Celtics Demolish Cavaliers 118-72 - Is this a sign of things to come?

The Celtics were never challenged in their third preseason game of the season, winning 118-72 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The following are some observations from what’s shaping up to be a strong set of warm-up games.

DOES IT ALL MEAN ANYTHING?

Preseason is meaningless, right? Last season many observers said that as the team struggled through the pretend games only to find that maybe this part of the year can indicate something more than we realize. Celtics fans can only hope that's the case this year as the team opened with a run-of-the-mill win but have now posted back-to-back dominant performances. Game 2 against the Magic was decided almost before it began. Today's affair was barely more competitive in the portions of a preseason game that matter, The fourth quarter opened with the Celtics having twice as many points as the Cavs, 86-43, on their way to a 46 point victory.

OPENING-NIGHT STARTERS?

Kemba Walker returned to action and started alongside Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Daniel Theis. After Robert Williams's brief appearance as a starter in the first preseason game, it looks like Theis may be the favorite to hold down that role in early season games. There's some thought that Brad Stevens may not want to start a 6'8" center on opening night against Joel Embiid, but in general it looks like Theis's job to lose.

If that group does open the season as the starters, everyone will hope they do it in more exciting fashion than in this game. The first points for either side didn't register until Walker hit a three after nearly three minutes of action. On the plus side, this is two games in a row where that five-man unit has been very effective on defense as the Cavs didn't get on the board until 8:04 of the opening period and barely scored beyond that. All joking aside, in starters-versus-starters action the Celtics have been mighty impressive.

KEMBA COMES TO THE FORE

If the first two games of the preseason made Celtics fans feel better about Hayward and Tatum, today's game was about Walker. In a game against admittedly bad competition playing at their worst, Walker played and acted like the best player and leader of the team. No one is writing home about 12 points on eleven possessions used (six shots, two trips to the line, and three turnovers) with no assists, but this is the kind of thing that truly doesn't matter in preseason. No one should draw conclusions from shooting splits; it's about stylistic indicators and hints of skill development.

While Tatum, Hayward, and Walker have taken their turns at shining, Jaylen Brown has consistently shown that skill development that Boston is looking for in these games. His passing has been maybe the single most important development in preseason. If he can carry any level of play-making into the regular season it makes everyone's lives easier.

MAX STRUS, TACKO FALL & JAVONTE GREEN

Before the game, the team announced that Max Strus had his 2-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal with a partial guarantee, and that Tacko Fall had his "Exhibit 10" deal converted to a 2-way. It's possible that this is the whole of the story, but also conceivable that Strus is in competition with Javonte Green for the last full roster spot and this guarantees him a payday while opening a spot for Fall's 2-way.

The fan-favorite Fall earned himself that 2-way and the team held the ability to unilaterally convert his contract and did so. This seems like the best outcome for both Tacko and the team. He's more than a curiosity; he has some NBA-level skills beyond just "is tall."

ROOKIE WATCH (DRAFTEES EDITION)

Conventional Wisdom is that Grant Williams is the most "NBA-ready" of the C's new draftees. It may not mean anything once the real games start, but to this point Carsen Edwards appears to have the clearest path to a regular playing role. His skill set is easy to define and fit into a unit, and you could hardly imagine a unit more well-suited for him than one that includes Marcus Smart and Hayward. Those two can take care of the creation needs on one ends and allow him to hide on less threatening assignments on the other. His shot will get instant respect from defenders.

It shouldn't be a surprise if Edwards opens the season with that defined spot in the rotation while Grant Williams is deployed more to duct tape over the problems that are bothering Brad Stevens on any given night.

Romeo Langford made his first appearance in the game to open the second half as he works his way back to full health and sharpness. Sharing the floor with Williams, Edwards, Enes Kanter, and Semi Ojeleye, the thing that stood out most is that he looks and moves like an NBA player. That sometimes means something and sometimes is said about James Young. Sharing the floor with that subs unit against the Cavs bench with a 30+ point lead made it hard to draw any conclusions beyond that, though. At the 9:27 mark of the fourth he took what looked like a bad fall before doing a little push-up and walking back to the locker room with the trainer under his own power.

Tremont Waters is just good and how the Celtics got him at the 51st pick and on a 2-way contract confuses me.

DUNKIN'

There has never been a Brad Stevens team that can dunk like this year's Celtics. They've been throwing it down all week but this Smart-to-Williams number upped the creativity level.

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