tell me that isn't what you see?

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Backing up his 30 piece with 7 3PM against GS with a 28/7 with 6 3PM on 10-13 (6-9) with only 1 TO and 3 more blocks, we're kind of past the point where we call Derrick White a "role player". Those days are over. Bald Derrick is a goddamn star.

Listen, if Mike Conley can be an All Star putting up 16.2/3.5/6.0 on 44/42% splits, then Derrick White, someone who starts on the best team in the league should be an All Star with his current production. It's better across the board, so this shouldn't exactly be a hot take. Just use your eyes. 

The amount of confidence he's playing with right now is better than anything any of us could have dreamed of. Watching him play you almost don't even recognize the guy who first got to Boston back in 2021-22. His improvement as a shooter, and the aggressiveness with which he plays, it's changed our collective lives.

Remember too, this is who ESPN thinks wasn't a top 100 player. Even now that still makes me laugh uncontrollably. What a bunch of morons. 

We also can see why Derrick turned down whatever extension Brad tried to sign him too this offseason. Why did he do that? Because he's getting the max. Whatever the highest possible amount he's eligible to get, you may as well double it. I don't care if this extension bankrupts Wyc. You pay Derrick White every possible cent if for no other reason than he's arguably your 3rd most important player. 

- If we're talking needle movers for this team, outside of Jayson Tatum there may not be a bigger needle mover for them than Kristaps Porzingis. We already knew this heading into last night, but it didn't take long for KP to remind us exactly why he's the missing piece. 

Everything he brings on the court is exactly what this team has been missing, and not just offensively. We saw what having him on the floor did for their approach, the way KP and White worked together in a 2 man game to force that switch on the FT to get Porzingis a smaller player to go against wasn't complicated or anything, but damn was it effective. It's why Brad made the trade. You want offensive diversification? Enter Porzingis.

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It just doesn't seem fair how fucking tall this dude is. The way he can take this turnaround midrange jumpers with guys all over him but none of that matters because he simply shoots over them is truly insane. I am legit shocked whenever he misses given how soft his touch is, and it's no surprise how unstoppable the Celts offense looks when he's on the floor. I just don't knwo what a defense is supposed to do with a guy who can stretch the floor to 30 ft but also score from the other 2 levels effectively. You can't switch against him, and if you keep a big on him he'll just take that rim protector outside, opening up everything for the rest of his teammates to drive to the rim. 

Then defensively, the way he impacts the rim is scary. We had elite rim protection with Rob, but that was a little different. Those were mostly loud, super athletic blocks, and someone who definitely bit on fakes/committed silly fouls. Porzingis? He just fucking stands there with his arms up, he stays on his feet, and he blocks everything. A total of 6 blocks last nighit, his impact defensively is just as important to this team's success as what he's doing on the offensive end

Look at those names!!!

I am at the point where I will gladly sell my soul to have KP healthy for an entire playoff run. Go ahead and take it, name the price. I don't need it. We all have to do our part and it's abundantly clear that a healthy KP is the missing piece for Banner 18. He's everything they've needed and then some.

- In the GS loss, there were some that could not stop crying about the 58 3PA. It's now the standard thing to do any time the Celtics lose a game, because people for some reason refuse to acknowledge the context. There is nothing wrong with 58 3PA if they come off good process. If the ball is moving and guys have open/wide open looks, they should take that shoot 100 times out of 100.

What those people couldn't do is separate that from the result. They see the poor shooting percentage and think this is not how the Celtics should play. That it's losing basketball. 

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Well….how about now? Another 42 3PA last night and volume doesn't seem to be an issue today. Why is that? Because they went in? To me, that's the wrong way to look at it. The volume number is whatever, what matters is how those threes are generated. Not only that, but with the Kings coming out firing as well and being 14-30 from three int he first half, had the Celts not matched their volume and production, they get blown out.

