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1. Typically within the early weeks of the NBA season, we have to reframe expectations. Typically a staff isn’t an excellent as we thought they might be. Typically a staff is significantly better than we thought they might be.
On this case, we knew the Cleveland Cavaliers can be good. They have been near being an excellent staff final yr, and the Donovan Mitchell addition was anticipated to elevate them to that standing.
However merely “good” is likely to be underrating this Cavs staff some. They’ve all of the elements to be excellent and to contend within the Jap Convention.
It’s for that cause, that this can be a disappointing loss for the Boston Celtics, however not a foul loss for Boston. Sure, it might have been good to see the Celtics hold onto one of many double-digit leads they constructed, but it surely’s a “recreation of runs” as they are saying. And it might have been good to see Boston execute higher on the finish of the sport. That makes this a loss, but it surely’s not a foul loss. These aren’t the identical outdated Cavs.
2. Derrick White is type of the silent starter for Boston. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the celebs. Al Horford is the veteran chief. Marcus Good does Marcus Good stuff. Even sixth man Malcolm Brogdon is shiny and new. So, it’s straightforward for White to be ignored. However he simply retains contributing.
The Celtics are operating off practically 50% of defensive rebounds this season. That’s a really giant quantity. Performs like this terrific hit-ahead by White to Brown have been commonplace to date:
It’s early, however White’s shot appears to be like a lot improved. He’s hitting 42.3% of his three-pointers, which is definitely a career-best. Versus final yr, when White was somewhat not sure of the place to go in Boston’s offense, he’s looking the nook three right here. He slips the display screen and flares to the nook on the catch. That is good things:
White is without doubt one of the finest rim-protecting guards within the NBA. He was constantly referred to as out for that ability whereas with the San Antonio Spurs, and he’s carried it over to Boston. That is excellent assist protection to dam Donovan Mitchell on the rim:
3. We don’t wish to bury this any deeper, so we’re going to cowl it right here…What’s Joe Mazzulla’s aversion to calling timeouts?
Mazzulla has stated he prefers to let gamers play via it, which was additionally an indicator of Brad Stevens. However Mazzulla has taken Stevens’ endurance on the sidelines to a complete new stage.
Halfway via the third quarter, it took a 10-0 Cleveland run over 2:20 interval for Mazzulla to name a timeout. At that time, Boston had misplaced virtually all of a 12-point lead.
Stevens was loath to name timeouts to quell runs too. He most popular to hoard his timeouts for end-of-quarter, -half and -game conditions. Mazzulla isn’t even doing that.
If a staff has greater than two timeouts remaining on the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, they lose any remaining timeouts above two. In all seven video games the Celtics have performed to this point, Mazzulla has misplaced no less than one in every of his use-it-or-lose-it timeouts. Even when he doesn’t have to cease the sport for any kind of run-related cause, these are timeouts he might use to offer his gamers a precious relaxation. Particularly late in shut video games.
Possibly it’s only a studying factor, however timeout utilization, or lack thereof, has been one of many actual standout points for Mazzulla early on.
4. Grant Williams is exhibiting off new expertise seemingly each recreation. His off-the-dribble recreation has taken a significant leap ahead. That’s largely stood out with Williams attacking closeouts, however this can be a good transfer in transition to spin for the rating:
We’ve harped on how exhausting groups shut out to Williams now. He’s been driving these with regularity to open the season, however this can be a good shot to have within the combine too:
5. With out Robert Williams, the Celtics have to seek out other ways to guard the rim. Al Horford is doing his factor, however others are chipping in too. We confirmed you Derrick White, and Marcus Good regulary makes performs by difficult photographs or taking expenses, as do Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams and a few others. However the greatest leap has come from Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics’ switching protection continues to be ironing issues out, so free runs to the rim like this one from Kevin Love are occurring greater than we’re used to. It was good to see Tatum acknowledge it after which make a Rob-like play on the basket:
Later, Tatum stepped in from the perimeter to swat away this Donovan Mitchell drive:
Tatum’s glorious offense has at all times triggered his protection to be ignored. That began to vary in final season’s playoffs. Now, it looks like Tatum goes to get acknowledged for his work on each ends this season.
6. The Cavs are big by way of inside protection. Each Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are 7-footers with good quickness, size and defensive IQ. That makes Cleveland exhausting to attain on inside.
