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I’ve been watching this basketball team for a long time and lived through it all. The era where I couldn’t comprehend what it would be like to win 40 games, the era where they finally got to the top of the mountain, and then this current era.
In all my years on earth, the Boston Celtics have played in 4 NBA Finals. That’s it. Well over 3 decades, 4 total Finals. This isn’t a case of LeBron making the Finals for 10 straight years. This isn’t a case of the Dynasty Warriors where they made it a shit ton of years in a row (yet). So before we do anything, we first have to appreciate and respect what a moment like this means. There are people who go their entire lives and never see their favorite team make it past the 2nd round. Nothing in this league is guaranteed, you need so much to go right, you need the talent, you need the luck, and you need the execution.
So it’s important to take a step back and appreciate what we’re watching. 6 ECFs in the last 7 seasons with 2 Finals trips and a great opportunity to secure the franchise’s 18th championship banner. That is not normal, that is not easy, but that is our reality. If the Celts were to cap this run off, not only do they instantly become one of the greatest teams in NBA history (not hyperbole, look it up), they also immediately become the team of the 2020s. Legacies are cemented.
Said another way, the Boston Celtics are 4 wins away from basketball immortality.
To be in this position via a sweep in the ECF, something that had not happened for the Celtics since 1986 (ya know, the greatest basketball team of all time), and to secure that sweep by winning 3 of the 4 games in clutch time situations was sneaky the cherry on top. That’s what we heard all year that the Celtics would come up short right? Clutch time playoff basketball. Sure they could blow people out, but when games got close, they would fall short. That’s what I was told all season and all playoff long.
Whoops.
Despite how this team is talked about in the media, despite how completely moronic the narratives and the discourse may be, the facts are the facts. The Celtics haven’t just been good this playoff run, they’ve been dominant.
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Now they get to add their 7’3 Latvian basketball cheat code to the mix too by the way. They did all that with Porzingis playing just 3 games, let’s not forget that.
The best part of ending this series in 4 games? Rest. With the Finals not starting until June 6th, Al gets another All Star break, KP gets even more time to rest, the Jays get to rest and reload, and the coaching staff has all the time in the world to prepare for whoever comes out of the West. It’s legitimately the best case scenario, I almost can’t even really believe it.
The Good
– This was probably the hardest spot to come up with in the entire blog. How do you choose? So many great performances last night, so many worthy candidates for the most coveted spot in sports media, at the end of the day I decided to not overthink it. Last night’s win was capped off by Jaylen Brown getting his much deserved flowers, so that respect will continue here in the blog
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Talk about a redemption arc. From the worst series of his life in 2023 to the best series of his life in 2024 and the Larry Bird trophy. All the slander, all the disrespect, all the jokes at his expense, what a moment for Jaylen Brown. He entered this year will all the pressure in the world given how last year ended and then his supermax extension, and he’s responded with the best overall season of his life. Was nails during the regular season as a main contributor to one of the best Celtics regular seasons ever, and he’s gone up a level in these playoffs, capping things off with the ECF MVP last night.
Remember what Jaylen first said when he got drafted
Having watched every dribble of Jaylen’s professional basketball career, from Summer League to the NBA Finals, this moment feels different. The growth he’s shown as a player since that moment in 2016, the highs, the lows and everything in between, last night’s performance and MVP nod was cathartic for everyone it felt like. For Jaylen, it was redemption. For us fans, it was validation in a way. To have been along for this journey since the beginning, seeing the Jays and specifically Jaylen be in this position is as surreal as it gets. While there is still more work to be done, do not overlook what we just witnessed.
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In terms of Jaylen’s on the court play in Game 4, it’s hard to really complain. He was efficient (11-22, 4-8), he rebounded well, his on AND off ball defense was tremendous with his 4 stocks, and he finished things off with the biggest block and biggest assist of his life. He was in control, playing with force but not reckless. When they needed big shots, Jaylen delivered. The 2 for 1 3PA to end the 3rd quarter, the corner 3PA down 9, the step-through floater in the final minutes to tie things at 102, the 4th quarter FTs. Speaking of those 4th quarter FTs, want to know what’s bizarre?
Jaylen is currently shooting 87.5% (23-26) from the FT line in the 4th quarter these playoffs. He was 6-6 in the ECF. For a guy who has been floating around the 60s overall these playoffs, talk about stepping up and knocking down the big ones.
