LOS ANGELES -- Kyrie Irving was back at Celtics practice on Friday and by judging from his lengthy one-on-one battles with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the workout, the condition of his bruised thigh is not a concern heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Lakers.
“I got to school these youngins,” Irving said of matching up against the duo. “They are 21- and 22-year-olds. It's always fun just to compete, going against those wings, they are two of the best in our league. It's a luxury to be able to play 1-on-1 after practice.”
Irving confirmed he planned on playing Saturday against the Lakers as well after the one-game absence.
“It’s a lot better,” Irving said. “Just some preventive stuff is why I missed the Sacramento game, so just trying to be as healthy as I can be going into the playoffs.”
Irving’s absence on Wednesday was his seventh missed game since January 23rd as the team has moved towards a more cautious approach with their All-Star guard over the course of an 82-game grind, particularly as his minutes' load has increased in games during which he is active. Remarkably, the Celtics are 7-0 in those contests. Brad Stevens expects the team to hold a similarly cautious approach when it comes to Al Horford and other veterans down the stretch of the regular season while also trying to maximize their spot in the standings.
“I think the bottom line is we want to focus on playing as well as we can and competing together as well as we can,” Stevens explained. “Where that stuff sorts itself out, it will. There will be times obviously in the next 16 games where we will choose to rest Al, choose to do some of that stuff. But that’s no different than we would have planned five months ago regardless of seeding and circumstance. Ultimately, it doesn’t change our approach at all, the standings being what they are.”
No overlooking the fading Lakers
The Celtics already let their guard down once against the Lakers this season, blowing an 18-point lead at the Garden that ultimately resulted in Rajon Rondo’s buzzer-beating win. While things have not been great in Boston since then, it’s been a nightmare in Lakerland, having dropped eight of their last 10 games since that victory.
The slide has pushed the Lakers out of the playoff picture out West (six games back with 16 to play) and opened the door to thoughts of tanking and resting LeBron James in more games down the stretch to improve draft position. However, with Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram primed to return from injuries Saturday night in the nationally televised showdown, Stevens will be on high alert to make sure this group doesn’t let their guard down.
“You know what, we won five in a row the last time we played them, and everybody was talking about them struggling so bad on the trade deadline day,” Stevens explained. "And we played great for about 18 minutes, and then we got really loose with how we played, and they took advantage of it. They made every shot, LeBron was dominant, and we didn’t respond. And Rondo ended up hitting that game winner.
“Our guys know, everybody paying attention to the news and you see the talk about LeBron’s minutes and all that stuff, we know it’s not the case tomorrow against the Celtics in a national TV game on Saturday night. At the end of the day, we’re going to have to play really well to win. We have a lot of respect for the team, we have a lot of respect for all their guys, and they beat us last time, and they thoroughly outplayed us for 30 minutes of that game.”
“I wouldn't call it revenge,” Irving said of the matchup. “I would just call it us focusing on what we can control and just being successful for each other.”
A rare showdown with James and Irving is guaranteed to garner plenty of focus as well, but Irving is committed to not getting caught up in the theatrics of the former teammates facing off.
“It’s not hard. It’s not hard at all,” Irving said of blocking out the noise. “It’s just another game but going against a great competitor, a teammate like ‘Bron is always fun. You just understand that these head-to-head matchups probably will happen for a few more years and you just want to take advantage of them. Just the great players you get a chance to play against in our league you always want to play well.”
The Lakers limited Irving to a miserable shooting night in February’s matchup against Boston, forcing him into a 6-for-21 night while facing long defenders like Brandon Ingram. It’s a challenge that’s going to make him tweak his strategy on Saturday night.
“I mean, I’ve just played against all types of defenders,” Irving said, “From like Avery Bradley to going against Klay Thompson for three Finals in a row, going against him now and just going against bigger defenders, you know, I very rarely get my matchup as of late the way team have been playing me. I’m pretty sure tomorrow I’ll get Brandon Ingram so you just gotta maximize the amount of space you can on those guys that have a lot of length and be as efficient as possible. It’s going to be a tough shot. I gotta work twice as hard as a 6-foot-7 guy. If I was 6-4, 6-5 the game would be a little easier for me, but, just try to create space and be efficient at it.”
Good vibes continue after two straight quality road wins
The Celtics have won two straight games plenty of times this year, but Wednesday marked the first time all year long they emerged victorious in two straight road games against over .500 teams.
The fallout of those victories and the fact that so many players contributed to them made Celtics practice a joyous atmosphere on Friday afternoon as the positive vibes lingered from earlier in the trip. We’ve seen this team feel like they have turned the corner on this front before, but it feels a little more real this time around.
“You’re still gonna have ups and downs,” Stevens said. “You can win a playoff series and lose three times. Ultimately you’re still gonna have moments, but there has to be a collective response that’s connected, that’s purposeful, and we haven’t been as consistent at that this year. That’s why Sacramento was such a good win. Obviously, the Golden State win is what it is, I did not think Golden State played their A game. I thought we were extremely locked in, and to then play the night after against a real scrappy, hard-nosed team that was playing for their playoff lives, I thought was a really good win.”
“I’d rather we started clicking now than waiting until we get to the playoffs,” Morris added. “This is our time to get our shit together, and it’s been great with guys really pushing each other, helping each other. Guys are playing well, and it’s great to see guys like Gordon getting off, and do what we’re capable of doing.”
The positivity for a two-game winning streak for a team with championship aspirations is a bit entertaining at this stage of the season. I can’t help but think of Lou Brown explaining the prospect of a winning streak to his guys.
On the other hand, this type of good vibes is needed for a group that has been too down on itself all year long. After 65 games, everyone seems to be pulling in the right direction.
Other practice leftovers
- Morris got to watch his brother from courtside on Friday night as the Thunder take on the Clippers at Staples Center.
- Don’t be surprised if you see a bit more of Semi Ojeleye with the bigs after a solid performance on Wednesday night: “I thought Semi did a good job. I told Semi this the other day, I’m not sure he’s not our most improved player and the unfortunate part is because of our depth at those positions, the wing positions, it’s hard for him to find many minutes," Stevens said. "Again, he’s as good of a human being and as good of a worker as I’ve ever been around and I’m excited he gets more opportunities in games like that, and I thought he did a good job. His hustle play when he knocked the ball loose in transition the other night was a huge play at a critical time, and he’d be a big part of a bigger switching lineup.”