Mazzulla Ball works. I'm sorry this is still hard for some to grasp, but I'm not sure how much more evidence you need to see

- He's so quiet you probably have no idea, but Jrue Holiday has been tremendous for about 10+ games. The defense was always solid from the second he arrived, but it took him a while to really settle in offensively. Now, we're seeing what that complete player looks like

With a solid 21/8/10/2/1 on 7-13 (4-6) in his 33 minutes, I could make the argument that on a night everyone needed to step up, Jrue had one of if not his best game as a Celtic. Everything about it ruled. Remember his first chunk of games where his TS% was in the low 50s? It was brutal. Now? We're seeing the player that I think most Celts fans expected to get

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Over his last 10 games, that TS% has jumped to 62.6%. That's a big time number and higher than he averaged as a Buck. Outside of his weird struggles still around the rim, I don't really have a single complaint with how Jrue has been playing for about a month now. It was great to see him tap into his takeover mode with Tatum out, and I loved that he did it by playing the right way. There were no hero shots or low percentage looks trying to force his points. Everything came within the flow of the game. His rebounding continues to be way better than I imagined, and if he's going to play like this, I wouldn't mind an increased role for him as a scorer, especially if guys are going to be out. Now that Jrue is clearly out of his shooting slump, I say let's utilize it to it's fullest potential.

- When the Celts play like an avalanche, there's really not much anyone can do. 55/52% splits as a team, 22 3PM, 35 AST and only 9 TOs, 48-40 points in the paint, 30-8 fast breakpoints, 50-37 on the glass, this was exactly what complete domination looks like. 

All on a B2B after playing in an OT game the night before. None of that makes any goddamn sense.

- Usually in these Hospital Celtics games, someone from the bench tends to explode, and last night was no different. That explosion came from Payton Pritchard, who is another guy that's been playing some great basketball for about a month now too

20/4/4 on 6-12 (6-11), you could tell right away that Pritchard was locked in. When his early threes look that pure, you know you're in for one of these Payton explosion performances. Given how important it was for the Celts to keep pace from behind the arc, Pritchard being that source for the second unit was huge. The Kings bench came through with 9 3PM of their own, so Payton doing his part to match that was a big reason why the Celts were able to stay attached early.

Just a reminder, Payton Pritchard is shooting 48.8% from three in the month of December. Is that good? That feels good. 

- Great resiliency to not panic after falling down by 12 early when it seemed like SAC couldn't miss a shot. 

The Bad

- One glaring issue the Celts have had this month is the fact that they've been pretty dogshit at limiting opponents 3P%. They're at the bottom of the league allowing teams to shoot 40% from deep, which is a problem.

Last night didn't make things any better with the Kings going 21-44 (47.7%), and to me this is playing with fire. When the Celts defense has been at it's best, they've been elite in terms of limiting opponent's 3s. In 2023, that's maybe the most important thing a defense can do. 

Even if you want think there's mostly luck involved, I'd have to disagree. Our sample size this month is too big to think this is just team after team having fluke shooting. The Celts have to tighten things up in this department.

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- While I love his energy and his rebounding, Queta unfortunately cannot stop fouling. It's not that big a deal, but I care mostly because I want to see him on the floor as much as possible with Kornet out. Part of me feels like it's your standard young player whistle, but also his positioning isn't the best at times. 

- I'll be honest, I'm really stretching things here. When you drop 144 and have a 30 point lead at one point, you didn't do too many things poorly.

The Ugly

- Which is why for this section, I'll go with KP's ankle

Fucking Sabonis. I imagine we all had the same reaction to this, which was being absolutely terrified. While he stayed in the game it would not shock me one bit if KP is held out of the Clippers game on Saturday, or even the rest of the trip entirely. I will always side on being overly cautious with any sort of Porzingis injury, even though he was able to finish the game. I saw what I needed to see, so please don't push it. If he's not 10000000%, sit him.

So while last night's response was greatly appreciated, there's obviously still more work to be done. This win means nothing if the Celts don't close the trip strong, but it does feel like the GS loss woke them up a little bit. We all said this trip was going to teach us a lot about what the 2023-24 Celts are, and so far I'd say things are about what we expected. Still have a Warriors mental block, but also is very clearly still the best team in the NBA. Win Saturday against the hottest team in the league, and that sets you up nicely for Christmas. Win that, and you return home 3-1 after a grueling West Coast trip.

Is that wishful thinking? Maybe, but it's definitely on the table.