Through The Power Of Friendship And Near Flawless Basketball, The Celtics Live To See Another Day

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

I think everyone, from the coaches to the players to the fans, needed a night like last night. Not just to keep the Celts season alive, but given the fact of what had taken place over the previous 48 hours. From the depths of hell to finally something positive happening, it could not have come at a better time. It was cathartic as hell. 

And even though there's obviously more work to be done and all that stuff, I do think that we as fans need to take a minute and just appreciate what the hell we saw last night. There will be plenty of time to obsess and talk about Game 6 and a potential Game 7. But for now, I cannot help but have a gigantic smile on my face when thinking about what transpired in Game 5.

Not just the win, that's a given. But how it happened. The Power of Friendship. Playing together, playing with purpose, not missing every shot you take, and generally looking like the team we've been watching for 2+ years now. Honestly, it was the perfect tribute performance to Jayson Tatum. They played exactly how they do with him at the helm, and in a situation that required them to essentially be perfect…..they were.

Joe Mazzulla summed it up perfectly

He talked more about the character of this team and this coaching staff, and that's exactly what Game 5 was. A character win. When your back is up against it, your best player is out and your season is on the line, how do you respond? Do you wilt in that moment or do you find a way to win?

At least for the moment, the answer to that question is find a way to win, and boy was it something.

Let's begin.

The Good

- I generally have a rule for this blog. If you go out and do something never before seen in NBA history, you are awarded the top spot. Did I ever think I would type a sentence like that and lead right into the play of Luke Kornet? Sure, but I'm also delusional. The fact that it actually happened? I feel blessed that I was able to experience it

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When you think of the most legendary Celtics playoff performances in their history, I'm not sure you can ever have that discussion again without mentioning Luke Kornet's Game 5. Is that maybe a little dramatic? Sure, but it's also the truth. The context around this performance and what it meant for the series, the fact that KP was unplayable and Al had to sit with foul trouble for the majority of the second half, the job Luke Kornet did to DOMINATE both ends of the floor was about as special as special gets.

What if I told you that for these entire playoffs, the Celts are a +15.8 when Kornet is on the floor? The man was a +20 in his 25 minutes last night, and from the second he entered the game his impact was undeniable. I can't even think about how much money he has earned himself this postseason and what that means for his future as a Celtic, but for the moment, I think it's fair to say that Kornet was far and away the best big on the court last night for either team. At a time when they needed it most, Kornet delivered.

Is it overboard to suggest that Luke Kornet temporarily saved the Celtics season? I don't think so.

Moving forward, I think everyone can now see the path or what has to happen. Give KP one 2-3 minute stretch to see if he has it or not, and if not, the rest of those minutes go to Kornet. Even if he doesn't quite replicate his Game 5 again as 7 blocks is literally insane, the points, efficiency and rebounding is certainly doable. You don't need much in this matchup from the center spot, you just can't get zero production. 

- Then of course, there was the play of Jaylen Brown. Heading into the game, the general consensus was this was Jaylen Brown's "prove it" moment, as if the entire 2024 season didn't happen or something. This was his chance to "play as the #1", and I'm sure many people thought he would fail in that role/moment.

The result? Arguably one of the best all around performances we've ever seen from Jaylen Brown

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His 12 assists? A career high. Everything about Jaylen's performance was not only exactly what the team needed in that moment, but is the approach the team is going to need moving forward.

For starters, his patience. In this new role without Tatum, Jaylen essentially has to assume his role and responsibility. He is now forced to no longer be just a play finisher. He has to be both a finisher and a creator. Filling Tatum's shoes is impossible, but the way Jaylen attacked the game last night is the best chance they have at doing it. There was no over-dribbling into traffic. When things did get tight, Jaylen didn't force a tough turnaround contested 2pt FGA, instead just kicking it out and letting the play reset. We saw that 4 to 5 times in this game that it really stood out to me. Jaylen would get into around the FT line or the paint, be surrounded and instead of turning it over, he found a way to just make the basic play. 

