The NBA Owes Us An Apology For Making Us Watch The Cavs As The Celtics Cruise To Their 5th Straight Win
With the Warriors coming up on Saturday, and with Al Horford and Kyrie Irving sitting this one out, it was very possible that the inconsistent Celtics we’ve seen all year would look past the pathetic Cavs. Maybe pull some bullshit like assuming they just had to show up to win and next thing you know we have the latest disaster on our hands. I say that only because that has often times been the M.O. of this team so far this season and is perfectly within reason. That’s why I’m happy to report that even after a shaky first quarter, that didn’t happen. They blew the game open in the second quarter and it was smooth sailing from there.
Now obviously it would be silly to pound your chest because the Celtics beat the Cavs, everyone beats the Cavs I mean they only have 9 wins and the league’s worst defense. We aren’t the Sixers, we don’t lose to this shitty ass team at home like they do. Do we lose to shitty teams? Yup, but not one as bad as this. In fact I am offended that the league even made me watch this. We all knew what was going to happen, so why not just let the Cavs forfeit and be done with it. I can usually tolerate bad basketball because at the end of the day it’s still basketball but lord was that painful. I feel bad that the Celt even had to endure such ineptitude on the way to their win. Now it wasn’t perfect because the Celts rarely are, and that’s why coming out of this game all I really feel is relief. This team is so unpredictable you never know when they are going to take a step back, and the only things I was hoping for coming out of last night was health and that the Celts didn’t embarrass themselves…..again. We got both which means we can officially turn the page and mentally prepare for what’s coming to town in just a few days. We’ll talk more about GS in the coming days, but first let’s relive what was the 10th straight win at the Garden.
The Good
– Once the news came out that Kyrie was sitting this one out with the “flu” I think every Celtics fan on the planet knew that we were going to get a big time performance from Starter Terry. It’s one of the most bizarre things about this season, that Terry can be so good whenever he’s plugged in as a starter and then go back to being inconsistent and a liability the minute he becomes a reserve. Don’t ask me to figure it out, I say just enjoy the show. Terry had perhaps one of the best first half performances we’ll see all year going 8-8 (4-4) for 22 points. There were stretches in that first quarter he was basically outscoring the entire Cavs team by himself. Where has this guy been?!?!?
I get it, when you look at who he’s going up against and factor in that he considers himself a starter quality player, he should have a performance like he did last night. If we’re being honest as good as it was, I’m still waiting for Terry to show us this level of play and efficiency coming off the bench. That’s where his real value to this team will be. Sure it’s nice that we can plug him in for Kyrie here and there and get Kyrie like production at times, but if he can’t take this performance and build off it to be that solid reserve that this team desperately needs, well then what’s the point.
The best part for me is sure the offense was great, but we also got an engaged Terry on the defensive end. Opponents shot just 5-12 against Terry with 3 TOs, he was active in terms of deflections, was second on the team in contested 2pt FGs. Brad needs to find a way to bottle up this version of Rozier and save it for when Kyrie is back in the lineup because this version of Terry can absolutely be a difference maker if he could just find a way to do it consistently in his reserve role.
– You know how there are times in your life where you find yourself in a slump? The girl you have a crush on turns you down, you can’t seem to find any luck out at the bars so eventually you lay your eyes on a slump buster. You know it’s below your usual standards but at this point you’ll take anything. You just need to clear the pipes and get your groove back. Well, that’s what the Cavs were for Gordon Hayward
Outside of the TOR game, things have been a struggle for Hayward as of late. A 3-7 performance against MIA, a 3-9 against ORL, 1-6 vs BKN, 2-6 against MIA a second time, it was clear this dude was in a slump. Enter the Cavs, who would prove to be just the thing he needed to snap back into the player we need him to be. He was efficient at 6-10, had a 24.4% usage rate which is much closer to where he needs to be, and when you look at his offensive approach it was exactly what you need to do in order to bust out of a brutal stretch
We know it’s going to be a long road until Hayward has that same aggressiveness he had in UTA, but last night he did a great job of recognizing the mismatch and attacking the rim. I can live where all 6 of his FGM come from like 14ft and in. He was third on the team with 7 drives last night and scored on every single shot he took. Normally I would say it’s bad that he had a 28% pass% on his drives but with Hayward it’s different. I don’t want him passing in these situations, I want him finishing around the rim and getting to the line. Two things he did well last night. If he can live close to that 7 FTA a night mark I really think it’ll make a world of a difference.
– I can’t talk about the second unit without mentioning the big night from Jaylen Brown. Much like Hayward Jaylen has struggled recently with his efficiency, but last night’s 23 points on 8-12 shooting (2-3 from deep) in 25 minutes what beautiful to watch
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We’ve seen Jaylen really make progress in his three point shooting over the last 5 games as he’s averaging 1.4 3PM a night on 46% shooting. If you look at his entire month of January he’s averaging a solid 13/4.8 on 47/43% shooting taking just under 10 FGA a night. Going back even further to since Thanksgiving where this team started to turn a corner so to speak he’s 4th on the team in scoring at 13.4/4.4/1.7 on 49/38% splits. That’s all well and good but the impressive part is his 70% from the line. I’ll take that progress all day. Also factor in his Drtg, which at times has been awful, is higher than any starter at 103.1 since that date. Jaylen continues to make strides to get back to the player we saw last season, and I cannot stress how important that’s going to be moving forward.
