1. Wow.
Simply…wow.
The Boston Celtics have been by no means actually out of it in opposition to the Golden State Warriors. Essentially the most Boston trailed by was 11 factors, and that was very briefly. However, for a lot of the second half, it was a six-point deficit that felt like a 16-point deficit.
Then, it wasn’t a deficit in any respect.
Boston tied it up, obtained a cease to power extra time. Then they took a wholesome lead within the additional interval.
And in true Celtics vogue, they made it more durable than it wanted to be within the ultimate minute or so. However they received. Ugly wins rely simply the identical as fairly ones do within the standings. That’s the identical as a win over the Charlotte Hornets counting the identical as win over the defending champs.
However this wasn’t the identical, even when the standings would have you ever imagine in any other case. This was an enormous recreation. This was an opportunity for Boston to indicate they will nonetheless beat Golden State.
And so they did it. And having to struggle for it, by means of an entire bunch of chaotic, messy moments, someway that feels even higher and rather more Celtics.
2. Al Horford admitted postgame that he actually wished to win this recreation. Horford didn’t need to say it although. His play made that clear.
The Warriors went small to open the sport, in a curious transfer by Steve Kerr. Horford took benefit instantly. After drawing a few early free throws, Horford obtained proper into the publish in opposition to Andrew Wiggins. He patiently waved Rob Williams out of the paint and set to work:
Just a little later, Horford hit Wiggins with the “too small” after bullying him within the publish:
Everybody else stopped right here, aside from Jordan Poole…and Horford:
When Kerr did go to Kevon Looney, he appeared just a little out of rhythm. This isn’t an excellent closeout and Horford made him pay for it:
On the ultimate play of regulation, Horford caught proper with Stephen Curry and made him take a contested shot as time expired:
And in extra time, it was Horford who helped put Curry and the Warriors to mattress:
The very best a part of these clips? The primary 4 got here within the first quarter. The final two got here late within the recreation, when the oldest participant on the ground regarded as able to go as he did at tip-off. Boston doesn’t win with out Al Horford having a monster evening.
3. The Celtics additionally don’t win this recreation with no massive evening from Rob Williams. Williams teamed with Horford to manage the paint all evening.
Williams is clearly a game-changer for Boston on the inside. His measurement simply exhibits up typically, like on this play. Williams slips the display from Tatum and simply powers by means of the contact for the and-1:
This was one among Williams’ seven offensive rebounds on the evening, as he tipped within the Tatum miss:
Whether or not this was a foul miss or a foul move, Williams does a pleasant job to haul it in earlier than the powerful end:
Greater and faster is nice, however being heads up to select a teammate is nice:
On an evening the place he didn’t have the ferocious blocked pictures, Williams was tremendous impactful together with his vitality and energy all recreation lengthy.
4. In considerably of a uncommon incidence, Boston dominated the paint. The Celtics outscored the Warriors by a whopping 52-30 benefit on factors within the paint, and that’s with lacking 11 pictures on the rim.
The Celtics nonetheless obtained up their customary massive allotment of three-pointers, nevertheless it was the work on the inside that saved them within the recreation. There was additionally a significant flip at halftime with the glasswork. Boston had 9 offensive rebounds within the first half, whereas Golden State had seven.
Within the second half, the Celtics saved going to the offensive boards, as they grabbed 9 extra to make it 18 offensive rebounds for the sport. The Warriors had only one second-chance alternative after the break.
General, Boston outrebounded Golden State by a 63-47 margin. On the season, the Celtics are second within the NBA in defensive rebound charge, per Basketball Reference. They’re only a tic behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (78.4% to 78.3%). That’s an enormous a part of why Boston has climbed the Defensive Score rankings. They’re complementing their preliminary stops by ending with rebounds.
5. Jaylen Brown was a multitude to open this recreation. He was very clearly out of rhythm after lacking every week as a result of adductor soreness. Late within the recreation, after shaking off the rust, Brown helped convey Boston house.
