After the Boston Celtics walloped the Chicago Bulls last week, my entire column was about a disappointing second half. How the Celtics weren't good enough. How Celtics basketball somehow disappeared.
It was a win. A resounding win. But something didn't sit right. Missed layups, missed passes, and missed rotations turned into easy opportunities for the Bulls. So, I wrote accordingly.
Sometimes, the game's result shouldn't dictate the overall takeaway. Just as I detailed my thoughts based on the Celtics' process against the Bulls, I want to do the same for their 1-1 back-to-back against the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets.
Optimism. That's what I'm leaving Boston's two-game roadstand with. It proved something the Celtics of old never really had (not consistently, at least): The ability to win when shots aren't falling.
Boston has won that way before. There have been gritty wins and ugly performances in which the shots haven't fallen, and the Celtics still win. But this year feels different.
When the threes aren't falling, Jayson Tatum is taking the ball inside. He's forcing his way to the free-throw line. When the middies and layups stop going down, too, the Celtics are crashing the glass. They're forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. And they're doing it consistently.
That's how they weathered the storm on Sunday against the Magic. As Desmond Bane and Tristan Da Silva rained down threes -- and Boston couldn't buy one -- the Celtics scrapped and clawed their way into a winnable position.
Five offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone. Eight Magic turnovers. Boston shot 1-of-11 from deep and was still up 24-23 after the first quarter. It was textbook 'win with the little things' basketball.
By the end of the night, the shots began to fall a bit more. The Celtics found some semblance of a rhythm. And Tatum's insistence on getting himself to the free-throw line kept the Celtics not only alive, but in the lead.
The same was happening on Monday against the Rockets. Boston shot 3-of-11 in the first quarter, but they also held the Rockets to 3-of-10 shooting. The Celtics tied the quarter 29-29. Then turnovers and offensive-creation problems caught up to the Celtics in the second frame. They lost that one by nine.
So, Joe Mazzulla tried something unconventional. He ran a double-big lineup with Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson to open the second half. Queta looked great.
He had more room to run around and cause chaos. He grabbed offensive rebounds, hustled all over the floor, and even nailed a corner three. It brought Boston right back into the game.
Even as the third quarter went on, despite a 2-of-9 shooting performance from deep, three forced turnovers and nine points off eight Houston turnovers kept the Celtics alive. They were fighting. Doing everything possible to stay in the ballgame.
Unfortunately, the Rockets are better than the Magic. They have better players. And without the additional creation of George -- which carried the Celtics in the fourth quarter in Orlando -- Boston's offense couldn't hold up.
A flurry of threes from Marcus Smart and Reed Sheppard opened the floodgates and turned what was a pretty close contest into a blowout. Houston eventually won by 16 points, but that's not indicative of the Celtics' process.
Now, there were certainly plenty of concerns to take away from the Rockets game. Robinson still looks completely drained. Boston is better with any other big on the court. Garza should be earning more minutes right now.
Payton Pritchard's lack of