Never Underestimate The Power Of What Can Happen When You Make A Unicorn Blood Sacrifice To The Basketball Gods

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Winning any basketball game without Jayson Tatum is impressive. Winning a playoff game without Jayson Tatum, well, before last night, I wasn't sure something like that was even possible, mostly because we'd never been in that situation in any of his playoff runs over the previous 7 years. 

There is no question that the Celtics' journey back up the playoff mountain and their pursuit of back to back titles is going to be challenging. There's a reason we haven't seen it since 2018 and no Celtics champ has defended their title since the 60s. It's hard has shit. What that challenge might look like is going to be different from series to series, game to game, quarter to quarter, and possession to possession. How they are able to adjust and adapt while still maintaining their standard of winning is basically going to be the story of their run.

Given the unique circumstances of their position as the Kings of The NBA and what now stands in front of them, sometimes you have to think outside the box in terms of putting yourself in a good position to advance. Sometimes that's certain schemes or lineups, but other times it requires something different. Something so magical and so powerful that it gives you that extra boost a run like this is going to require.

We saw what that was last night. The Celtics over the last two years have done a great job of appeasing the Basketball Gods. They play hard, they play the right way, they sacrifice, they put in the work. All of that was rewarded last year with Banner 18. This year? They've taken it up a notch.

This time around, the Boston Celtics have made a blood sacrifice to the Basketball Gods. And not just any blood, unicorn blood. Perhaps the most valuable kind of blood there is. Not every team is able to do something like this, as it requires you to have a unicorn on your roster. It's a ritual that dates all the way back to 1376 AD and the Aztecs, and in my opinion it's the perfect move to pull at a time like this. Whatever it takes to win.

You may think I'm kidding, but I'm not. The Basketball Gods are always watching. You don't think they respect the offering of unicorn blood? What are you, dense? Just remember this moment as the playoffs go on, that's all I'm going to say.

Anyway, there's a lot to get to from this crucial Game 2 win, so let's dive in.

The Good

- While the KP stuff was important, the biggest storyline from Game 2 has to be the play of Jaylen Brown. With Tatum out, it was on Jaylen to not just play like a franchise player, but to fill every role that Jayson Tatum plays on the basketball court, which 99.9% of the time is virtually impossible for any player not named Jayson Tatum to do. It's scoring, rebounding, passing, defense, making big shots, getting the team off to a good start, being THE GUY despite everyone on the floor knowing you're going to be the #1 guy, and defenses are solely focused on you. It's hard as shit to replicate

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There have been a lot of incredible Jaylen Brown playoff performances as a Boston Celtic, and while I accept that I may be a prisoner of the moment, this one is pretty high up there mostly given the circumstances surrounding it. If you took the name out and just showed someone the stat line and asked them to guess who that player was, every single person is going to say Jayson Tatum. 

The scoring, the 10 rebounds, the playmaking, the clutch buckets, this was our latest example of what it looks like to have not one, but two franchise players. On any given night, either guy can put on the Batman cape and carry this team to victory, doing whatever needs to be done to secure the win.

It shouldn't have taken last night's performance for people to understand and accept that about Jaylen Brown, but perhaps now his doubters will finally see that this team is who they are because they have both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That's what makes them Champions. 

Last night, you knew Jaylen was going to be aggressive offensively in terms of his shot production and scoring. But to fill the Tatum role, you have to do more. So to see him respond with the 10 rebounds was easily the biggest surprise for me, not because he doesn't rebound like that, but the fact that it came while he was also doing everything else. That's energy, effort, and leading by example. We also saw why it was so important for Jaylen to get a shit ton of reps as a creator and initiator during the regular season. There was always pushback from certain fans that this was terrible and that he shouldn't be allowed to do it, which is something I never understood. Not only did Jaylen make a MASSIVE passing leap this season, it's also crucial for moments just like this.

There are going to be times when Tatum isn't on the floor, and this team still needs to execute in the non-Tatum minutes. That responsibility falls on Jaylen, and his performance last night was a great example of what all those regular season reps have created. I saw a player who was patient, who had a great balance of scoring and creating for others, who understood the time and situation, and was committed to consistently making the right play time and time again. That was about as Jayson Tatum-esq as you're going to get.

- Objectively, Kristaps Porzingis was mostly dogshit in Game 1. Nowhere close to impactful enough, especially offensively. He wasn't really playing with all that much force, he didn't own the glass, his spacing was weird, it was your classic stinker. The beauty of KP and something that I've respected the hell out of since he became a Celtic is that KP owns these stinkers and then immediately responds with a much better performance the next time out.

