There Is A New King Of New York And His Name Is Jayson Tatum

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

Ahead of the Mavs game when we learned that AD wasn't playing and that the Celts were once again double-digit favorites against an injured and depleted team, we all knew what that meant. Unfortunately, that game played out exactly how we feared.

After that game and before their showdown with the Knicks, we all once again had a common consensus. This would be a game the Celts were locked in for, and as a result, they would play an inspired brand of basketball. The team that is on a historic pace in terms of road performance combined with the fact they simply do not lose 2 games in a row combined with the fact that this was a pretty big H2H showdown between two division rivals, we all assumed this game would be a bounce back performance.

The result?

To no surprise, the Celts looked fantastic. Even without 40% of their starting lineup (KP, Holiday) the Celts were engaged. Ready right from the opening tip, the defensive effort was there, the offensive execution was crisp, Joe was coaching his dick off, ready to counter whatever Thibs tried to throw at him. The Stay Ready Group stayed ready and I have no doubt that as you watched this performance you repeatedly told yourself that this looked much more like the team we know and love compared to what just took place against the Mavs.

Now, there are a few ways to look at this. The obvious one is that when the Celts decide to give a shit, they are still in a tier of their own. Sorry if these facts offend you. That when it comes time for a big game where they need to lock in, they are more than capable of dropping that hammer, regardless of where the game takes place. To borrow a phrase that literally makes me cringe, they "can flip the switch". Their recent wins against CLE and NYK, which were sandwiched around an embarrassing home loss to DAL pretty much tell that story. To some, this is encouraging,

To me, it's annoying as fuck. I know, no team is perfect. Losses are going to happen. But I am also someone who remembers this team putting importance on all 82 games last year. I don't love the idea of picking and choosing when you need to give a shit because there are ways to play winning basketball without playing with Game 7 playoff intensity. The Celts didn't need to "flip their switch" and play like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals to beat the Mavs the other night. They just needed to not play braindead basketball and actually give the tiniest bits of shit on defense. I feel like there can be a balance between not emptying the tank in the regular season and winning the games you should be winning. 

But let's also not forget the context around last night's showdown in MSG. This was supposed to be the game the Knicks showed they were ready to take over the 2 seed. They built their entire roster in order to finally match up with the Celtics, and after the ass kicking from Opening Night, this was their chance to punch back. At home, with 3 days rest, playing well, in primetime with the whole world watching.

Advertisement

Instead, we were reminded that until proven otherwise, this league and more specifically this conference, still runs through the Champs. Celts are now 4-1 against CLE/NYK, with half of those wins coming on the road, and the only loss being a game in which Jaylen Brown and Derrick White did not play. 

With that said, let us begin.

The Good

- When you look at how the Knicks have gone about building out their roster, it's very obvious what they were trying to accomplish. They looked around and saw that until they solved their Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics problem, they stood no chance. They paid an insane price to bring in Mikal Bridges, they traded for OG Anunoby and then gave him a 5/215M extension, they traded for KAT etc, all with one team in mind. 

How has that gone? In the first meeting, they lost by 37 points, with Jayson Tatum going for 37. Last night in the second meeting? They lost by 27 points (it was in the 30s at one point) on their own floor and Jayson Tatum went for 40

If you go into MSG and snatch Brunson's chain like this on his own floor, does that then make Jayson Tatum the new King Of New York? That's how this works right? 

Let's be very clear about something. While it's true OG didn't play, where was all the Tatum-stopping via Mikal Bridges I heard so much about? I thought that was the whole point of making that trade? The Knicks finally had wing defenders to handle Jayson Tatum! At least that's what I kept hearing when I was told the Knicks now had the best starting 5 in the NBA before the season.

Advertisement

The results? In two games this season, Jayson Tatum is averaging 38.5/5.0/7.0 on 61/60% splits with 7.5 3PM a night

Once again, Tatum finds himself in a select group of Celtics legends when it comes to tormenting the Knicks

and after dropping the hammer on their own floor, it's no surprise that Knicks fans probably can't stand Jayson Tatum. That's what happens with all of these opposing fanbases that have to continuously watch Tatum bury their favorite team on their home floor. 

