Picks 'n Pops: Feeln' fine, smilin' Joe Mazzulla, and just tank, Philly

Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I keep getting snubbed for the All-Star celebrity game. 

- The All-Star break is here, and it’s another opportunity for me to say I'm not concerned about the Celtics. 

But more than them winning seven of eight games and 10 of 13, I believe what I say because I just don’t see the things that should be concerning. 

And trust me, I’m looking. My job is to look as closely as possible to find cracks in the code. There's a whole team of beat writers out there working for different outlets and one of us would love to be the one who sees things differently and rings the alarms. 

Here’s how I evaluate things: When I go to the game film repeatedly over a season, I look for whether a team is capable of executing the game plan. The Celtics have repeatedly shown they can do all the things asked of them on both ends. They have had plenty of games where they do it well. 

So in games when they don’t do x, y, or z, it’s a matter of figuring out why. Sometimes it’s confusion over what the play call was, sometimes it’s not adjusting to the matchups like they should, and sometimes it’s just laziness. 

The confusion and adjusting is handled in-game and during film sessions. I haven't seen much of that linger. The laziness has been an issue on defense for too many games, and we’ve seen that get cleaned up lately. 

I’d like to think I’m generally a positive person, so I know I have a tendency to fall on that side if it’s a 50/50 situation, but I also prioritize accepting reality.

The reality is that the Celtics are going to be right there again with a great chance to win a championship. The rest of the NBA is also a bit better, so it’s going to be harder. But the Celtics are in a good spot with their best basketball ahead of them. I like where they are. 

- Daniel Theis has decided to play for AS Monaco instead of bouncing around the end of NBA benches. What a shame that he’s leaving the NBA to live and work in one of the most beautiful regions of the world. Man, I feel so bad that he has to play basketball for a living in a playground for the rich, steps away from the Mediterranean. 

- Sam Hauser had no choice but to hit this shot after Kristaps Porzingis made that pass to Al Horford.

- This is a fun moment between Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla

That look on Mazzulla’s face is rarely seen by the media. That's one of the most aggressive smiles I’ve seen. I think he’s done that maybe once with us. 

Hard not to take that personally. 

- The Brown interview with Chris Mannix in Sports Illustrated is an interesting read. I don’t want to give it away, but also I don’t want to just clip a quote without proper context. So here’s a passage that's really interesting to me:

SI: You have gone through a lot in Boston. Your selection was booed on draft night. You’ve been in trade talks almost every year. How challenging has that been? 

JB: Very, very challenging, to be honest. Things have not gone my way. I haven’t been catered to, in a sense, which has made me stronger. I think it has made me a better player, has driven me. I can complain, but in reality, it made me the best. So I’m grateful for it. Even if it was indirect, I know that it wasn’t intentional. It is what it is. It made me better. I know there were a lot of people who didn’t believe I would be in the position I am now. Some were in this building, some are no longer here, but I am. So I’m grateful, that’s how I would describe it. 

SI: Sounds like you’ve used a lot of that skepticism as fuel over the years. 

JB: Yeah, and I still do. I still think I have ceilings to reach. I don’t feel like I’ve reached my ceiling. I still feel like there are things that I am still developing and I’m still working through with this organization, but it’s no problem. And this is what I want the youth to hear. There’s nothing wrong with being a part of a team and being a part of something bigger than yourself. Winning the championship was one of my goals and it brought me so much joy to be a part of that. I would just say there’s no problem with being that. 

I’ve made sacrifices. I’ve watched things happen. A lot of stuff has transpired in this organization and I’ve understood it. I didn’t complain—I didn’t have an agent call and complain the way some of other guys do. I just let it make me better, and it fueled me and it’s still fueling me now. So this is just a beginning for me. And I’m so invested in learning. I’m so invested in getting better and improving. It is fun to do. It’s fun to do.

Brown is saying a lot without giving any details. It really makes me wonder a few things: 

• How hasn’t he been catered to?

• What’s he still working through with the Celtics?

• What has transpired that has led to a player’s agent calling to complain, and what is he not complaining about?

