The C's Won The Second Game Of A Back-To-Back For The First Time in Seven Tries, 111-94 In OKC

 

    Let's just say that when Boston (23-23 overall, 10-16 road) trailed Oklahoma City (19-26 overall, 8-14 home) by four points (80-76) going into the fourth quarter tonight at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, I wasn't expecting them to blow out the Thunder. Whatever the cause, the Celtics closed with their best final frame of the season including a 19-0 run-outscoring OKC 35-14-on their way to a 111-94 win that brought them back to the .500 mark. Boston's pair of All-Stars-swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 27 points, 5 rebounds) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points) were the best players on the court all night which isn't saying much against a club that couldn't care less about winning at this point of a rebuilding season. On the off chance that you watched any of this, I'm certain you'll remember it for one thing only: center Luke Kornet dropping eight points (including a pair of 3-pointers) and five rebounds in 13 electric minutes off of Boston's bench. 

    Plenty of other guys stepped up for the C's as well: center Robert Williams (9 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) just missed a double-double; ditto for point guard Marcus Smart (8 points, 8 assists); even power forward Grant Williams (7 rebounds, 2 steals) did a few positive things. Besides the Green Kornet, some other Celtics bench players were really good too: rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 12 points and eight rebounds while guard Carsen Edwards scored 12 points in 16 minutes. Rookie French point guard Theo Maledon led OKC with a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Something called Moses Brown a center for the Thunder managed to get a 20-20 game (21 points and 23 rebounds) which is insane. Small forward Lugentz Dort scored 10 points in the loss while small forward Kenrich Williams added 12 points and two steals off the bench for the Thunder.

    Kemba Walker being out on the second night of a back-to back due to load management isn't a new phenomenon. You'd think that the sluggish Celts didn't know that as they played quite an uninspired first half. The Thunder outscored them 25-21 in the first quarter and 27-26 in the second quarter for a 52-47 halftime advantage. Boston inched closer in the third quarter (29-28) but as is usually the case in the NBA-it was all about the fourth quarter where the stars make their money. The Celtics shot 4.8% better from the floor than the Thunder (45.8%-41), they dished out six more assists (22-16), made three more steals (10-7) and had four less turnovers (16-12). There's no doubt that the most important numbers from this were the points in the paint (56-40) and points off turnovers (26-9) which both fell in Boston's favor. 

    It finally sets up nicely for the C's as they get to have some fans for the first time in well over a year at their next game-Monday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the TD Garden against superstar Zion Williamson who dropped 38 points tonight in a win for them. Besides the excellent support from the stands, the Celtics have to be thrilled to not only travel home but also to start planning for an epic season-high seven game homestand that begins with New Orleans (20-25 overall, 6-14 road) and ends after Easter, on April 9 vs. Minnesota (11-35 overall, 5-18 road) aka worst team in the league. The C's have already lost that overtime game in New Orleans back on February 21 (which feels like 5 years ago) so the least they can do is pay them back with a beating of their own.

There Is No Other Way To Say It: Right Now, The Celtics Are A Disgrace In Every Possible Fashion

 

    We are still in a global pandemic so I cannot say with a straight face that the trials and tribulations of the Celtics (15-17 overall, 7-12 away) really seems all that important at this juncture. However, this is a Boston sports blog so I'd much rather complain here about our local teams instead of identifying the scary realities of our messed up world. With that said, what the hell has happened to the C's? Tonight, they lost their third straight game, 127-112 to the Hawks (14-18 overall, 8-9 home) at State Farm Arena. To say that Boston was a no-show for the contest would be far too kind. They gave up 72 points in the first half and trailed by as many as 27 points while Atlanta's veteran power forward Danilo Gallinari came off the bench to drill a career-high ten (!!!) 3-pointers as he scored a game-high 38 points. 

    The Hawks finished the season series 2-1 vs. the Celtics and if the playoffs started today, Boston would have to be in the play-in round (two playoff berths for the teams #7-#10 in each conference) since they've dropped to ninth-place in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time that they have been two games under .500 since the start of the 2017-18 season when they lost their first two contests. Since the Celts opened 8-3 in this campaign, they have gone 7-14 in their last 21 games. Is that bad? The team is completely lifeless and nobody besides the fans seems to really care that things have taken such a terrible turn for the worst. 

