The Celtics Won Again As They Continue To Bring Immense Joy To Our Lives

Kent Smith. Getty Images.

4 in a row. 6 of their last 7. 17 of their last 20. 22 of their last 28. 

Please stop and read that top line again. 

Wagon, contender, hottest team in the NBA, call this team whatever the hell you want. The name isn't as important as the product, and there might not be a better product right now in the NBA than the Boston Celtics. They are winning at an elite level against every type of opponent you can think of and not for a week, not for two weeks, not for a month, but for over two months. We're close to 10 weeks of this shit. At some point the "sample size" people need to just accept that sometimes your sample size simply becomes who you are. 

This is who the Celtics are now. This is what they've molded themselves into. It doesn't mean their warts or bad habits don't still exist. It doesn't mean their early struggles didn't happen. But it's time to evaluate and talk about this team based on how they've looked for nearly half of their games. From 18-21 to 40-27. Their star players are producing at an ELITE level, their defense is the best in the NBA, and their role players are thriving. To put it simply, things have clicked.

After what we've gone through the previous 1.5 years with injuries, covid, underachievement, brutal losses etc, I cannot stress how fantastic it feels to finally be on this side of it. Literally everything about my life is better. I sleep better, my coffee tastes better, writing this blog is better, my shower thoughts are better, food is better, the list goes on and on. Is it a little weird and probably very pathetic that my daily life is impacted so greatly by people who don't even know I exist? Absolutely. But I can absolutely tell you I do not give a single fuck. There is no better drug on the planet than the Celtics playing well and beating everyone in their path and it has been a lonnnnnnnggggggggggggg time since we've all had the opportunity to feel this way. Well, not the doomers. They are busy spinzoning the reality that they were actually dead wrong about this team. I say let them be.

If you were someone that took a while to come around, that's OK. As my parents used to tell me when I was still like 5'5 at my Bar Mitzvah and needed a stepping stool to see over the bimah, everyone develops and comes around at their own pace. It's normal. Some of us saw this version of the Celts was possible even when they were under .500. Some came around during the win streak before the All Star break. Some have finally accepted things after their current run through healthy good teams. The point is everything we've asked this team to show us, they have. All we are doing right now is checking boxes as the Celtics continue to build a body of work you can believe in. 

If you want to be considered a contender, you have to do contender shit. Contenders win. And right now, pretty much nobody is doing more winning than your Boston Celtics. Let us begin.

The Good

- This Jayson Tatum fella. Pretty good at basketball in my humble opinion

Now, you may say "big deal Greenie that's 4 games", which I sort of agree with. It is a big deal. Read those numbers again. But the bigger deal is the fact that this is not just some small sample when you talk about Tatum's play. Here's his last 20, or said another way, a sample size that is 5x as big

Quick check back to the Tatum season progression chart

Now I can't speak specifically as to what the second coming of Christ looked like (see: Greenberg) but if I had to guess it looks something like what we are seeing from Jayson Tatum. Has to. Everyone knows that the entire plan of this team revolves around Jayson Tatum one day becoming a Top 5 player. You need one in this league if you want to talk one day about contending for titles. He may not be there yet, but we are seeing the early stages of one. You cannot guard him. It's as if Tatum gave the rest of the league a head start with his poor shooting to start the season, and now he's coming for that ass. 

Is he a star? Is he a superstar? Who caaaaaares. What I care about is how Tatum is playing, and we are at one of the highest levels we've ever seen from him. Not just his scoring, but the combination of that with his defense and playmaking. He's taking another leap right before our eyes and it has completely changed the outlook of this team. Much like a lot of their early struggles surrounded him going 6-20 on a nightly basis. Now we get to experience the other side of the coin and boy is this life way better.

The way Tatum manipulates the defense, the way he never panics, again this is his age 24 season. It's going to get even better and it's already this good. I cannot stop smiling when I think about that.

- As vindicating as these last two months have been for myself and people who view this team in a similar way I do, nothing is as rewarding as being right about Marcus Smart. I am stubborn about him for a reason, because I am right.

