"It's Almost Time For War" - The Celtics Cap Off A Perfect West Coast Trip By Making Some History And Winning Their 9th In A Row

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9 in a row. 14 of 15 in the month of March. 8 straight on the road and 16 of their last 17 road games.

Take a second and appreciate what the hell we've been watching for the last two months, because it is most certainly not normal. In fact, there have been generations of Celtics fans that never experienced what you, right now, are experiencing

I'm not really sure what the most impressive part of this insane stretch of winning is. Maybe the fact that for the most part, every single one of these games has had the Celts down at least 1 rotation player, oftentimes more than 1, and usually a starter or two. The fact that collectively as a unit they haven't skipped a beat and continue to win at an incredible rate tells you what you should already know by now.

This team is a fucking wagon.

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A perfect 6-0 West Coast trip, something that no Celtics team in their history has ever done, down your 2nd best player and your best back up center in this win, still finding a way to win all 6 games by double digits, it's all ridiculous. Even when you factor in the truth about March basketball in the NBA being weird, we're talking about a caliber of play that dates back to the end of January. This is not a small sample or a team that is just getting hot at a time when most of the league is in Cancun mentally. Look at all this green!

The fact that 60 wins sure looks to be a lock (4-3 stretch needed) and honestly a perfect 7-0 finish given their schedule isn't totally out of the question is wild. It's crazy to think where this team was when they couldn't stop playing .500 basketball in January. From 32-15 to 56-19, I mean god damn.

And while I cannot stress enough that nothing we are seeing right now predicts what will happen in the Spring, that doesn't mean you can't take a step back and enjoy a run like this. Winning, is in fact fun. This team looks like a group that understands what's coming and what is needed to become the first Celts team to repeat as Champs since the 60s. Just get to the finish line healthy and let the chips fall where they may.

With that said, let's begin.

The Good

- I'm not sure about you, but I wake up every single morning and thank the Basketball Gods for putting NBA Champion Al Horford (god that still feels incredible to type) in my life. I don't know where I'd be without him, and I'm not even remotely joking. Shit, where would this entire franchise be without Al Horford? Definitely not where it sits right now that's for damn sure. 

I mean look at this guy

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I'm not kidding when I say I don't think we've ever seen Al play with this type of energy and force at any point this season like he did in this game. We've seen him turn back the clock and look 27 years old for stretches, but last night's performance? That was vintage. 

When you see a 38-year-old playing with that much energy, I don't know how you couldn't follow suit yourself. If Al can do it, anyone can. We all know how important Al is going to be to this playoff run, especially when it comes to his open C&S 3PA, like we saw in this win. When the Celts won the title, Al lived around 36.8% from deep during that run. That's really all they need from him, be good enough to where you are the safety valve for all the dribble drives and the double teams, and make your looks at an acceptable clip. 

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But when Al's legs are fresh and he's locked in, you get so much more than just the outside shooting. Al held JJJ to just 5 points on his 38 possessions last night. He was tied for 2nd in rebounds despite coming off the bench with 8. He led the team in scoring and he did it on 50/46% splits against a pretty damn good defense. Every time he stepped on the floor he immediately made an impact, and it was a nice reminder that at the end of the day, Al Horford will show up. He will be there when you need him most.

That is why he's Knight. That is why he's an NBA champion. 

In fact, I would argue it's extremely disrespectful from the Basketball Gods to ever allow Horford to miss any wide open looks. There were a couple in the 4th that were wide open and looked great, only to rim out. Hey Basketball Gods

If anyone has earned being permanently blessed by the Basketball Gods whenever he steps onto the floor or touches the ball, it's Al Horford. 

- While Al's play was beyond inspirational, we should also not overlook the best player. In a game missing Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet, it's on everyone to step up a level and make up for that production. The top of that list anytime the team is shorthanded is the best player(s), and last night Jayson Tatum more than delivered. On the road, last game of the trip, shorthanded, there were plenty of reasons to mail it in and be onto the next game. Instead, Tatum was dominant

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I'm a firm believer in you can always tell Tatum's engagement level by how he rebounds. When he's engaged and owns the glass, you know you're in for a real treat. You could make the case that we'd be looking at 3 straight 10+ rebounding performances had Sabonis not injured him in that Kings game (had 7 through 3 quarters), and when I see Tatum play during this stretch and I see a jump in both his rebounding AND his playmaking, it's telling me that this man is ready for war

Even in a game like this, where he only "finished" with 2 AST, that wasn't for the lack of playmaking. The way Tatum passed the ball was great, he manipulated the defense time and time again and helped create wide open looks for everyone. The only issue was nobody could make a goddamn shot off a Tatum pass. He finished with 16 potential assists last night, so that final 2 number is mostly a bit of bad luck. In comparison, White had 10 AST on 13 potential. Jrue had 7 AST on 13 potential. Shit, KP even had 5 on 12 potential. 