To me, that is such a difference compared to his approach in the earlier games, where he struggled. There was no hero-ball aspect of his performance last night. He read the game perfectly, his decision making was perfect, and as a result, he had one of the best games of his career. This play right here sums it up

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First, look at the patience as soon as he catches the ball. He could have easily taken that transition 3PA. In fact, that's a shot this team loved in Games 1 & 2. Instead, he realized that was Mitchell Robinson, took a breath, and realized he could get to his spot by being aggressive. He noticed Brunson was leaving the paint and KAT was checking Jrue in the dunker spot, so the baseline drive was there.

Then, once he sees KAT start to rotate over, he doesn't try and force a tough 2 in traffic. Instead, he did exactly what we've seen all season and made the easy pass to a cutting Jrue. Perfect decision making, perfect execution, perfect growth.

It felt like he set the tone early with that dive out of bounds to save t-he ball, and that's what leaders do. They set the tone and the rest of the team falls in line behind him. It just felt that no matter what, Jaylen wasn't going to let this team lose Game 5, and that doesn't just mean scoring. That meant playing smart (2 TOs), making the right play over and over again, and rising to the occasion with all the pressure of the world on his shoulders.

- If we're being honest, the Celts were due for a magnet ball game like this. For the first time in a while, it felt like they were themselves.

127 points

54/44% splits

22 3PM

27 AST

8 TOs

The ball was moving, guys were finally hitting their open shots, and most importantly they took care of the basketball. After a shaky start (5 TOs in the 1st quarter) the Celts only turned the ball over 3 times in the final 3 quarters. It can not be overstated how important that was, because it didn't allow the Knicks to get out on the break and score in transition. For this entire game, the Knicks only had 4 fastbreak points. They were forced to try and beat the Celts in the halfcourt, and that's exactly how you keep your season alive. Don't give away easy points by being careless with the basketball.

For those of us who have watched this team all year, this approach wasn't all that different from how this team plays when they're being "normal" and not playing like a bunch of bozos. The 3PA volume was the same it's always been (49) and it was the same mix of C&S off ball movement combined with a handful of isolations/step backs. 

Sometimes it led to open 3s like this one

and sometimes it led to 3s like this one

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It's a game like this that always makes me question why fans want the Celtics to play any other way than how they normally play. We have the sample size! It's a winning approach! I just hate how every time they don't shoot like complete dickheads it's suddenly that the "played a different way".

No, they didn't. What we saw last night has been the blueprint for 3 years. The difference, was in the execution.

Take the pain production last night. For the series, the Celts are shooting 24.5% in the paint (non-RA) and 70% at the rim on 21.8 attempts, which stinks. Last night? They finished 80% on 20 attempts.

Similar approach, MUCH better execution.

To me, that was the story of how they played. It was nothing we haven't seen before, in fact even in the games they lost in this series we saw a lot of the same decisions/approach. The difference, was they finally stopped missing everything in the paint/at the rim, and finally stopped missing every 3PA they took. 

The Celts never had a system problem in this series. They had an execution problem. Last night is what it looks like when they don't.

- I'm not sure there is a player on this roster who has changed my life more than Derrick White. His decision to go bald might go down as one of the most important decisions in human history. Go ahead, try and prove me wrong. Watch this shit and tell me I'm wrong, I fucking dare you

For the Celts to pull this off, this is the Derrick White they are going to need. The good news is he's fully capable of repeating this performance, because nothing about it was a surprise. It's simply who he is as a player, and why he's about as untouchable as untouchable gets when we think of this next era of the Celts roster. 

Thankfully, his hot shooting early did not disappear late like it did in Game 4, and while it was a shock to see him miss multiple FTs, given everything else he did in this game I'm willing to overlook it. He's now 16-30 (53%) from deep over his last 3 games, and when he's not hesitating and instead takes his C&S 3PA with full confidence, he never misses. Ever. The same way Jaylen has to go up a level to replicate Tatum's production, White now has to do the same in terms of being a #2. 

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The same way Jaylen stepped up and came through in that role in this win, White was right there with him. It was incredible to watch.