It was very noticeable how much more engaged Tatum was in this game compared to the DAL loss, and we saw it right with the first play when he made that beautiful inside/out move and two handed finish at the rim. When Tatum is aggressive and gives a shit, there really isn't an answer for him. He's too big for smaller defenders, too strong and quick for bigger defenders, and when the 3 ball is dropping like it was in this game (7-14), good fucking luck.

What we saw was the exact problem that so many teams are unable to solve in this matchup. If you have small/poor defenders on the floor, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are going to find them, exploit them, and bury you because of it. If that means finding switches with Jalen Brunson, so be it. If that means getting KAT into space and destroying him in P&R, that works too. This is the obstacle that the Knicks are going to have to deal with in a playoff series when teams can repeatedly attack your weaknesses. The Knicks are simply too small. This problem is no different than what teams like CLE/MIL/IND etc all also face in this matchup. Against most teams you can survive, against this one? With how the Celts are built? Your roster deficiencies become problematic.  

When we talk about Tatum's approach, what we saw in this game was exactly how his shot profile needs to look

Advertisement

Plays at the rim/paint and 3PA. That's it. That's the formula. Sorry for all the morons out there that demand Tatum take fewer 3s and more midrange jumpers. That, is death. This? This is dominance. This is Mazzulla Ball. This is how Tatum needs to approach things offensively. Notice the one zone that has 0 FGA? The midrange/long 2 zone. Notice how this was one of Tatum's best performances of the season from both a production standpoint and an efficiency standpoint? Imagine that!

Almost like ya know, Mazzulla Ball works or something. Sure there are over 200+ games of evidence, a title, and Jayson Tatum having the best overall season of his career, but maybe some out there need a little more evidence to finally see the light. 

A 40 ball with under 10 FTA, this was the first time since 12/21 we've seen Tatum have a night like this. That was a 25 point win against the Bulls on the road when Tatum finished with 43 by going 9-15 from deep and only taking 2 FTAs. He also had 15 rebounds and 10 assists in that game if you were curious. 

The point is, do not take these types of performances for granted. You are watching greatness when it comes to Jayson Tatum, and the scary thing is he's going to continue to get even better.

- If you were to ask someone before this game who the best center would end up being in a matchup that KP did not play and KAT was active, I'd guess 95% of the responses would be KAT. The real answer? Luke Kornet

Thrown into the starting lineup right before the game, this is why Kornet is part of the Stay Ready Group. When his number is called, Kornet delivers. A more than solid 14/12 (5 OREB) with 3 blocks on 7-7 from the floor and a +21 in his 28 minutes, Kornet was so far and away the best center in this game that it's actually pretty outrageous. As a reminder, he's the Celtics 3rd center. 

Maybe there was a bit of a revenge factor seeing as how Kornet is a former Knick, but honestly, I think it was mostly just a case of knowing his role, understanding where he needed to be on both ends of the floor, and solid execution. The best thing I can say about Kornet is that he's reliable and that I know exactly what to expect in his minutes. He fits in seamlessly no matter what lineup he's a part of, and his two way impact was such a massive part of why the Celts were able to get off to their fast start.

I have no idea how Brad Stevens was able to convince this dude to take the minimum, but the way Kornet is playing he's about to 5x that salary number this upcoming summer. He's arguably one of the best back up centers in basketball and that's not even being hyperbolic. 

Advertisement

- The Celtics quite literally own Madison Square Garden

What's better than having one Garden to call your own? How about two.

- What an absolute masterclass of a gameplan by Joe Mazzulla. From making Josh Hart prove he can beat you as a shooter (he couldn't), to taking away his cuts/clogging the paint for Brunson by removing the Knicks P&R offense to how he had the Celts adjust their pressure points with Tatum based on what lineups Thibs threw out there, this was a game in which the Celts needed Joe to be on his shit, and he delivered.