When I was told that Smart was the problem early in the season, I pushed back. When I heard that he was not a good enough or natural passer to fit next to the Jays, I pushed back. When people complained about his shot selection and volume, I pushed back. When people tell me he's overrated, I continue to point them to this picture

Look at all those green Ws. There's 19 of them if you were wondering. A 19-2 record in the last 21 games Marcus has played in. I'm pretty sure if this was happening with anyone else, the narrative would be how important that player is to the success. That he's a valuable piece to the puzzle. Some might even say he's the actual perfect fit next to the two best players on the team. 

Think of all the narratives we've had to hear from the anti-Smart crowd. My favorite is that he limits Tatum/Brown from developing both as players and leaders. I hear Gasper saying that all the time. I'm sorry, does it look like Tatum or Brown are being held back?

The growth in Smart's game is undeniable this season. That first quarter was the perfect example. Two plays where last year Smart 1000000% takes those wide open threes. Now, they were perfect and accurate lobs for easy points. That isn't a 2 months difference, that's been the Smart decision making we've seen all year. I just think now more people are willing to see it as opposed to using old and tired narratives when talking about Smart's game. You pair that with more All NBA caliber defense

and the value and importance of Smart is now undeniable. Sorry, it just is. The proof is in the pudding. 

- Few things in life bring me as much joy as watching my favorite basketball team play with tremendous ball movement. It does something to me that I can't really describe. So when I see the Celts finish with 30 assists on 46 FGM, I don't know how to react. 

Outside of Rob (which is a surprise), every other starter had at least 3 assists. Jaylen had another game with 5 if you want to talk about someone's development as a passer. Last night marked the 5th time in his last 7 games that he's finished with at least 5 assists. That's a very big deal. 

So what changed? Honestly, the success. It's sort of those chicken and egg situations. Are the Celtics winning because they are moving the ball, or are they moving the ball because they are winning? It's easy to get everyone to buy in when you see tangible results. That's what builds the positive momentum. Guys are now shooting with more confidence because now their looks are wide open. The Basketball Gods are rewarding this team for sticking with good ball movement and playing the right way. They are now 36-14 when they finish with over 20 assists in a game. If there's one thing they are consistently doing over these last two months it's smashing that 20 assist target number. Just like Ime said he wanted

- I suppose we should also mention the defense. As we know, the Hornets can score, especially when they are healthy which they were last night outside of Hayward. So, to hold that high powered offense to just 101 points on 42/25% shooting and force 16 TOs is yet another passed test for this group. They guarded the 3pt line which is crucial to do against the Hornets, they limited their fastbreak points, and nothing came easy.

As fun as it is to watch Tatum go supernova, it's important to remember that this is the backbone of the team. It's their defense that is going to give them a chance come Spring. When this team defends to their ability, there is not a team in the NBA that I fear. It's that good. 

- Did Brad do it again or did Brad do it again? What am I talking about? Derrick White.

Now 6-3 with White on the roster, we are seeing Brad's vision unfold right before our eyes. He's the perfect reserve combo guard for this roster. He plays with great pace, is a two way beast at his position (3 blocks), and the ball in no way shape or form sticks with him on the offensive end. When he's not moving the ball, he's attacking the paint and maximizing his offensive skillset. Sure I'd like to see some threes drop, but that's whatever. 

Some might say now that they have White they can maybe move Smart. I say why would you break up this type of two headed monster you have at your guard position? You can close with White on the floor because he fits with your best players, you can have him run things for the second unit as a scorer at times when Tatum is getting a breather. It appears that all he wants to do is fit in and make a positive impact regardless of what his production ends up being. That's huge for a variety of reasons. I said it at the time and I'll say it again.

The Derrick White trade was about picking a style that the Celtics deemed would bring more success. It's not a player for player situation, but a style for style situation. Looks like Brad was right. 

- When Brad traded for Al Horford, I think most of us were happy given the skillset Al has is something the roster needed. What I do not think we knew was that Brad actually traded for 28 year old Al Horford

10/10/3/3 on 4-8 shooting (2-4) in his 34 minutes with more solid defense. He looks incredible. I don't think we can understate how huge his three was when it was 64-61 and the Hornets were going on a run to take the lead. Al calmed everyone down with that one shot, and they immediately responded. The fact that Al is back to making his threes is so gigantic for this offense I really can't stress it enough. Being that safety valve gives the offense so many more options. With defenses focusing so much on Tatum/Brown, all Al has to do is make his wide open looks. He struggled with that to start the year but water is starting to find its level and look what happened.