- I also don't want to overlook what the other guards did in this game, because it was equally as important. I thought this was one of Jrue Holiday's best playoff games as a Celtic

On 27 possessions vs KAT, Holiday held him to just 6 points on 2-5 shooting with 1 TO. I'll remind you, he's a point guard. He also matched up with Mitchell Robinson on 11 possessions and allowed 0 points. 

Add in what he gave you offensively with an efficient 14 points (5-8, 2-3), and I now don't really think they can offload him this summer. He's too good. 

Then there was Payton Pritchard, who finally got back to doing Payton Pritchard shit

That 4th quarter stepback was fucking sick. Like everyone else, Payton's role now has to increase. He was so much more than just a shooter in this win, with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 0 TOs in his 39 minutes. That's a big boy level performance when the team needed it most. His 3s were the ones that allowed you to exhale, and the ones they were missing earlier in the series. 

Given how much Pritchard loves to compete, he feels like a player who was built for this moment and this type of pressure. He doesn't run from shit, and that's why you love him. He's going to do what it takes to win, at all costs. Whatever the game needs from him in that moment, he'll do it.

- Visual proof that it's possible for the Celts to not completely shit their pants in a 4th quarter. Yes, it is possible to not play like complete assholes for those 12 minutes. Now go do it again!

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It's interesting, before the bench came in over the final 2:30, 9 of the Celts 18 FGA in the 4th were 3PA. You know, the exact same approach everyone says they hate and that the Celts shouldn't do. Now that the shots went in, apparently they played differently.

No. They executed. Simple as that. 

The Bad

- Tony Brothers is literally the worst. That is something that I think BOTH fanbases can agree on after last night. Just a disaster of an official who continues to be the worst at every opportunity. He truly thinks people are there to see him or something, I'll never understand it. He can't help but inject himself into the game and make an impact. It's the exact opposite of what a ref should do, yet here we are. 

Will Adam Silver ever do anything about it? Of course not.

- On some level, you feel like a dick being mad about KP's lack of production in this series because he's clearly dealing with something serious that has completely zapped all of his basketball abilities. After the game, Joe talked about how he basically couldn't breathe, so to get on him for his play is a bit of a weird spot.

Watching him, you can tell. He can't move, he can't make layups or FTs, he can't jump to rebound, and he was a -12 in a game the Celts once led by 28.

Essentially, he's unplayable. That sucks, but it's the reality. I can understand the frustration towards Joe for continuing to try to go to that well throughout this series, but that experiment has to be over. KP simply is no KP, and the version we do have is doing more harm than good when he's on the floor.

It sucks, it's not his fault, but it's the reality of the situation. At this point, you're better off rolling the dice with Queta because at least you can rely on him to hit the glass. Sure, he may get cooked in space, but so is KP given his current state. There is no margin for error for the rest of this series, so I just don't think you can risk it.

- I kept getting tweets about how quiet the Garden sounded, and as someone who was in the building, I can assure you that was not the case. The Garden was electric. That tells me TNT was doing something with the mics and the sound mixing, because it was NOT quiet in that arena. 

What's the deal with that? My guess is the same won't be true when the game is at MSG, so is that just a TNT thing? Why would TV producers think that's what we want as a viewer?  

The Ugly

- I mean, you had to know what I was going to put in this section. The Celts finished 17-26 from the FT line. What a prayer that it ended up not mattering, but come on. 9 missed FTs? Jrue Holiday missing 3 (?!?!?!?!?!?!). Derrick White missing multiple?????

Meanwhile, Mitchell Robinson went 6-6?????

Let's just hope that was a one time thing, because this team cannot leave that many points on the board from the line in Game 6. It's going to be a much closer game, you're going to need every point you can. For that to happen via the best FT shooters on the team was truly bizarre to witness. 

So here we go. One possession at a time, one quarter at a time, one game at a time. The pressure is starting to mount, the doubt is starting to creep in, and all the Celts need to do is stay the course. No one expects them to pull this off, which means they can play free. As we just saw, if they go out and just be themselves, that's enough. Win Game 6 and as we know, anything can happen in a Game 7. Somehow, some way, just find a way to get this thing back to the Garden. 

6 down, 10 to go. LFG.