When things got close in the 3rd quarter, what did we see? He put the ball in Tatum's hands and found ways to put him in a position to succeed. Abusing KAT in space, getting him clean looks for 3s, maintaining the right spacing when the Knicks overhelped on Tatum so the "others" could take and make wide open 3s. 

Holding the Knicks to just 104 points on 42/37% splits while they had 3 days to rest is big time stuff. To do it on the road? Even more impressive. 

I thought both the gameplan and the execution against the Mavs was dogshit. Last night? Zero complaints about either, and that starts with Joe.

- Remember how against DAL it felt impossible that the Celts could score 120+, shoot 50/40% from the floor with 16 3PM and lose? The issue was they refused to play a lick of defense.

In this game? Once again another massive offensive outburst to the tune of 131 points, 54/48% splits with 19 3PM and they won by 27. Why? Because they played defense. I'm not sure how much clearer it can get. It doesn't matter what you do offensively if you don't play defense. Scoring is awesome, but means nothing if you're immediately giving those points back.

If you don't defend, you die. If you do defend, you win. Sounds simple, because it is. 

- Shoutout Queta for being the 2nd best center in this game. For those tracking at home, the Celts 3rd and 4th centers were better on both ends and more productive than the Knicks franchise center.

Advertisement

The Queta Experience is certainly a rollercoaster given that in the same possession, he's going to do something incredible defensively only to then immediately have a brutal offensive mistake all in the span of 15 seconds. I really don't think we've seen anything like this is terms of a reserve big.

One minute you can't believe Queta is pulling off these insane blocks, the next minute you aren't sure if he's ever touched a basketball before. It's truly remarkable and I simply cannot get enough. The flashes are there, I just need the consistency to start showing up, which you hope comes with his continued development.

- Over his last 15 games, Jaylen Brown is shooting 49% on midrange jumpers. Over his last 6, that number bumps up to 52.2%. Overall from the floor, even including last night's 37%, Jaylen is shooting over 50% from the floor and 34% from three.

The point is, his biggest offensive weapon (midrange/paint jumpers) look to be back to his normal levels. We all know how important a shot this is given what we witnessed during their playoff run last year, and honestly struggling with that shot was a big reason why his efficiency was down to start the year.

He was floating at around 27% from the midrange in December and 41% in January. So far in February? 52.9%

This shot is important because against smaller defenders like Hart, Brunson, Bridges etc, when Jaylen can use his strength and size to get to his spot, this is a wide open look every single time. Him now finding a way to not miss every one he takes is very important for this offense, especially finding ways to score in the non-Tatum minutes. 

- Celts won the rebounding battle, points in the paint, 2nd chance points, went 20-24 from the FT line, only turned it over 10 times, and dominated the bench scoring battle.

Their largest lead was 35, and there were 0 ties and 0 lead changes.

This was a complete wire to wire ass kicking, on the road against an elite team. Hard to get better than that both in terms of the big stuff and the stuff around the margins.  

- Speaking of the bench, if there was anyone built for the moment of a big game in MSG, it's Payton Pritchard. Big time player who rises up in big time moments

For the majority of this game, Pritchard was outscoring the Knicks entire bench by himself. His range looks to be back, he finished with 29 on 9-13 (4-7) with only 1 TO in his 26 minutes, and nobody knows how to pile on in garbage time more than Pritchard. He turns into a Top 2 player on the planet in these mop up minutes, and he ain't #2. 

When Payton Pritchard of all people is giving you the "too small" celebration, that has to sting. In a game without KP is was going to be important that the bench shooters did their thing, and Pritchard certainly stepped up to the challenge.

Advertisement

What I also liked is that he had no problem with the Knicks ball pressure. He kept his dribble low and his eyes up, which makes me feel way better about Pritchard minutes in a potential playoff matchup between these two. If you're not able to eliminate Pritchard from the equation, you're in trouble.

- Another 5-9 (4-7) showing for DWhite, who continues to shoot the ball great from deep. It's no surprise the Celts are back to winning the majority of their games right around the same time that Derrick found his outside shot again. In his last 10 games, White is now up to 44% on 7.9 3PA a night, and the Celts are 8-2 in those games. As he goes, they go.

