For my first thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: It was good to see Cleveland plant a tree
I want to give a shout out to Tacko Fall for his first career NBA start. I understand the circumstances were pretty unique, but Fall has worked hard to get to this level of respectability. His size is both an asset and a drawback, but he’s working really hard to make the most of this opportunity.
He really deterred the Celtics from getting to the rim. He’s not just some seven-and-a-half foot sideshow. He’s really working to become a regular NBA player.
For my second thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: the coach is getting it
Starting Romeo Langford instead of Dennis Schröder against the Cavs breaks a cycle, and if Ime Udoka sees that, then there's a good chance he sees some of the other things we’ve been talking about.
Let the guy figure it out.
For my third thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: What happened to the refs?
Anyone else notice that some of the “let them play” has fallen by the wayside? There's always going to be some grifting for fouls, but I want more of the early season physicality back. That was fun.
For my fourth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: Four games from the fourth seed
The NBA’s middle class is bigger than ever. Say what you want about these teams in the middle (including the Celtics) and their struggles, but the first team to steer themselves out of their rough waters and string a few wins together will make a very quick climb in the standings. A team on the edge of the play-in can suddenly be a home court playoff team with a couple game lead in very short order.
For my fifth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: A fiiiiiive hundred recooooorrrrd
So much has been made of the Celtics being a .500 team over the past two seasons, but the past two seasons aren’t indicative of a whole lot. The bubble, a short turnaround (where all four of the conference finalists struggled in that season) and a transition to a new coach and new system with new teammates don’t get me hot and bothered about being .500.
If they stay .500 through January, then we can really let them have it. Right now they just have to stay afloat through December and get into a much more forgiving January schedule. Let’s see if they can get healthy and play a few weeks with a full roster for once and then reevaluate heading into the All-Star break.
For my sixth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: Kemba’s ballin’ out
Good for Kemba Walker. He dropped 44 against the Wizards and continues to show he’s not done or washed up. No, he’s not the same player he was, but he’s a good NBA player, and he still has plenty left. People were talking like he was trash as he was still dropping 30+ for the Celtics at the end of last season.
The knee is an issue, and he does need to adapt a bit to this new reality. But there's plenty of good basketball left in Kemba Walker.
For my seventh thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: The Lakers are toast
Too many injuries, too messy a roster. Frankly, the past two seasons highlight something about the Lakers: the bubble got them a championship.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were going down the same banged-up path that they’ve gone down in subsequent seasons, but they got a few months off to heal and rest to make their bubble run.
The Lakers are lucky to have gotten that break. They won’t be that lucky this year.
For my eighth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: Continuity matters
The Phoenix Suns are all the proof that you need that the right fit talent-wise plus time together and full buy-in of the coach’s message means a whole hell of a lot.
It also is a bit of a blueprint for the Celtics.
Obviously, there's no Chris Paul on the team, but that's what they hope Jayson Tatum can be to some extent.
Building some continuity with full buy-in and some big-time players, including an MVP candidate, can be Boston’s path forward. A lot of people are looking towards the Nets as to how to build a winner. Maybe we should be looking more closely at the Suns.
For my ninth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: The Grizzlies deserve love!
This might be painful because of Desmond Bane’s season, but the Grizzlies deserve a little more respect for what they’ve been accomplishing.
Let’s get the Bane stuff out of the way first: The toughest pill to swallow about the end of the Danny Ainge era is the pick attached to Enes Kanter (his name at the time) to get off his contract becoming Bane, and then Kanter, now Enes K. Freedom, returning to Boston anyway.
That hurts.
But let’s give this young Grizzlies team the credit it deserves for hanging onto the fourth seed out west, even when Ja Morant was out with injury.
Also, side note, let’s keep an eye on Jaren Jackson, Jr. and the fit issues there. I’m not saying anything is happening or will happen, but keep an eye on it. It’s a situation worth watching.
For my tenth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: 10 Days of Iso Joe!
If there's anything these guys need, it’s a dose of perspective from a veteran like Joe Johnson.
Twenty years can fly by in a blink, and someone like Johnson can use his limited time in the Celtics locker room to impart some tidbits of knowledge. Johnson, who never really wanted to leave the league, can try to make sure the young guys in that locker room don’t waste their opportunity.
Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson came to town and preached that regular seasons don’t matter. Someone needs to set the record straight and remind these guys that this is where good habits are built. Maybe Johnson can be that guy.
For my eleventh thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: Stop lionizing the “Staples Center”
It’s a corporate name change for God’s sake. One dying business is moving over for a booming business to pay a ton of money to name an arena. The building isn’t being torn down. It’s the same damn building.
People are mourning the loss of a corporate sponsor. If you really cared about Staples that much you would have gone in there to buy some pens or something.
For my twelfth thought at Christmas, here’s what came to me: A simple little thank you from me.
Somehow, I haven't even been here a full year yet. Regardless, I want to thank everyone here, from Greg, Sean, and Conor to you, the readers who choose to spend your money to read our content.
My relationship with basketball is different than most. It’s deeply personal. The sport has, in a way, been a mentor for me as I’ve grown as an individual. There's hardly a lesson I’ve learned in life that can’t be connected to basketball.
I hope that's reflected in my work. My opinions are different from others because of this connection. You might not see things my way, and I damn sure am not always right, but I hope my perspective gets people to think about this sport, and maybe all sports, a bit differently.
I have one loyalty in this: to the game of basketball. I’m not in this for any level of glory. I’m not in this to play gotcha with athletes. I’m not here to share wild opinions because any publicity is good publicity.
I’m going to share my honest opinion about what I see on the floor. I’m going to ask players and coaches questions that I feel are relevant to that, and I’m going to give you what I feel is appropriate content.
So thanks to Greg for letting me craft my own coverage and voice, but most of all thank you all for reading and riding this ride with me. I wish all of you a safe and healthy holiday season, peace, and happiness.
Thank you.