    I honestly don't know how this will be fixed anytime soon. Their defense is wretched, point guard Kemba Walker can't play back-to-back games (and he is a shell of himself when he does suit up), nobody besides their pair of All-Star swingmen Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, 2 steals) can be counted on to do much of anything, the bench is a joke, head coach Brad Stevens' appears to have been tuned out by much of the team, GM Danny Ainge is petrified to shake this up and most of his draft picks lately except for Brown and Tatum have been useless. What else? There is no real accountability on the team and it is sorely lacking in leadership in terms of the players. I really couldn't tell you how a team that has gone to three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals could be in shambles like this. It is stunning to say the least although maybe not when you read the myriad reasons for their struggles that I just listed. 

    Atlanta also entered after playing last night but they weren't fazed by that. Point guard Trae Young (game-high 33 points, 7 assists) boosted his resume in case the All-Star Game needs a replacement player for the East, power forward John Collins had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) while shooting guard Tony Snell added 12 points. Seven Celtics scored in double-digits which is only an indicator that everyone played since there was extended garbage time like you read about. Power forward Tristan Thompson had a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) and point guard Jeff Teague (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) made perhaps his final start in the NBA in his old home. Rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith scored 13 points off the bench while point guards Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters each notched 11 points. 

    Boston has a four-game homestand leading into the All-Star break to try to turn this sinking ship around. They are 8-5 at the Garden as they host the Pacers (15-15 overall, 8-5 road) on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), the Wizards (11-18 overall, 6-9 road) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston), the Clippers (23-10 overall, 11-4 road) on Tuesday (7:30, TNT) and closing with the Raptors (16-17 overall, 9-10 road) next Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston). With the way that the C's have gone down in flames lately, I expect them to go 0-4 in that stretch or maybe 1-3 if they are lucky. Ugh, this terrible team is so depressing these days. How has it come to this? 

With Jaylen Brown Out, The Celts Pull Off Their Best Win Of The Season-119-115 At The Clippers

 

    I am not predicting that tonight's improbable 119-115 win by the Celtics (12-9 overall, 7-6 away) this evening against the Clippers (17-7 overall, 8-3 home) at Staples Center will serve as a turning point in their season but if nothing else, it shows that they are capable of way more than they have produced lately. I didn't like their chances before the game had even started as shooting guard Jaylen Brown (knee soreness) missed his first contest of the season. Sure, LA was also surprisingly missing one of its stars too-swingman Paul George (foot soreness)-but Brown's absence felt more vital since Boston does not have the depth of the Clippers (what a world where that is actually a fact). Even though it was Friday night, I can't blame anyone for bailing at halftime as the C's were down 62-51 and looked destined to be blown out. However, if you stuck with them, you were treated to their best third quarter of the season (where they outscored Los Angeles 38-20) and they hung on for the key victory. 

    This was not NBA Jam but without Brown and George, the key matchup was obviously Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 34 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals) vs. Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard (team-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists). Judging by not only those numbers but the final outcome, you'd have to say that Tatum won this round against one of the top players in the NBA. Tatum didn't do it alone though as point guard Kemba Walker (24 points) had his best game of the season, guard Carsen Edwards (16 points) was awesome off the bench and kept Boston in contention in the first half when they were wobbly, center Tristan Thompson (7 rebounds) and power forward Grant Williams both started and each scored 11 points apiece while center Robert Williams continued his strong road trip with 10 points off the bench. 

    LA entered with one of the best records in the league and until they choke again in the playoffs (it's so hard to wash that Clippers stink off themselves), they are a formidable opponent. The ghost of Nicolas Batum (16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) made a rare appearance, guard Luke Kennard (13 points) was productive in his spot start and their bench was great: strip club expert Lou Williams (18 points, 6 assists), center Ivica Zubac (14 points, 6 rebounds) and former Celtics great Marcus Morris (13 points) all scored in double-digits. Despite George's absence, this was a game that the Clippers without question should have won. 