– I don’t know if this was a beautiful sequence or just broken basketball, maybe both but all I know was that it ruled watching it in real time
– Since his 0-6 performance against MEM, here is how Jayson Tatum has responded
19 points on 7-13 shooting
19 points on 8-13 shooting
15 points on 7-16 shooting
I like how he knew with both Kyrie and Al out that he was going to have to be the #1 option on that first unit and he responded well. He led the team with 16 FGA and more importantly he didn’t really dick around with the ball. Things were at the rim or in his sweet spot midrange, he didn’t attempt a three but he didn’t really have to. Last night was all about getting high percentage looks and setting the tone defensively which he certainly did. Opponents shot just 3-8 against him, he led the team with 3 steals and I thought was fully engaged despite his shot not always falling. That’s the thing to keep an eye on with Tatum, and I feel like earlier in the year if he struggled for a stretch against a bad team that he would have mentally tanked. Thankfully that didn’t happen.
– I can’t help it, I find myself falling more and more in love with Robert Williams. It’s getting pretty serious I would say mostly because every single time he steps foot on the court it’s the same old story. He’s sending weak ass shit all the way to the goddamn moon
Three more blocks in his 13 minutes while the actual block is exciting, what I can’t get enough of is watching him time his jumps and size up the block perfectly. That’s instincts I’m not sure you can teach. You either have that in you or you don’t and I’m confident in saying Timelord has it. I know Brad loves Theis and trusts him, but we’re seeing too much from Williams to not have him playing like 10-15 minutes a night. Maybe be overly cautious with Al here and there and let this kid play because it is must watch stuff whenever he’s active.
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– Did Danny do it again or did Danny do it again with Brad Wanamaker? He has this give no fucks attitude whenever he does get his opportunity and it is really starting to grow on me
He gives you exactly what a reserve guard should and doesn’t complain about his role or minutes. You can’t put a price on that.
– So this is now 5 wins in a row and 10 straight at home. I feel like that’s good
– I know it’s the Cavs and their offense couldn’t beat a middle school team, but good defense is good defense and I will never complain about seeing this team play engaged active defense. That is a promise to you.
– 21 for 23 from the FT line. I don’t know what I love more, the fact that the Celts actually took that many or the fact that they didn’t really miss.
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The Bad
– I was none too pleased with how this team started. It was pretty frustrating to watch them come out and shoot 55/66% and still be trailing after the first quarter. A combination of pathetic defense and sloppy play (5 TOs), did not get this team off on the right foot. Had Terry not dropped 16 points on 6-6 shooting which for sure is not sustainable, things would have been a full blown disaster. Moving forward you can’t rely on that type of performance, this team was rested and playing a team that had no desire to win. You can’t come out and give up 30 first quarter points and 56% shooting. Do that on Saturday and you’re going to be down 30 before you know it.
– I knew it hours before the game, and watching Cedi and Zizic throw up a combined 44 points was less than ideal. There’s always one random guy that kills this team when the Celtics play someone shitty, you could see it coming a mile away.
– Only 4 minutes of Yabu in a blowout? I take that very personally and demand answers. A game against CLE is the exact type of situation where we need a heavy dose of Yabu. Please, give us what we want Brad.
– The boards were a bit of an issue with CLE snagging 15 OREB and winning the second chance points battle 23-12. I know A wasn’t there but Baynes was, and it’s never a great sign with your PG is tied for the team lead in rebounds.
– 6 of Smart’s 7 FGA were threes. I get he’s improving in that area but I need him to mix it up. His three point shot should be just an option for him offensively, not ALL he does offensively.
The Ugly
– Jaylen. Dunk the fucking basketball
Is he still thinking about that fall last year in MIN? Did he just want to have a fancy finger roll? I don’t know and I don’t really care, I need him to be better in transition. That’s when he’s supposed to be at his best due to his athleticism, and we’re seeing him have plays like this far too often. You’re a freak of nature, just dunk it.
We now turn our attention to the Warriors. They are coming into Boston this weekend as real life White Walkers, just absolutely destroying and killing everything in their path. They’re the ultimate litmus test, and seeing as how this is the first time these two teams are meeting and it’s coming at a time when both are playing some of their best basketball, it’s going to be a huge game either way. Get blown out and it’s a reminder of how far you have to still climb, play them tough and somehow beat them? Well now we’re cooking with gas. I’m not saying the duck boats will come out but it’ll at least be time to gas them up. The Celts did their job and didn’t lay an egg in what was a trap game, now it’s time to shock the world and beat a team filled with basketball aliens.
Let’s GO.