Brown carries himself with a chip on his shoulder. I don’t think he feels understood by the outside world. Maybe that's what’s driven him to take immense strides over his career.

You can throw me into that group of people who didn’t think he’d be here. I didn’t think he’d be this good. But it’s a credit to him that he’s become this level of player. 

Brown certainly has a lot of valid reasons to feel like he’s always fighting against something. But I hope that within that, he can find the time to appreciate what he’s done and soak in a lot of the acceptance he’s gained as a player. 

- One thing I appreciate about Mazzulla is he is always trying to learn. 

Maybe you don’t like the conclusions he’s come to, and there's always room for debate when it comes to strategic stuff, but everything he’s doing is researched and well-reasoned. There's some “feel” stuff in there too, but even that is born from reasoning. 

It’s like a chef with a recipe. He’ll occasionally decide it needs more seasoning here and there based on the taste, but the recipe itself is the product of a lot of work.

- I can’t believe how tired Victor Wembanyama looked against the Celtics. He was exhausted. Porzingis said that was part of the plan. 

“We had a game plan we wanted to do … We tried to make him a little bit tired and I think it worked toward the end,” Porzingis said, but then added a compliment. “He’s going to be a force for a long, long time in this league, and I wish him all the best.”

The Spurs are very much in figure-it-out mode with him, but they will get there. 

- Luke Kornet getting his flowers has been fun. Here’s Jayson Tatum’s full quote on Kornet after the Spurs game.

“Yeah, Luke is one of the best teammates that you can have. Extremely selfless guy, always talking, never has a bad day, extremely funny. He's always cracking jokes, and in some serious moments. It could be in the middle of a game, in the locker room, always on the bus and on the plane. Obviously, what he brings on the court, he's been playing extremely well lately, being extremely physical, getting second-, third-chance offensive rebounds. The way he started that game in New York with protecting the rim just kind of set the tone for us. His ability to set screens and catch the ball in the seam and find the kickout. He just unlocks some things for us that maybe some other people don't notice, but he's a huge part of our team and a big part of our success."

Kornet started slow this season but he’s really been an important player for the Celtics. It’s nice to have a guy who doesn’t need the ball on the floor with all these guys who can score. He does all the connective tissue things without needing a play run for him. Teams like Boston need that. 

- Paul George has been getting injections just so he can play regular-season games?

No wonder the Clippers moved on from him. 

The Sixers are toast. Between this and Joel Embiid saying he might need another knee surgery, just forget it, Philly. 

Look, the Eagles just gave you the pass you need. The city is going to be drunk for the next eight months. Embiid can probably rob a couple of WaWas and it won’t even make the news. Just sit everyone, let them get their surgeries now so they can be healed in time for the preseason, and start fresh next season. 

Seriously, this is your best chance, 76ers. Next season is your last shot at this. 

- Ime Udoka benched his starters for giving no effort in a getaway game. There are some teams that can get away with that, but not a team as young as Houston, especially not after they’d just snapped a six-game losing streak. 

- NBA.com’s MVP ladder still has Nikola Jokic second

I don’t know what the voters are going to say, but I’ll just repeat myself: 

Awards voters have an obligation to reflect on what’s really happening in a season, not get caught up in narratives or be “bored” with voting for someone. If a voter is bored with the process, he or she can give up the vote and let someone more serious in. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP-worthy season, but Jokic his having one of the best seasons in league history. And if a voter can’t vote for that, then the voter should be exposed for it. It’s not your job to be sick of a storyline. The story is the story, and Jokic remains the story. 

- Jayson Tatum’s last three games: 35 points, 49.4% fg (37.5% 3pt), 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1 turnover, +12

He’s had some absolutely dominant stretches, the Celtics have won three games, and he backed up his words about playing well at home. 

Sounds like Best Week Ever material to me. 

- This week’s Bing AI-generated image: Vacation time

Straight from the locker room to the plane. And if you think I'm kidding, Porzingis as posting beach photos on his Instagram story before I woke up yesterday morning. These guys were READY for the break.

- Here’s my latest podcast, if you’re bored: