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1. After the final sport, this house challenged the Boston Celtics to cease speaking about being higher and to really be higher. Now, there are not any pretenses that anybody from the Celtics cares about what’s written within the Takeaways. However it’s good to see {that a} related message circulated across the group anyway.
Joe Mazzulla referred to as out the function gamers for not doing sufficient to assist Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s nice play. Brown and Tatum advised guys they have been there for them, whereas additionally encouraging them to select up their play.
Tatum and Brown put a whole lot of stress on themselves, and most of the time, they ship. Whether or not the Celtics make it again to the Finals and win Banner 18 shall be pushed by the 2 stars. However they will’t do all of it. That message appeared to take maintain in a giant means, because the Boston destroyed the Dallas Mavericks behind some nice play from the complete roster.
2. A part of the way in which the celebrities get assist from their teammates is to belief them to ship that assist. Jayson Tatum did that by not forcing the difficulty as a scorer. Tatum has leveled up as a playmaker this season, and this win over the Mavs was the best instance but. Tatum completed with the second triple-double of his profession with 29 factors, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Right here’s a sampling of these helpers from the Celtics star.
The very first possession was an excellent omen of issues to return. The ball was shifting, the gamers have been shifting, and Tatum discovered Marcus Good for the opening three:
In the event you present Tatum two defenders, you higher be capable to recuperate, or he’s discovering the proper cross now:
The entire Dallas protection is targeted on Tatum right here. He nonetheless will get into the lane earlier than leaving it for Al Horford:
This can be a enjoyable little motion. Tatum and Horford know Luka Doncic isn’t going to place a ton of effort to assist and recuperate. They use that to their benefit on the DHO which flexes right into a drive-and-kick:
Drive-and-kick performs are superior. Boston’s offense is cruising after they have a whole lot of them. However to be an elite playmaker, you want the inside drive-and-dish performs. Tatum is figuring that out too:
It’s at all times enjoyable when Tatum and Jaylen Brown do it collectively. Peep the candy behind-the-back dribble to get Tatum unfastened within the open courtroom earlier than the lob. Two Jays are higher than one:
3. Throughout the TNT broadcast, it was reported that Grant Williams despatched the Celtics a gaggle textual content after the Oklahoma Metropolis loss. Williams reportedly challenged his teammates to be higher and to stay collectively.
If a job participant goes to tackle that stage of management, he has to ship himself. Mission achieved for Williams, as he performed one in every of his finest all-around video games.
All through the season, Williams has been exhibiting he’s greater than a spot-up shooter. Williams has carried out a pleasant job driving closeouts all 12 months, however taking a equally sized participant into the publish for some bully ball is enjoyable stuff:
After struggling some with the Thunder zone final sport, it was nice to see everybody acknowledge the Mavs zone right here. Williams flashes center earlier than kicking it to Sam Hauser within the nook:
This play is a multitude. Williams takes benefit of the chaos by staying poised and driving for the simple floater:
This is perhaps the perfect off-the-dribble play Williams has made within the NBA. Terrific stuff right here:
4. The Celtics had the ball popping all night time. They completed with 29 assists on 41 baskets. If not for some intensive rubbish time, which at all times options 1-on-1 play, they’d have topped 30 dimes for certain.
This one got here off an ATO (even when struggling, the Celtics ATOs have been nice his 12 months), with Al Horford making the additional cross to get Grant Williams a triple:
Marcus Good might have shot this. However he made an excellent a shot an amazing one by skipping it to Derrick White within the nook:
On the following journey, White benefitted once more from some unselfishness:
Having bigs, like Horford, who can course of and cross, is a big benefit for Boston:
5. This was probably the greatest defensive video games the Celtics have performed all season. They have been linked. The switches, doubles and rotations have been on level. The trouble stage was excessive.
Joe Mazzulla is aware of that if you happen to present Luka Doncic the identical look time and again, he’ll eat it up. Boston assorted their coverages towards Doncic very successfully. Within the first half, the Celtics confirmed him no much less then 10 completely different coverages/gamers. Throughout one stretch, Boston went from doubling Doncic when he hit halfcourt, to exhibiting a second defender (however not doubling), to doubling off screens, to pre-switching by placing Sam Hauser on Doncic to begin possessions. When Doncic eschewed the screens (he’s a heavy screen-user) to assault Hauser instantly, Mazzulla switched it again to exhibiting him a greater defender and hiding Hauser on a 3rd or fourth participant in actions.
Total, it helped add as much as Doncic taking pictures simply 7-of-23 from the ground and the Mavs hitting solely 37.8% as a group. When Doncic gave the ball up, Boston was proper there on the following cross. Dallas noticed little or no daylight. Once they did, it was typically late within the clock, resulting in a rushed shot.
To place it merely, this was 2022 Celtics protection. We’ve not often seen it this season, however this was it. Hopefully it’s a long-term resident vs a short-term customer.
6. A part of that protection is having rim safety obtainable when issues do breakdown on the perimeter. That is the Williamses linking as much as get Christian Wooden. Grant takes the preliminary hit and Rob cleans it up with the block:
Spencer Dinwiddie thought he had Derrick White overwhelmed right here and he cocked it again. White was nonetheless round although and despatched the dunk try again to sender in some Buff-on-Buff crime:
7. When the Celtics minimize, good issues occur. The ball can transfer, however the gamers have to maneuver, in any other case it’s only a bunch of perimeter passing that may not result in something.
This was an excellent minimize by Malcolm Brogdon (who performed a very nice sport) and terrific discover by Grant Williams for the and-1:
Tremendous easy stuff right here, however executed at a excessive stage. Jayson Tatum had been doing a lot of the playmaking by this level, however Boston places it in Jaylen Brown’s arms. The bigs maintain to the corners, whereas Marcus Good dumps it off and clears down the left facet of the lane. Tatum comes as much as display screen, however slips it. Brown hits Tatum, and with no bigs or assist in the image, it’s a straightforward layup:
8. The Celtics have been crashing the offensive glass quite a bit recently. A few of that’s as a result of they’ve been taking pictures poorly. However on this one, Boston was hitting photographs and nonetheless bought 9 second probabilities within the first half. Rob Williams is clearly having an influence on that, however everyone seems to be getting concerned.
Slowly, however absolutely, Boston is evolving into an excellent rebounding group. They’re as much as sixth within the NBA in defensive rebound charge, which is a superb signal for a group with no dominant particular person rebounder.
9. The Celtics traded Noah Vonleh to the San Antonio Spurs yesterday. Some puzzled if this was Brad Stevens sending the group a message. That’s extremely unlikely. Not like Moneyball (nice film!), the place Billy Beane trades a bunch of Oakland A’s gamers to ship a collection of messages, that doesn’t actually occur fairly often in actual life.
The Vonleh commerce was a couple of contract deadline, opening up a roster spot and saving some huge cash in luxurious taxes. No message was being despatched. But when one was acquired anyway? A lot the higher.
10. Boston travels to San Antonio to finish this four-game journey on Saturday. The Spurs are going by way of it proper now, with one of many worst information within the NBA. In addition they simply misplaced one in every of their finest gamers in Devin Vassell for some time.
However the Celtics must be extraordinarily conscious that enjoying a nasty group with out one in every of their finest gamers is way from a assured victory. It was superior to see Boston beat Dallas. It will be actually nice to see them stay targeted and to deal with a lesser opponent, versus enjoying right down to them. We’ll see in the event that they’ve discovered their lesson on Saturday.
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