When I say Tatum completely controlled this game, I'm not kidding. Controlled the glass, controlled the scoring, controlled the playmaking. I have basically zero complaints about his night.

Now, maybe you're someone that's a little annoyed that he tanked his FG% with some tough, contested 30 footers. Not me. I can't imagine possibly giving a shit about that. I'll take misses from 30ft at this time of the season compared to continuing to drive into contact. This stretch is all about limiting injury, and while it's true that guys slide under his feet when he takes a 3, I can't imagine having any problems with how Tatum has been playing these last few months. This is it, this is what Playoff Tatum looks like, and last time I checked, that man is a Champion. 

We know his shot profile will adjust when the schedule adjusts to the playoffs. We see it year after year after year. What you're seeing from him now is the end of season approach, which is still rather dominant. It just may not always be the most efficient, but again who gives a flying fuck about that right now. The Celts just went 14-1 this month with him shooting 31% from three! It's not limiting them whatsoever! 

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- For those who are still doubting Mazzulla Ball, first, you're a moron. Second, it's largely the reason they won this game. The Grizzlies shot better from the floor (44.6% vs 40.6%), they made more FGM (41 vs 39), yet they were blown out. How could this be?

Ah yes, math.

The Celts took 62 3PA in this win, which, in my opinion, could have been even higher. They made 21 3PM to go along with 30 AST while turning it over just 12 times. Oh, and they won the rebounding battle 54-45 with 12 OREB.

Naturally, there was a lot of crying about their volume after the win. How it's not sustainable blah blah blah.

Hey Bozos, maybe pay attention to what is happening right in front of your face.

When the Celts move the ball and generate the amount of wide open C&S opportunities that they did in this game, there is no 3PA number that is high enough. Take 50, 60, 70, hell even 80 for all I care. Break people's brains even more. It's not our problem that Joe Mazzulla has solved basketball and Brad Stevens has built a roster to maximize this approach. That sounds like an everyone else's problem that they can't find ways to stop it.

If you let the Celts get up this many clean looks, you die. If you try to take away their 3s and let Tatum/Brown/KP etc live at the rim, you also die. There is no right answer. All you can do is pray they have an off shooting night and you yourself get hot from deep while the Celts also turn the ball over. That's really it. If those two things don't happen, teams simply don't have enough firepower to match their ceiling. 

- Speaking of KP, this was a nice bounce back effort from him after what I thought was a pretty "meh" showing against the Spurs

I'll take 19/5/5 on 50/60% splits and a team best +29 in his 33 minutes. It wasn't perfect, I still feel like he could have been more aggressive on some post ups rather than trying to force some passes that ended up in turnovers, but overall, I thought KP filled the role that was required of him in this win.

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He was crucial along with White in surviving the non-Tatum minutes which are always going to be a question and can be especially tricky when Jaylen isn't playing, and it is starting to feel like this outside shooting is really coming around. We know what he can do in terms of abusing a switch and scoring in the paint, but the true cheat code of KP is what he does from 30ft. 

Since coming back from the bubonic plague, KP is shooting 41.2% from deep on basically 6 3PA a night. In those 7 games, he's had 3 separate games of at least 3 3PM. The value that shooting brings to their spacing and what it means for everyone else is why Brad traded for KP in the first place, and all I'm focused on right now with him is just getting to the postseason healthy. We're so close, I imagine there will be a rest game or two for him down he stretch, but all I know is if this is the KP the Celts can get for a playoff run, watch out.

- It was emotional seeing someone break Isaiah's 3PM record, but if someone was to do it, I'm happy it was Derrick White

Not to mention Derrick's corner 3 under 2 minutes left was a massive, massive shot on a night where he couldn't really buy a bucket, but my hands are tied. If you make Celtics history and make a key 3PM to secure a win, you find yourself in this section even with the brutal 4-13 (3-11) from the floor. 

Who knows how long he'll keep this record with both Tatum and Pritchard right behind him, but for this moment in time, I say we celebrate Derrick White because it's never a bad time to celebrate Derrick White. 

- The first half of the Jrue Holiday experience in this game was about as brutal as it gets. Airballing 3s, airballing 5ft floaters, a whole bunch of CTE basketball, it was mostly gross,

The second half? A chef's kiss

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You look down at the end of the game and realize Jrue finished with 18/7/7 on 5-10 (4-6) with only 1 TO and it's a nice reminder that NBA games are 48 minutes long. Another guy who seems to be rounding into form at the perfect time, the Celts are now something stupid like 53-3 when Jrue has at least 14 points. 