We saw it after his Game 2 stinker vs MIA last year, only to then immediately dominate Game 3 on the road. So after a brutal Game 1 in this series, nobody should be surprised that he was solid as hell in Game 2

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The cut, the blood, the FTs, all of that stuff was fun, but don't let to overshadow the basketball impact KP had in this win. Granted, he still shot the ball like dogshit, just 5-14 (0-5), but he finished a game best +15 in his 33 minutes, and it was his ability to draw fouls and get to the line that played a huge role in keeping the Celts afloat while the entire roster was unable to make an open jumper for such a prolonged stretch.

14 FTA alone for KP is part of the reason that Brad traded for him. He's not a dummy, he's seen the Celtics play playoff games before, he knows that there's going to be a lull when shots just don't fall. In previous versions of the roster, those lulls were killer. Brad knew he needed to find a counter to those moments, someone who could change things up offensively and get them through the droughts until water found its level. So he brought in the 7'3 demon who just so happens to be incredible at drawing fouls and getting to the FT line. 

It doesn't seem like a big thing, but in those moments when you simply cannot score, FTs are exactly how you weather the storm. The Magic do not have a player that can guard KP, he's a fucking giant. He's mastered how to turn and draw contact on his turnaround jumper, and it's a great weapon to have at their disposal. When in doubt, just lob it into the big man and let him go to work. KP was so much better with his ball security (0 TOs) in this win, he processed things quicker, he didn't bring the ball down, it was like he watched film of Game 1 and figured out the exact adjustments to make.

The toughness, the mentality, the production, A+ KP game even with the dogshit shooting imo

- I find it incredible that without their best rebounder (Tatum had 14 in Game 1), the Celtics still won the rebounding battle 46-34. The Magic only had 7 OREB, and lost the 2nd chance points battle 20-10. That tells you Game 2 was about collective rebounding, where everyone made a conscious effort to find a body, play with energy, and clean the glass

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It wasn't just those 3 guys either. Derrick White had 6, Jrue Holiday had 4, Pritchard got his nose in there. Those are the margins the Celts had to win, and they dominated.

When you play an elite defense like the Magic, who are also extremely limited offensively, it becomes crucial that you take care of the ball and limit their ability to score in transition for easy points. In this win? The Celts only turned the ball over 10 times and allowed just 5 fastbreak points. As we know, if you aren't able to turn the Celtics over and then also cannot make them pay off their TOs, you're not going to beat them in a playoff game.

- For those keeping track at home, Joe Mazzulla has now won 18 of his last 21 playoff games. For those like myself who aren't big math guys, that's a winning percentage of 85%. Said another way, the Celtics are playing at a 70 win pace over their last 21 playoff games.

People understand how insane that is correct? 

In Game 2, we saw how important #math really is when it comes to playoff basketball. The Celtics lost the shot margin 82-80 and were outshot from the floor 47.6% to 45%. The Magic made more FGM (39 vs 36) in this game and still lost. Why? Part of it was the FT production, but the other part of it was the math

The Celts dominated the 3PT battle, both in terms of volume (37 vs 29) and makes (12-7). For the second straight game, they opened things up by getting back to playing Mazzulla Ball. The Magic simply do not have the shooting to keep pace, and they know it. It's why they are selling out like crazy to take away the Celts 3PA, because they know if they allow them to take 3s, they don't have the talent or the skill to match it.

- It was only fitting that on the night he received his 6th Man Of The Year award that Payton Pritchard would immediately show the world why he's the best bench player in the NBA. All this crying from the fanbases who had candidates that didn't win, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Your guy is not Payton Pritchard

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Perhaps the most impressive part of his night wasn't the 3s, or the huge late game AND1. It's what Pritchard did defensively

This is what having a DAWG on your roster looks like. People who think Pritchard is just a spot up shooter who takes a ton of 3s are missing the point. That's a weapon he possesses, but it's not all he is as a player. Payton Pritchard is a complete basketball player with an insane competitive drive. There were valid questions about how impactful he could be against a tough, physical defense that has elite size and ball pressure.

Our answer so far?

A+. No complaints. He's finding ways to manipulate the defense without scoring, he's making his open looks, he's defending at a high level, and he's hitting the glass. If you closed your eyes and described an ideal Payton Pritchard series, I believe that is what we are currently watching. 