Teams crowd the Jays, White is there for the backbreaking 3PM. Him reliably making his C&S 3PA is the key to everything, and it looks like he's finally worked his way out of whatever slump was holding him back.

The Bad

- What I wasn't exactly a fan of was Jaylen's ball security. We can't exactly be living in a world where he has nearly more TOs (4) than FGM (5), and a lot of them were the same sort of issues that have plagued him in the past. I have no problem with him having the ball and being aggressive and attacking the rim, but a big part of that equation is making sure he stops creating live ball turnovers

It's not exactly rocket science. Those turnovers in the 3rd quarter are what helped the Knicks gain momentum, and it was the least surprising thing of all time that Bridges made that 3PM to cut it to 3 after Jaylen lost the ball dribbling. Those are the types of mistakes that cannot happen in a playoff game, because momentum is too fragile. Thankfully Jayson Tatum saved them in that 3rd quarter and immediately got the lead back to 19, but that doesn't excuse bad ball security from your second best player.

Advertisement

Considering he's been mostly great this year keeping his TO numbers low, they have started to creep up a little bit over these last few games, so that needs to be figured out. It's the same thing I'd say with Tatum and his 4 TOs against the Mavs. The Jays are too important to the offense and have the ball too much to be this careless with it. It's how they get into trouble and lose games they shouldn't, and last night the culprit was mostly Jaylen. He has to be better.

- To no surprise, the Tillman minutes were a disaster. The double bigs with him were rough, in the end, he was a -12 in his 5 minutes, and I just cannot see a way that he is playable right now. Sucks that it has to be this way, but it is what it is. At some point your on court play has to matter, and I can't remember a single solid Tillman stretch this entire season.

Now that Torrey Craig is on the roster, my guess is that's where any potential Tillman minutes will go. 

- Only 21 AST is a little low for my liking, but a large part of that is due to the fact that Tatum was killer in isolation. Usually in a game the Celts shoot 54/48% with 19 3PM their AST total is closer to 30+, so while of course this is no big deal I did find it a little surprising that against a Knicks defense that is supposed to be positioned well to handle the Celts in isolation, it was actually the thing that buried them.

The Opener was all through ball movement and 3s. Last night was through isolation in 3s. Same result, but two different ways to get there. You know what we call that? Versatility.

The Ugly

- Once again, the NBA's officiating problem was on full display. This time, on a national stage. Do we think Adam Silver cares? Of course not. It was very obvious that as the Celts were pulling away that the refs had to find a way to keep NYK in it, and the whistle inconsistency was simply pathetic.

Whether it was bailing out Jalen Brunson time and time again with plays like this

While also giving any amount of contact on a drive a foul for the Knicks to the point where the Celts were basically playing the entire 3rd quarter in the bonus, on the other end you had the same type of shit be no calls. Tatum and White on back to back possessions in the 3rd quarter driving into the paint, absorbing contact were no calls, yet plays like this were fouls on the other end

Advertisement

The 3rd quarter opened with 3 or 4 straight fouls in favor of the Knicks. It completely changed the momentum of the quarter and when you consider the Celts almost never foul as a team, it's all bullshit. 

All I ask is for a consistent whistle. There is no world in which Jalen Brunson should go into a half with basically the same amount of FTs as the entire Celtics team, when they both had the same level of aggressiveness and plays in the paint/at the rim. We saw something pretty similar in the CLE win as well. 

Bad calls happen, that's not what this is about. This is about a lack of consistency in terms of what one team is allowed to do and what the other isn't. How one team can go every single possession of a quarter and be bailed out with fouls where then on the other end the exact same level of contact is a no call.

A big time national TV game between two huge markets and the officiating was once again an issue. Unfortunately, Adam Silver does not care.

With a 3-3 stretch being all that's needed for the Celts to hit 40/20, this was a big one. They now have MIA/SA before the All Star Break, and there's I'd like more than a strong close into the break. Play like they did against CLE/NYK and not like they did against DAL and that's exactly what we should get.