Nonetheless, Boston missed eight makeable layups, together with six when neither Allen nor Mobley have been within the space. That’s 12-16 factors left off the board in a one-point loss. That stings.
7. On the finish of regulation, Jayson Tatum confirmed why he’s made the leap from All-Star to All-NBA and the way he’s making one other leap to MVP candidate proper in entrance of our eyes. However let’s flashback first.
Within the bubble, this occurred to Tatum in Sport 1 of the 2020 Jap Convention Finals:
Tatum made an excellent drive, however Bam Adebayo made the game-saving play.
Towards the Cavs, Tatum was not going to be denied on the same play:
It’s a throwback Brad Stevens ATO from Joe Mazzulla right here. Stevens used this motion for Isaiah Thomas on a regular basis, the place he’d let Thomas get a operating begin from the backcourt earlier than catching the ball and making a play.
It’s a spot-on go from Marcus Good as Tatum sprints by Dean Wade. From there, it’s all Tatum making the play. For what it’s price, Tatum was positively fouled on this play too and will have taking pictures an and-1 free throw.
On the Cavs ensuing possession, Tatum made one other MVP play. He and Jaylen Brown completely execute the swap. Then Tatum takes the hit from Donovan Mitchell and doesn’t let him flip the nook to the baseline. That forces the step-back jumper, which Tatum sends proper again the place it got here from:
MVP stuff by an MVP candidate. (Which makes the actual endgame all of the extra irritating, however extra on that in a bit.)
8. This area could be very fond of claiming “Marcus Good does Marcus Good stuff”. Typically that stuff is de facto useful for the Celtics, like drawing an offensive foul from Jarrett Allen. Typically it’s stuff like attempting to bait the referees for a second straight play and taking a fully horrible shot:
We take the great with the unhealthy with Good, however he needs to be higher in that spot.
9. The Celtics have been within the NBA Finals final yr. They aren’t a younger staff nonetheless discovering themselves anymore. Errors like this may’t occur:
Brown must get this rebound and instantly name timeout. There’s not sufficient time for a rush up the ground. However it’s not all on Brown. Everybody, from his teammates to Joe Mazzulla, waits a beat too lengthy to name for a timeout.
Was it an enormous deal within the grand scheme of issues? Probably not, but it surely value Boston a second timeout (good factor Mazzulla hoards them!) to have the ability to advance the ball. That made it so the Celtics couldn’t get a have a look at how the Cavaliers have been going to defend the ultimate possession.
Largely, that is simply one thing Boston ought to be nicely previous at this level of their development curve as a staff.
Sadly (or possibly thankfully!), there are not any good clips of the Celtics final shot. Jaylen Brown bought an OK look, however an 18-foot fallaway isn’t actually the shot you need in that spot.
Worse, it got here whereas Jayson Tatum was standing within the backcourt as some kind of decoy, based mostly on the above motion the place he dunked on Jarrett Allen.
In the end, the ball ought to be within the palms of your finest participant to make a play on the finish of the sport. Possibly Tatum takes the shot. Possibly he passes it. However Tatum ought to be making the play. He’s the Celtics end-game man. Utilizing him as a really passive decoy helped to open up nothing right here.
10. Boston now heads again residence for a rematch with the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics fell aside in Chicago final week, much like final yr’s early-season collapse towards the Bulls. From there, it’s a back-to-back with a brief journey to New York to face the Knicks.
It’s crucial that Joe Mazzulla does one thing to start out knocking minutes off the Celtics foremost gamers, and it has to start out as quickly as this weekend. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been each within the mid-40s in minutes once more, whereas Al Horford was proper at 40 minutes on this OT loss.
Even when it means one other loss, possibly Horford shouldn’t play each ends to the back-to-back. On the very least, he shouldn’t go north of half-hour in both recreation. To a person, the Celtics talked about being sapped of vitality within the 2022 NBA Finals. In the event that they wish to get again there and have the legs to complete the job this time, it begins with preserving minutes down in November. That is additionally the place taking a few of these hoarded timeouts will assist too. Mazzulla has bought to start out stealing relaxation for his foremost guys the place he can, or they’ll be burned out when the calendar flips to 2023.
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