This was the primary time Brown actually opened up and outran everybody on the ground:
The Warriors by no means obtained matched up in transition right here and Brown made them pay to assist ship it to extra time:
Within the additional interval, Brown performed the bully. He went proper over Stephen Curry for this push shot within the paint:
Just a little later, Brown obtained to his spot once more and scored over Klay Thompson:
As with all issues in life, Jaylen Brown displaying up was higher late than by no means.
6. This wasn’t the prototypical superb Jayson Tatum recreation. He shot like crap and had some mind-bogglingly unhealthy turnovers.
However Tatum discovered a strategy to get to 34 factors, a career-high 19 rebounds, six assists and three steals. He made performs when the Celtics wanted him to.
Generally, it looks as if opponents neglect simply how lengthy Tatum is:
In a irritating capturing recreation, it was good to see Tatum not power issues. He may have gone for the layup right here to attempt to get himself going. However he makes the straightforward, and proper, play by lobbing it as much as Rob Williams:
Making the appropriate play is Tatum’s MO now. Al Horford is in his cash spot and Tatum finds him:
And when he must bail everybody out and do it himself, there’s nobody else Boston desires taking the massive shot:
7. The Celtics are as wholesome as they’ve been all season. Rob Williams has returned to the beginning 5, which meant rotation modifications needed to come. It was one recreation in an enormous spot, so we received’t learn an excessive amount of into it, however the rotation is rapidly actually crowded.
We all know the 5 starters from final season are all going to play and play quite a bit. Malcolm Brogdon goes to get his minutes. However we may even see Derrick White and Grant Williams see a little bit of a downturn of their minutes. Luke Kornet was the ninth man and he noticed solely spot minutes. Sam Hauser, who has been a rotation man all season, and Payton Pritchard, whose minutes comes and go, didn’t even see the ground.
There’s room to knock minutes down for a number of the most important guys, however simply getting on the ground goes to be a problem for some gamers. That is why the Celtics making an enormous transfer on the commerce deadline might be off the desk. They don’t have any evident wants. They’ll fill out their depth by means of buyouts and hold issues shifting.
8. Marcus Sensible did a superb job of holding Boston afloat throughout some powerful spots. With the offense scuffling, Sensible obtained into the publish for a turnaround over Stephen Curry:
The Warriors switching was a multitude all evening. Their protection on the street this season has been actually unhealthy. Sensible took benefit through the use of a Jayson Tatum display to get an open triple:
As he has since attending to Boston, Sensible stays the Celtics most heads-up participant. Golden State doesn’t rotate again and Sensible drops the bomb on Tatum for the runout dunk:
9. The 2022 NBA Finals made it clear the Celtics wanted yet one more man to maintain issues shifting offensively when groups managed to decelerate the celebrities. That man is Malcolm Brogdon, and he confirmed why on this one.
Brogdon made a number of massive performs all through the sport to assist stabilize issues for the Celtics. It is a good pull off a pleasant move from Luke Kornet on the quick roll:
Drive-and-kick is Brogdon’s recreation, however he does a pleasant job staying within the play for this and-1 putback:
Brogdon can be actually good at discovering his spots across the arc for kickout passes:
It seems like Brogdon is crushed right here, however he recovers for the massive block:
This was the kind of recreation Boston acquired Brogdon for and he delivered.
10. Eight straight wins for the Celtics. They’re completely rolling by means of January. They’ve constructed between a 4.5 and six-game lead over the opposite Jap Convention contenders. That’s a pleasant little cushion.
Now, they’ll head proper again on the street for an additional three-game journey. It’s an opposites journey, as a result of they’ll begin up north in Toronto earlier than ending down in Florida with video games in opposition to the Miami Warmth and Orlando Magic.
Perhaps the Celtics come again house to Boston with an 11-game win streak going. However getting this one makes the subsequent few really feel just a little like gravy. Confronted with an enormous problem, on an evening once they weren’t enjoying properly, the Celtics confirmed they’re championship-caliber. That’s the way you end earlier than hitting the street once more.
