The Boston Celtics were one of the hottest teams heading into the All-Star Break. The team was riding high on a 9 game winning but tripped up in their last game prior to the festivities in Cleveland by losing to the Pistons. There was concern from the fanbase that the team would start the final stretch in a malaise. However, the team has hit the ground running by winning three of their first four games. In this article, we look at the positives from each game and look at the road ahead.
1. Celtics beat the Nets 129-106-it could have been tricky contest because the players would have to shake off the rust in coming off the break. The Celtics won this game wire to wire. It wasn’t as dominant performance as the beatdown on February 8 when the team won by 35 points but who is complaining. Jayson Tatum was the star performer on the night 30 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The Celtics was so dominant that 7 of their players were double digit scorers in the game. The critics will say that the Nets were still missing Kevin Durant, Ben Simmonds and Kyrie Irving still not allowed play at the Barclays arena. However, the Celtics handled their business and put in another dominant performance.
2. Celtics beat the Pistons 113-104- the team no doubt had revenge in mind when they faced off against the team that ended their win streak. The Pistons have one of the worst record in the league but they seem to play their best when they play the Celtics. Jaylen Brown admitted after the game “those guys always give us their best shot.” The Pistons actually led this game 82-78 at the end of the third quarter. However, the Celtics managed to ratchet up the defensive intensity and share the ball to pull away in a 35-22 fourth quarter. Brown and Tatum had a good tandum game combing for 53 points and 14 rebounds for the victory. The player that stepped up in this game was Peyton Pritchard in providing 19 points and 6 assist off the bench.
3. Pacers beat the Celtics 128-107- there are no excuses for losing games in the NBA but the Celtics had a ready-made one. The team was playing on the second game of a back to back on the road. The team seemed to lack the energy to compete in their usual mode on the defensive end. The Pacers capitalize on the Celtics defensive breakdown and poured in baskets. The Pacers had 4 players that scored 20 points or more including a game high from the unknown forward, Oshae Brissett. It was a bad performance and Udoka no doubt used it as a basis to humble his players. Jayson and Jaylen did combine for 47 points but 128 points is way too much to give up to a struggling Pacers team.
4. Celtics beat the Hawks 107-98- the Celtics funk from the Pacers game seemed to carry-over to this matchup against Ice Trey and the Hawks. The Celtics gave up 65 points in the first half and were down 14 at the half. However, Udoka seemed to rally the boys and probably gave an inspiring halftime speech. In the second half, it showed on the floor because the Celtics reverted to their physically tough brand of defense holding the Hawks to just 33 points in the second half. The defensive intensity was embodied by Marcus Smart made hustling back to block De’Andre Hunter from making an easy dunk. The comeback was impressive because they did it without star Jaylen Brown who rolled his ankle early in the game. It doesn’t sound like the Brown will be out long but it was a blow to the Celtics.
5. The Road Ahead- the Celtics face an interesting stretch of games in March. In the next four of five games they will play at home against the Grizzlies, Nets, Pistons and Mavericks. The game against the Grizzlies tonight will be must see television because Ja Morant has become the hottest ticket in the league. The game against the Nets will mean the return of Kyrie Irving and potentially Kevin Durant.
Yes, with the Celtics only 4.5 games behind the number seeded Heat, in the words of Kevin Garnett “anything is possible” this season