It’s felt as though Jaylen has been on a mission all season, and his ECF performance was just the latest example. The Game 1 game winner, the Game 2 40 bomb, back to back elite road performances, a worthy MVP no doubt about it.
– If you are someone who believes that Jrue Holiday was a worthy candidate for the ECF MVP, you won’t hear too many complaints from me. The dominance of the Jays I feel like is somewhat expected. Not only are they generational talents, but they’ve also owned the IND matchup all year long.
What wasn’t really expected? This level of play from Jrue Holiday. Not just defensively where we know he’s elite, but on both ends of the floor
Look at those series averages!
Remember, this is a player that had lived with a sub 50% TS% in each of his last 3 postseason runs. There were real concerns about his offensive production heading into this run, and then once KP got hurt there was even more pressure on him to step things up and deliver offensively.
Jrue Holiday finished the ECF with a 73.4% TS%.
That is not a typo. That is real.
73.4%.
The 18.5 points a game were massive, the 59/42% splits were tremendous, and he did all this while only turning the ball over 1.5 times a game. Then on the other end, his defense put this team in the Finals. Whatever you thought the best-case scenario was when it came to Jrue Holiday’s play, what we saw in the ECF (and really ever since KP got hurt) was 100000x better. There’s answering the bell and stepping up in your role, and then there’s what Jrue Holiday did in this series with a spot in the Finals on the line.
For the second straight game, his late game decision making and execution on both ends of the floor put this team over the top. The AND1 drive against Siakam in Game 3, and then his late 4th quarter AND1 drive again in Game 4. Last night, it wasn’t so much about his playmaking as it was his scoring and rebounding (2nd on the team with 9). That’s the beauty of this roster, everyone 1-5 is capable of adapting their game and giving the Celts what they need in that moment. Sometimes it’s playmaking from the guards, sometimes it’s shooting, sometime’s it’s defense, sometimes it’s rebounding, sometimes it’s everything. To have a swiss army knife like Jrue and White is such a weapon and is ultimately the difference. Opposing teams simply do not have that type of two way impact on the perimeter.
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– We shouldn’t go too long without mentioning the play of the Celtics best player, Jayson Tatum. While he wasn’t the ECF MVP, he’s another guy that you could absolutely make the case was their most productive player during this series
We should NOT be overlooking 30/10/6 in an ECF. This is what makes the Tatum discourse so funny to me. He’s getting slandered and dragged for putting up 30/10/6 in a sweep. There is no other superstar in the league that has to deal with that shit. In fact, what we’re seeing from Jayson Tatum is about as historic as it gets
Last night was his 6th closeout performance in which he had at least 25/10/5, which is like the 5th most all time.
Tatum has been in the NBA for 7 seasons.
26/13/8 last night in his 43 minutes, just like with Jaylen we saw Tatum do just enough in the 4th quarter when things mattered most (7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, +8) to secure the win. Big time players make big time plays in big time moments, and that’s been the story of Tatum’s entire postseason career. Nobody has their name played around with more than Tatum, and yet here he is, back in the NBA Finals after another dominant postseason series.
Honestly, I think the MVP voting worked out perfectly. Jaylen deservedly got his recognition and trophy, and now it’s Tatum’s turn for redemption. Jaylen got it with his ECF MVP, now it’s time for Jayson to do it with the Finals MVP after his dogshit 2022 performance.
From a production and importance standpoint, Tatum will always be the top guy on this team. Denying that is silly. The fact that you look down and realize he just put up 30/10/6 in a playoff series with ease just reinforces what a special talent he is, despite what the national media narrative might be. For some, this guy stinks, has no aura, isn’t “that guy”. It’s all just laughable at this point.
– We knew back in October that Bald Derrick White was going to change out lives forever. It was pretty evident from the second we saw the first preseason game, and wouldn’t you know, it has carried on all the way through the regular season and into the NBA Finals
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How unique was Derrick’s Game 4? Well, I guess that all depends. I’d say pretty unique given the fact that we’ve never seen a player do what he did last night at any point in NBA history
8 STOCKS. That’s right, you read that correctly. I’ll remind you, Derrick White is a point guard.
It’s pretty simple, when Derrick White is aggressive and takes at least 12 shots, the Celtics do not lose. During the season, they were 28-6 when that happened. So far in these playoffs, the Celts are 9-0 when that happens. Time after time we’ve seen him make GIGANTIC late 4th quarter shots, and that final game winning three was the very definition of the Basketball Gods rewarding this team for good ball movement. Jaylen making the right play, Derrick shooting without hesitation, it was all perfect.