Since the end of January (16 games), Al Horford is shooting 41.5% from three on 4.1 attempts a night. That's big time.

- He was fighting foul trouble all night which is why he only played 19 minutes, and despite that Rob still did this

Another game where Rob keeps doing cool shit. The man had 7 OREB, 6 of which came in the first quarter. The defense was great as it always is. It's not as if the Hornets have any true threat as a center, so I expect Rob to dominate like this, the impressive part was it all came in under 20 minutes. 

- I think there's something to be said about this team sort of playing like shit for 75% of this game, being on the road, and still finding a way to win. That was a box to check off for me. Can they win on the road when for long stretches they aren't playing their best basketball? Based on last night, yes, yes they can. 

When things are going great, it's easy to feel good. But what we know about good teams is that they are able to find ways to win even when they aren't at their best. How many times did we see the Celts be in a close game on the road and then never find a way to switch gears and extend a lead? They end up losing in the fourth. Now? They are finding ways to get that separation.

Which brings me to my next point. This team continues to thrive in the fourth quarter. Do you know how weird a sentence that is for me to type? But ever since we entered 2022, that's the norm. 

I'll concede, a huge part of this sudden dominance in the fourth quarter is the fact that Tatum has turned into 2016 Isaiah in these final 12 minutes. That's pretty huge. But there's something to be said about being able to trust this team at the end of games again. That is not something we could do for the first two months, but it's something I feel more and more comfortable with by the game. It's the one thing that I think truly saved their season. In 2022, they are one of the best fourth quarter teams in the NBA after spending 2021 as one of the worst. 

The Bad

- Not the best overall game we've seen from Jaylen. He woke up a little bit there in the 3rd quarter which was nice, but he did finish just 6-16 (1-8) with 4 TOs. Also, it seemed like he couldn't dribble? A lot of possessions he weirdly lost control of the ball before making his move. He also missed 3 FTA which certainly bugs me. Feels like we're getting a lot of 1 for 2 trips to the line for Jaylen recently. I'm not too concerned with his shooting since he's working his way back from his ankle, but I think it goes without saying he needs to be better moving forward. Off nights are OK as long as that's all they are.

- Very weird for my brain to experience Isaiah coming in and then the Hornets going on a 17-6 run. I loved it and hated it all at the same time. Pretty stupid of their coach to stop playing him in the second half, but that's their problem. I didn't know how I would feel watching Isaiah, but with how bad LaMelo and Terry were I'm surprised he only played 11 minutes. 

- I don't want to overreact here, but Grant is in a little mini slump when it comes to his three point shooting. He's now 1-8 over his last two games. A lot of these went in and out so that tells me he's on line and shit, but now is not the time for that three point shooting to disappear. His sample is large enough where you can simply call it a little slump, but we all know how important his floor spacing is to this offense. 

The Ugly

- Brutal Theis minutes. Dunno how else to say it. A turnover, a missed point blank layup, and a foul. With Rob in foul trouble that was unfortunate because Al had to play 34 minutes. I would have liked a world where you could have played Theis more than 4 minutes, but Ime saw right away it was time to pull the plug.

- Rough night for Pritchard as well. Wasn't really hitting his threes (1-4), and didn't have a single rebound or assist in his 9 minutes and was a team worst -12. Not a huge deal obviously, but when Pritchard isn't able to fill his one role (make threes), I would like to see him find ways to make an impact in other areas. I know he only played 9 minutes, but I don't think that's a crazy ask.

Also, not sure what the beef was between him and Jaylen heading into that timeout, but I didn't love that as we cut to commercial.

- Selfishly, I really need the Celts to get back to keeping teams under 100. It's just so much more fun to talk shit when you can say that. Yeah, 101 against a high powered offense is great, but we are being robbed of being truly obnoxious about this defense and that's unfortunate.

So here we go. Another classic trap game against the Pistons tomorrow before we all get very emotional for KG's number retirement on Sunday against Luka. The Celts return home one of the hottest teams in the NBA and it's crucial they keep this momentum rolling as we prepare for a big time West Coast trip next week. Take care of business there, and you could be looking at homecourt in the first round. What a world.