After his 3 game absence at the beginning of March, Jrue is shooting 47/38% from the floor in the 11 game since. He has 53 AST and only 10 TOs during that span, and for me those splits and that passing production is all I'm looking for from Holiday. Play smart, and make your open looks. While it's been a down shooting season no matter how you slice it, the truth is Holiday is starting to produce at a level that is more than good enough for a playoff run. We'll see if this shooting carries over, because we certainly know his open looks will be there as defenses will have to pick their poison.

As of late, Holiday has been making those defenses pay, and when his shot is falling there really isn't anywhere for the defense to go. Remember, this is the same team that baited Jrue into a 4-17 3PA showing in their previous matchup, so it was clear they were comfortable letting him take whatever shot he felt was open. This time, Jrue made them pay.

- I cannot remember the last time the Celtics were trailing entering a 4th quarter. I think we're on like a 15 or 16 game streak of being up after 3 quarters, which certainly does help prevent the potential for a 4th quarter disaster. I'm all about giving this team as much of a cushion as possible for those 12 minutes, so the fact that they've been so good lately entering the final frame has really helped. 

Especially in games where they need to start the 4th without Tatum. The Celts again were able to push their lead in the 4th in the non-Tatum minutes, and again to do that without Jaylen on the floor was great to see. 

The Bad

- I think we know why Xavier Tillman doesn't play. Woof. I can't really understand how a player could regress in the way Tillman has this season, but it's at the point where I'm not sure he can see the floor in anything other than mop up minutes. He finished a brutal 0-5 (0-5), and when I say his looks were wide open I mean they were WIDE OPEN. Not a soul within 20 feet of him on any of his attempts and none of them were particularly close. For all of his minutes on the floor, the Celts were playing 4 on 5, and that's just not a winning formula.

I get that it's not really fair to expect a player who has legitimately never played this season to come in and be Al Horford, but that's the role. If you touch the floor for this team, you have to make your open looks. If you can't, then you can't play. Only Luke Kornet is allowed to not be a 3pt shooter, and he does so many other valuable things that you can make up for it. But if you do none of those other things AND you can't make an open 3, well that's life in the big city. You can't play. 

- If you are someone who might have concerns about the Pritchard/Hauser bench duo against NBA playoff caliber opponents, well then last night did nothing to help make you feel any better. Both struggled, combining for a tough 4-12 (3-11), and the sample is large enough for both against teams with a pulse that it's fair to question how playable they may be depending on the playoff matchup.

I find this to be significant because it is not fair to have to rely so heavily on Al to carry the bench production. Pritchard/Hauser have to show up and have to produce in their minutes for this team to reach their full potential. When you look at how they've done against good defenses and playoff caliber teams, it's not the best picture. 

With Pritchard, we know teams will attack him defensively, and for the most part I think he holds his own but his height is his height. Guys can still score over him. In order to balance that out, he needs to hit his jumpers or create for others. He did neither in this win.

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With Hauser, his rebounding has been better as of late, but it's the same thing. Teams will attack him, and his shotmaking is what evens that out. If he's not making his 3s, it makes his minutes tough.

- Tony Brothers 1000000% has a hard on for Jayson Tatum. 12% of all of Tatum's techs have come from Brothers, and last night was another example of exactly why he should not be allowed to be an official. His tech on Tatum during those FTs at the end of the game, when the score was relatively close, is inexcusable. All Tatum did was hold the ball and bounce pass it to Brothers, and he immediately gets a tech?

This is basically a Scott Foster vs CP3 situation, and the NBA should be embarrassed. We saw time and time again Tatum get fouled right in front of Brothers end up in no calls, yet when the game is still somewhat in the balance he inserts himself and helps the Grizzlies close the gap. Adam Silver should be ashamed.

- Pretty ugly start to the game with 5 TOs and 9 points off turnovers, which was the biggest contributing factor to the Celts being down 7 after the first quarter. To no surprise they cleaned that shit up the rest of the way and then blew doors, but it was a nice reminder that against aggressive defenses who maybe don't have the best offense, you HAVE to take care of the basketball.

Allowing those teams to feast off live turnovers and points in transition is how you get yourself into trouble, and against much better teams in the playoffs that's how you end up blowing games/series you shouldn't lose. Poor ball security from Tatum early, bad passes from KP, the guards suffering from CTE, it was certainly not the best start we've ever seen.

The Ugly

- It is my goal to not write this section for the rest of the season. 7 more to go.

With the playoffs so close and the Celts looking so good, part of me just wants to put everyone in bubble wrap and let the Maine Celtics close out the season. I say let's get nuts and see how they do. It's clear the only thing that can stop this team is health, so please join me in praying everyone stays clean for the next two weeks.