Via two quarters, the primary Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets assembly of the season hasn’t panned out the way in which many would’ve anticipated. The Nets led for your complete half however Boston managed to chop it down to only two earlier than the halftime buzzer.
Now, prepare for some Halftime Sizzling Takes, buddy.
I’ve seen higher begins
Pay attention, I perceive that it isn’t fairly as simple to rise up for a sport towards the Nets in comparison with one towards the Golden State Warriors. However falling behind 12-0 to a group that, earlier than the season, was a high contender to land Cooper Flagg (who I hear truly isn’t that good, it might be a attain if anybody picked him earlier than, let’s say, choose 30), is unacceptable.
Brooklyn is a group that’s constructed an id for itself by enjoying gritty basketball. Giving them confidence proper off the rip isn’t going to make the night time a straightforward one.
If I needed to pinpoint the problem, I might say it has one thing to do with sporting “assertion version” black jerseys at dwelling, as an alternative of conventional dwelling whites.
I’ve to provide credit score the place credit score is due, although. The Celtics lower the Nets’ result in simply 4 by the top of the primary quarter. That’s a championship degree response.
Jayson Tatum might need Corridor-of-Fame “Nook Specialist”
A big a part of Boston’s first-quarter push was Jayson Tatum’s 11 early factors. Of these 11 factors, 9 got here off of catch-and-shoot threes from the left nook. All three of the makes had been tremendous clear appears to be like, and JT didn’t even should work for them.
Tatum has three triples, and all of them are from the left nook. That is extra 3s from the left nook than he’d hit all season previous to tonight’s sport (two). pic.twitter.com/nZNUqaJ9Oh
— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 9, 2024
The extra threes we see Tatum take off of the catch, the higher (despite the fact that the numbers this yr would let you know in any other case). These are pictures that sometimes will come inside the circulation of an offensive possession, relatively than having to be created by the person himself.
Nearly anybody who has watched the Cs will let you know that they’re at their finest when the ball is popping round, relatively than when it’s sticking.
Final season, it was fairly uncommon to see Tatum getting appears to be like from deep except it was off of the dribble. This yr, it seems like Joe Mazzulla has made it an emphasis to have him enjoying with out the ball on some possessions.
The Nets usually are not a tanking group
This is not essentially a take that’s particular to this single half of basketball, however it’s clear that the Nets usually are not a group in tank mode. They got here into Friday’s sport with a file of 4-4 and it’s not a thriller to why.
Have they got a ton of top-end expertise?
No.
However these guys play laborious.
They’ve placed on one of many higher defensive shows towards the Cs to this point this season, holding them to only 49 factors on the break.
On high of that, they brought on a number of tie-ups, after diving on the ground after unfastened balls.
This was a big-time “earn my respect” half from them, for positive.