Aggressive Derrick is what changes everything. We saw it early when the Celts were building their initial lead, and we saw it late when it came time to finishing off the win. When he’s also giving you DPOY quality defense on the other end, it’s what makes things so devastating. You can’t relax offensively, you can’t relax defensively, and when the pressure it at its highest, Derrick has proven to be one of the best clutch shooters/players on the roster.
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– Speaking of clutch time, seems to me like the Celts are #actuallygood in these moments
If you’re more a numbers guy than a video guy, no worries,
This postseason, the Celts are 4-0 in clutch time games. Not bad! In those wins, we’re seeing them have a
129.3 ORTG
85.4 DRTG
+43.9 net rating
Dominant. That’s what that is. Last night the Pacers offense had a 44 ORTG in the clutch with their season on the line. That my friends, is fucking insane.
– Please stop whatever you are doing and listen to the Grande call. One of the true GOATs, I’ll warn you it gets pretty emotional
– Let us all say it together. Ready?
Al Horford forever.
– If we’ve said it once we’ve said it a thousand times. If you don’t defend, you die. Well, the Celts held a red hot shooting Pacers team to 102 points. They allowed just 19 points in the 4th quarter. They forced 14 TOs. When it came time to get stops, they held the Pacers scoreless over the final 3+ minutes of the game (7-0 close).
As big as some of the shots were, for me the reason the Celtics are in the NBA Finals right now is because of their defense. There’s a reason they say defense wins championships, because nothing else matters if you aren’t getting stops. To be able to lock in and get those stops when things matter most is the sign of a team that’s ready to get over the hump and win a title. I don’t care who is on the floor, the Pacers guards were incredible all series. But when it was time to shut that water off, the Celts defense found a way.
The Bad
– I’ll say this, the Celts are going to need a MUCH better bench showing in the Finals, regardless of who they play. Only 10 point last night, Hauser another tough 1-6 (1-5), Pritchard just 1-2, Tillman gave nothing really, at some point that group has to get back to the level we saw all year.
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I did find it a little surprising that Brissett and Kornet were both DNPs, and while there were things Hauser did well defensively, the shooting is legitimately tough to watch. You have to stick with rhythm shooters knowing they’ll snap out of it eventually, but these are wide open looks that Hauser isn’t even close on. For a guy who hasn’t missed like this all season, my brain is having a tough time accepting it.
– I’m pretty sure both Pacers and Celts fans are not thrilled with how this series was officiated. Payton Pritchard getting kicked in the face, nothing. TJ McConnell getting his face smashed in by Jaylen, nothing. Inconsistencies like you read about. It’s crazy the NBA can see this shit happen on the biggest stage and still not think there’s an issue when it comes to their officiating. It was awful for both sides in pretty much every game this series. Just a disaster class performance that the league won’t do a thing about.
– If there’s one thing the Celtics need to figure out over these next 10 days, it’s how to limit guards in the midrange/in the paint. The Pacers shot 58% on almost 18 midrange jumpers a game, and Nembhard/McConnell repeatedly got whatever they wanted. Life is going to be a tad different if those players are Luka/Kyrie, so that adjustment has to be figured out. Maybe it’s as simple as having KP back, but I wouldn’t put it all on that. You cannot let those guys get so many open looks from the paint, that is death.
– OK, we don’t need to force anything else, the Celtics are in the Finals after all.
The Ugly
– 7 in a row. See ya never.
So here we go. The expectations on this team were they at the very least make the NBA Finals, and here we are, in the NBA Finals. It wasn’t always pretty, it wasn’t without drama at times, but at the end of the day, the Celts didn’t play with their food and they put themselves in as good as a position as you could possibly have. Now, we wait. I think we all know it’s going to be the Mavs, with the only question being how much rest are they going to get? I’m hoping for at least 6 games. I need the Wolves to punch back, starting tonight.
We’re now about to enter the toughest part of this entire playoff journey, but we’ll worry about that in a week. For now, enjoy the moment. Appreciate the moment.
12 down, 4 to go.