- After what I would consider a pretty shitty first half, the flip that the Stock Exchange flipped in the second half was a huge reason why the Celts were able to control the final 24 minutes. Jrue and Derrick both snapped out of their funks and each made massive plays down the stretch, whether it was late game drives by Jrue that resulted in either buckets for himself or open 3s for others, or the massive and I mean MASSIVE Derrick White 4th quarter 3PMs

As we know, when this team gets good guard play they become nearly impossible to beat. In the first half, the guard play struggled, and as a result the Magic were able to stay attached

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The second half? About a billion times better

- Al Horford is pissed. We all know what that means

- Shoutout to the Celtics for not dropping a Game 2 at home! That might not sound like a big deal to some, but for those of us who have been paying attention, you know what a problem child Game 2s have been over the years. The best way to have a quick series is to make sure you win at home, and by my calculations, it's impossible to be better than 2-0 to start a series. 

The Bad

- Through 2 games, we still haven't seen the Celts shoot all that well. I suppose this could easily be spun into a positive seeing as how every playoff run we have to listen to the following question

"What are the Celtics going to do when they don't make 3s??????"

Hey morons, have you not been watching the last, I dunno, 3 seasons? There is this idea that the Celts offense is entirely just 3PA, and that if they struggle to shoot then they're screwed.

Well, the Celts are only taking 37 3PA a night in this series, and they're 2-0. They re shooting just 45% from the floor, which is 10th out of the 16 teams in the playoff field. I'm not sure it could get worse than the 26/33% start we saw in the first quarter, and it's not like things got any better in the 2nd, seeing as how they finished the first half with 35/23% splits.

Thankfully, they are playing a team that literally cannot score, but eventually we're going to have to start seeing them get back to their normal selves when it comes to making their open looks. The brutal part about last night was it wasn't really the 3s, it was the 2s that were a problem. Horrendous paint production/rim finishing with pretty much everyone smoking easy bunnies left and right, and I do think it's funny that whenever the Celts struggle from 2s you never hear a peep about it. But if they miss their 3s? It's all people cry about. Why do we think that is?

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- Even with his stellar performance, there were still a few Jaylen possessions that I think we can all agree he needs to stay away from. The ball sticking possessions that usually result in a pretty disgusting dribbling turnovers. You know which ones I' talking about. These

These are the possessions where once that initial drive isn't there, just keep the ball moving. There's a chance it might even find its way back to you! The dribbling for the entire 24 seconds and then ending up in traffic is not how you approach an elite defense, and while it only happened twice, it is a bad habit Jaylen can sometimes fall into. We saw it against MIA, we saw it against GS etc. 

While no player is perfect, those are just small reminders of things to watch on film and improve on for Game 3, especially if Tatum sits that one out as well. If a play is dead, move the rock and then move your body. Keep it simple and trust your teammates.

- I'm sure it was just a coincidence that immediately after Al Horford called out KCP for being a dirty player with his play on Tatum that something like this happened!

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Just a bunch of losers man. If you can't beat a team, too bad. The fact that the same player, in the very next game, had ANOTHER play like this tells you everything you need to know. There was absolutely no reason for KCP to take the route he did getting back on defense. The court is massive! But somehow he just so happened to target Al and get his feet tangled? Yeah OK, sure thing pal.

Stuff like this is why the Celts just need to end this series as quickly as possible. The Tatum injury, KP getting smashed in the face, targeting Al. It's clear what the Magic's gameplan is since they know in their hearts they don't have the firepower to compete with a healthy Boston roster. These aren't "hard playoff fouls" no matter how badly Magic fans want to spin it. These are reckless plays that have one sole purpose.

The Ugly

- It's a bit concerning that so far through 2 games, both Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser have been virtually unplayable. Considering they are two crucial bench pieces, that's an issue. Hauser back to back 0 point outings while having a real tough time guarding Paolo/Franz, and then Kornet who has been SO SOLID all year is getting completely neutralized. He can't rebound, he's fumbling passes, it's all been bad.

This team cannot keep relying on Al Horford to be superhuman. They can't keep relying on the starters + Payton Pritchard to do everything. The second unit needs to play impactful minutes, and outside of Pritchard (and Al when Tatum played), that has not happened. While Pritchard may have beaten the allegations that he's not playable against good teams, I'm still waiting to see that from Sam and Luke.

- Does Tatum play Game 3? That's now the question. Things have to be pretty painful for him to miss his first ever playoff game, and now I wonder with this 2-0 cushion how the team approaches it. I say if he's good to go, go for the kill. But there's a real possibility this thing lingers, and as someone who enjoys watching Jayson Tatum play playoff basketball, that upsets me.

The Celts are now in the drivers seat and can effectively end this series by going into Orlando and taking a commanding 3-0 series lead. The good news is they just so happen to be one of the best road teams in all of NBA history. This feels like a team that smells blood, and as we know once they get into that mode, they're a problem no team in the NBA has proven they can solve.

2 down, 14 to go.