On June 22, 2021, the Kuwaiti city of Nuwaiseeb recorded a high temperature of 127.7 Fahrenheit. It makes that the hottest city in the world in the past calendar year. The Boston Celtics’ play in the three months makes them the ‘Nuwaiseeb’ of the NBA. The team is the hottest team on the planet and in the Association. The Celtics have won the last 10 of their last 11 games and 21 of their last 24 games overall. It is not just how the Celtics are winning, but they are dismantling and demoralizing their opponents. In this article, we review their West Coast trip and a sizzling performance at home against the Jazz.
1. Celtics 110-Warriors 88-it was a highly anticipated matchup to kick start this road trip. After a tough loss against the Mavericks and three days rest in between to head out to the West Coast, many wondered if the Celtics would rebound. In the first quarter, they answered the bell by locking down the Warriors to just 17 points and a 6 point lead. The second quarter was just as devastating because Boston’s switching defense gave the Warriors fits, and they could only manage 15 points. The big story from the game is Steph Curry leaving the game in the second quarter with a foot injury. Warriors Head Coach, Steve Kerr, criticized the play by Smart as a dirty play. However, it was a loose ball, and as a young player, you are taught to dive on it. It was incidental contact, and unfortunately, Curry will not be back until the playoffs. Jordan Poole made the game interesting in third with a game-high 29 points to cut the deficit to 79-69 game. However, the Celtics reasserted their dominance through Tatum’s 26 points and 12 rebounds performance to win the quarter by 12 points.
2. Celtics 126-Kings 97-the last time these two teams met, the Celtics won at home 128-75. Yes, 53 points is a ridiculous margin to win a game! In this matchup, there was an improvement in that the margin was only 29 points. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 62 points in tearing the defense apart. The Celtics recorded 33 assists, and Tatum blew his kiss of death to the fans after nailing seven three-pointers. The Celtics defense was so stingy that Harrison Barnes failed to score in 24 minutes and was blanked for the time since November 2014.
3. Celtics 124-Nuggets 104-Nikola Jokic is the reigning Most Valuable Player and is in contention to retain the title. However, in this matchup, Jokic was held in check to just 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. The stat line is a success because Jokic averages a near triple-double in his sleep. The Celtics were able to contain him because of the versatility of their big men like AL Horford, Robert Williams, Grant Williams, and Daniel Theis. Grant Williams had a great game driving the ball to the basket when defenders closed hard on his three-pointers. It led to dunks and even a fade-away jumper. Grant also had a block on Jokic, and he declared after the game that he should be called Batman. Did you get it? Tatum and Brown scored 30 points each to demoralize the Denver home crowd. The icing on the cake is Tatum getting serenaded with “MVP” chants on the road instead of Jokic.
4. Celtics 132-Thunder 123: playing back-to-back games on the road in the modern-day is a challenge. The Celtics were playing the second game of a back-to-back, and it showed in the team’s play. There were several defensive breakdowns, and the plucky young players from the Thunder made the Celtics pay to keep the game in the balance right to the end. Thankfully, the offense sizzled thanks to Tatum’s 36 points, Payton Pritchard lighting it up with 18 points, and the always shrewd Derrick White added 18 points. Grant Williams backed up his Batman talk by contributing 20 points in the shootout. Thankfully, the game ended in a win but Coach Ime Udoka will not be happy in giving up 123 points to the struggling Thunder team.
5. Celtics 125-Jazz 97-there may have been concerns that the team would start slow after getting back from their four-game road trip. However, the Celtics erased that idea with a scorching performance in the first quarter. The team made 10 straight shots to start the quarter including six three-pointers. They ended the quarter 39-24 lead having made 15 of 19 shots, 7 of 9 from three-pointers, and a 12 to 2 lead in rebounds. The Celtics won this game wire to wire thanks to 37 assists including 13 from Marcus Smart. Donavan Mitchell had a game-high 37 points but it was not enough given Tatum and Brown scoring 26 points each.
The Celtics will enjoy a three-day break before facing the Timberwolves, Raptors, and the Heat over the next week.