    Things looked good for LA in the beginning as they blitzed the Celtics in the first quarter, outscoring them 33-21 as they barely missed any shots. Thanks to Edwards and the return of guard Payton Pritchard (8 points), Boston bounced back in the second quarter (30-29) to at least make it more competitive. I'm assuming that the Clippers thought they would run away with it in the second half because otherwise, I can't explain their no-show in the third quarter. They were much better in the fourth quarter (33-30 Clips) but it wasn't enough as the C's made just enough free throws and got the requisite defensive stops to hang on. 

    The Celtics had three more steals (8-5), 10 less turnovers (16-6) and they scored a whopping 18 more points (26-8) off turnovers than the Clippers. After losing to the mediocre Kings (10-11) on Wednesday, I genuinely thought that a 1-4 West Coast road trip was about to occur. Boston can ensure that it will be a winning trip with a win on Sunday afternoon (2, NBC Sports Boston) at Phoenix (12-9). Center Daniel Theis left tonight's game early with right knee soreness but it doesn't sound too serious long-term. With point guard Chris Paul now in the desert, the Suns have tons of talent and big things are expected from them this season but thus far, they've been pretty up and down (5-5 in their last 10 games) much like the Celtics. It definitely lacks the electricity of a Chiefs-Buccaneers Super Bowl but it should serve as a fine appetizer before the main sporting course on Sunday night. 

While You Were Watching The AFC Championship Game, The Celtics Ran Over The Cavaliers 141-103

 

    Tonight at TD Garden, we were all treated to a phenomenon that I believe occurs most frequently in the NBA compared to MLB, NFL or the NHL. One team (the Celtics) showed up in a big way while their opponent (the Cavaliers) couldn't be bothered to put forth anything that resembled a professional effort. Haha sorry to sound like such a hardo but it's true. Boston (9-6 overall, 5-2 home) came in with three straight losses but you would have never guessed that with the precision that they dismantled Cleveland (8-8 overall, 3-5 road) 141-103. The final score really says it all, doesn't it? C's star Jayson Tatum missed what hopefully is his last game while he recovers from Covid-19 but he was far from needed this evening. Guard Jaylen Brown (33 points, 2 steals in 19 minutes) set a new NBA record for most points scored in the shot clock era in under 20 minutes of playing time.

    This was never even close to a competitive game because the Celts dropped a season-high 38 points in the first quarter to take a 17-point lead right out of the gate and that was followed by their highest scoring half (73 points) of 2020-21 and a 22-point advantage going into the break. Believe it or not, despite this debacle, the Cavs are a much improved team that should push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season. Seriously. That hardly mattered to the Celtics who extended their win-streak vs. the Cavaliers to a whopping nine games. All 14 Boston players that dressed were able to get on the court for at least nine minutes of work. Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) was also efficient with his time, center Daniel Theis (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) filled up the box score and guard Marcus Smart (12 points, 9 assists, 5 steals) just missed out on a double-double. Guard Carsen Edwards scored a career-high 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench and rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith (11 points, 6 rebounds) finally showed a brief glimpse of why he was picked 14th overall by Boston in this past draft.

    The lopsided result occurred at the perfect time as well for Boston since they hit the road after this game to head to Chicago (7-9 overall, 2-4) for tomorrow night's (9, NBC Sports Boston) meeting with the Bulls at the United Center. Likewise, they couldn't have picked a much easier opponent on the second part of a back-to-back than rudderless Chicago who has been rebuilding for most of the past decade or so. Before tonight's matchup with the Cavs, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens sounded optimistic that Tatum could return against Chicago for his first game since January 8. I'm sure that he will be rusty whenever he gets back but Brown has been on fire for most of this season and Kemba is improving with every outing that goes by. Guard Zach LaVine (26.8 points per game) can score with the best of them in the NBA, Finnish big guy Lauri Markkanen (18.6 points per game) and point guard Coby White (15.9 points per game and 5.9 assists per game) are both quality young players but my fellow PC alum and the new head coach Billy Donovan sure has his work cut out for him in the Windy City. The Bulls haven't been relevant for years on end and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.