The Boston Celtics are moving on to the second round. Before we look forward to the next series, let’s empty the brain with a look back.
- Things are going to be different for Boston moving forward. Part of why I was so confident in my Celtics in 5 prediction was because Brooklyn’s defense was so bad. The early statistical returns show how porous that Nets' defense was.
Boston has the 3rd-best offense in the playoffs (119.2 rating). They are 7th in assist percentage, 2nd in offensive rebound percentage, 4th in effective field goal percentage (which is weighted to account for 3’s and 2’s) and true shooting percentage (which accounts for 3-pointers and free throws).
Boston’s defense? Kevin Durant finished the playoffs with 21 turnovers. He made 32 baskets.
It could be worse. Karl Anthony Towns has 33 makes but 25 turnovers in five games, and Trae Young, whose Hawks were eliminated Tuesday night, had 22 makes and 30 turnovers.
Anyway, the road is going to get a lot tougher moving forward. The first game of this next series might be a little culture shock for the Celtics when they run into actual defenders.
- Last week, Grant Williams said this about guarding Durant.
"KD is one of the best players in terms of just the game and history. We have to do a phenomenal job of staying into them because everything has to be tough. Not just him walking up and down the court, but him trying to just get a cup of water on the sideline. If you can be in his face some way, somehow, you can take him off his rhythm, take him off his game."
He wasn’t kidding. Here he is after a timeout in Game 4.
— Mikey Sayso (@MikeySayso199) April 26, 2022
This is crazy, but I’ll tell you one person who probably loved it: Ime Udoka.
Williams was extraordinary in this series. He’s eligible for a rookie extension this summer and it will be very interesting to see how these talks go. Obviously, the next series (or two, or three) could add or remove a zero from whatever deal he might be offered, but he’s in line to make some good money.
I said this during Grant’s rookie year and I still believe it. He can have a 14-year NBA career but it will end up being on five different teams. He’s good enough where teams will ask for him in a deal, but not so good that he’s a deal breaker for the trading team. Basically, every few years a new fan base will cringe and say “I hate that we gave him up, but you have to give something to get something.”
Grant will be super important against the Milwaukee Bucks. They give up 3-pointers by design, and Williams can live in the corners. I haven't thought this fully through, but my gut tells me he can average 15-17 points a game vs. Milwaukee.
- Derrick White can be an X-factor in that series but he needs to offer Jobu a cigar and some rum to take the fear away from the ball when he shoots it from behind the arc. The 2-point shot he hits it very much (7-12 vs. Nets), but the 3-pointer -- ball is afraid (1-11).
White does so much well, and he will be helpful no matter what. But he will be more helpful if he is hitting at least an average amount of shots.
- The Celtics are going to face the Bucks in the second round. We don’t know that officially, but it’s going to be them. They're up 3-1 and Chicago is not that great.
However, because it’s still possible that the Bulls are going to be an opponent, it’s going to be one person’s job in the organization to compile all the game film and start putting together a game plan that will never be seen or used.
Just wanted to let that person know I recognize the effort.
- I do feel a little bad for Brooklyn fans. First of all, the Nets have a tough task. Imagine an NBA franchise moving into, say, Worcester or Springfield. People from central or western Massachusetts have spent their whole lives as Celtics fans, but what if they wanted to root for the Worcester Whatevers or Springfield Somethings?
(Note to the NBA: I’m available for consulting on expansion team names)
So the Nets had to make inroads in an established market. Their first owner was a Russian oligarch who pressed his GM to make a horrible trade that restocked a competitor, and now they just watched those two draft picks they gave up come into town and sweep them. They're married to Kyrie Irving, who has played 114 games in three seasons, including playoffs, for his new team.
Nets fans get a bad rap, but this team has been in Brooklyn for 10 seasons now and it’s not like they have an amazing legacy in New Jersey to carry over. I think Brooklyn wants to like this team, but it’s been a decade of dizzying highs and lows filled with impatience and bad decisions.
Personally, I like the Barclays Center. It’s a good place to watch a game, the arena is representative of the neighborhood, and the concessions are pretty good. It helps that I like the music they play during the action and throughout the game. If you’re not into rap, you might not share the same affinity as I do.
Regardless, it’s really early in the lifespan of the Nets. I hope they can figure out a good path at some point.
- What has Kyrie Irving done on his own? As he sat there and said after Game 4 “Individually, been recognized for my greatness, but at this point in my career, I really just want to be part of a great team,” I wondered what kind of greatness he’s really achieved.
He’s 12-13 in the playoffs without LeBron James. He’s been part of two series wins and three series losses without LeBron. He’s had some amazing series with LeBron by his side, and yes, he hit one of the biggest shots in NBA Finals history, but how long is he going to live off the LeBron shine?
Irving is given a lot of deference in the league. He’s a box office draw because he’s capable of spectacular things individually, but he’s switched teams twice post-LeBron, missed a ton of games, most of them by his own choice. He’s treated like a top-5 player when he’s simply not. In fact, without LeBron, Irving has just been a great offensive player who is otherwise unreliable.
- Jayson Tatum has been amazing in the second half of the season and playoffs. It makes me wonder if he’s just a slow starter or if the past two seasons have just been weird. I'm not ready to declare anything yet because Tatum has played a ton of basketball with little time off. I’d like to see him start figuring things out sooner, though.
- Where are the Marcus Smart haters? I need more of you to step up and take your medicine. And I say that not to crow about being right. I’m saying that because I’m desperate for more people to actually understand context and patience. Consider this a film session. I’m trying to point this out so we’re not seeing the same mistakes over and over.
We can do the same with Grant Williams. I’m on standby to see if we’ll do it with Aaron Nesmith a year from now.
