Celtics
The Celtics made historical past on Friday, scoring probably the most 3-pointers by a group in an NBA common season.
Jaylen Brown dropped 31 factors and helped spark the Celtics to a dominant 123-103 bounce-back win over the Suns on Friday.
Listed below are the takeaways.
Jaylen Brown didn’t look wholesome, however he did look nice.
A lot has been made (together with on this house!) over the previous couple of days about Jaylen Brown’s knee, which he admitted after the Celtics’ loss to the Warmth on Wednesday has been bothering him. When a reporter requested him whether or not it’s one thing that he can injury additional by enjoying on it, he gave a noncommittal reply and moved on, which is regarding to listen to from a star participant roughly two weeks earlier than the playoffs start.
On Friday, Brown didn’t look fully wholesome – he was shifting a bit of gingerly, and at one level, he hit the brakes exhausting chasing a free ball and spent the following minute or so favoring his balky knee.
However Brown did present why even when he isn’t fully wholesome, he’s nonetheless a vital a part of this group so long as he can keep on the ground. Brown scored 31 factors on hyper-efficient 10-for-16 capturing, which included three triples. The Suns didn’t have a solution for Brown defensively (to be honest, they didn’t have a solution for something the Celtics did offensively, but it surely was particularly stark in opposition to Brown), and Brown bought wherever and no matter he wished.
“It’s humorous as a result of he was on the sport at this time, however earlier than the sport, I used to be watching some Paul Pierce footage, simply attending to your spots, enjoying at a sure tempo,” Brown mentioned. “And at this time I felt like I didn’t have my regular burst, however I used to be nonetheless in a position to be efficient. So I believe that’s good.
“As we proceed to maneuver ahead, I’m hoping to really feel higher and higher. However there’s no assure that relaxation or something like that’s going to make this factor higher, so sort of figuring it out and going via it and preparing for the playoffs.”
Brown is, after all, an elite athlete, however he’s additionally a extremely good basketball participant. When his athleticism isn’t at its peak explosiveness, he can nonetheless do lots to assist a group win video games, which is what the Celtics really want from him this upcoming postseason.
“Issues will get higher, I’m certain, but when they don’t, I nonetheless have an excellent really feel for the place my baseline is at and stuff like that,” Brown mentioned. “As a result of there’s no assure, actually, that relaxation goes to make something higher. I want it could, but it surely’s sort of the playing cards which are laid out.”
Brown hit a fully ridiculous shot.
Halfway via the primary quarter, the Celtics pieced collectively a nasty possession, and with 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Brown bought the ball poked away by Bradley Beal. Extra casually than the shot clock felt prefer it known as for, Brown meandered after the ball and tracked it down. After a look on the shot clock, he hoisted a skyscraper of a 3-pointer from simply inside halfcourt.
It banked in.
Brown’s good-natured response – a giant grin acknowledging the absurdity of the shot – was humorous as effectively.
The Celtics made historical past (and it’s precisely what you suppose).
With a 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing early within the second quarter, Kristaps Porzingis tied the Celtics for probably the most 3-pointers by a group in an NBA common season.
A minute later, Payton Pritchard pulled up in transition for a deep triple and buried the 3-pointer that boosted the 2024-25 Celtics to historic heights.
The NBA media has spent seemingly limitless quantities of air time – and seemingly an countless variety of phrases – speaking and writing about the issue of the 3-point shot, and the way it has revolutionized the sport.
The Celtics are fairly often the instance used to make their level, which frankly feels a bit of foolish since – a minimum of for now – the Celtics are an outlier, not a sneak peek on the future. What number of groups within the NBA can play 5 out in addition to the Celtics? What number of groups have a 7-foot-2 heart who can shoot from 28 ft? What number of have two stars who can capably shoot from deep who’re additionally surrounded by shooters that they will spray the ball out to once they collapse the protection? What number of groups have stars like Tatum and Brown who’re such keen passers, and what number of are as keen to make the additional go and discover a teammate? What number of have bench gamers like Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, who – for opponents – are panic-inducingly good shooters?
The reply, after all, is none. There aren’t any groups just like the Celtics, which is a part of what makes all of the hand-wringing a bit of foolish.
What additionally makes the hand-wringing foolish is the very fact the Celtics generate their 3-pointers in such an aesthetically pleasing manner. This isn’t the 2017 Rockets working James Harden via countless pick-and-rolls and isolation units (and even when it was, the Rockets had been constructed across the singular abilities of Harden – there are only a few gamers who can do what he did). The Celtics transfer the ball and discover shooters. Their 3-pointers are a product of ball motion and unselfishness, two beliefs that each youth coach tries to show to youngsters.
“S—, we bought a extremely good group, gifted group of men,” Tatum mentioned. “We play to our strengths, everyone, for probably the most half, can house the ground and is a risk behind the road. Credit score to guys for engaged on their sport and that’s what makes us particular.”
The Celtics shoot a variety of 3-pointers as a result of they’re constructed to shoot a variety of 3-pointers. They make a ton of them. Cease them in case you can.
Kristaps Porzingis bought popped.
Porzingis, who performed effectively in simply 23 minutes, took a nasty elbow to the nostril early within the fourth quarter and went down exhausting. When he bought up, his nostril was bleeding profusely, and he required stitches.
As he tends to do, Porzingis performed the second up with the gang – with the reduce on his nostril pouring blood, he flexed at his teammates, then held his fingers up for a roaring TD Backyard crowd, as followers patted him on his again on the way in which to the locker room.
Different gamers is likely to be extra out there than Porzingis, and different gamers could also be having a extra productive season, however no one is having extra enjoyable than Porzingis, and that counts for one thing too.
Porzingis completed with 15 factors and 4 rebounds.
An off night time for Eddie Paladino.
As a considerably amusing apart, Porzingis was whistled for a foul on the play, which the Celtics challenged and received. Within the first of two errors on the night, TD Backyard announcer Eddie Paladino introduced that it was an unsuccessful problem earlier than correcting himself to say that it WAS a profitable problem, which drew a giant cheer from the gang.
The second correction was funnier: A couple of minute later, Paladino introduced that Derrick White had acquired a technical, when truly the technical had been assessed to Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.
White’s response was gold.
The technical would have been the second of White’s eight-year profession.
“I imply, I’m no stranger to getting techs. D-White has by no means bought a tech since he’s been within the league,” Tatum mentioned. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever seen the reference in The Longest Yard and once they was doing the recruiting and Chris Rock was like, ‘Man, I bought half a star.’
So I instructed D-White like, ‘You’ve bought to get one tech and get your road cred up.’ So I bought excited once I thought he bought a tech. I sort of campaigned for him to get one sooner or later. So we’ll see.”
Luke Kornet tried to finish everybody.
After Porzingis left the sport bloodied, Luke Kornet all of a sudden performed like a person possessed – for 3 straight possessions, he tried to dunk all around the Suns. Sadly for Kornet, not one of the dunks went in, however he did earn some free throws out of it, and he was a extremely entertaining subplot in a sport that was useless for many of the second half.
Kornet completed with 12 factors and 4 offensive rebounds in quarter-hour.
The Celtics had their entire rotation out there.
With the playoffs approaching, the Celtics lastly had a possibility to play their actual rotation – albeit a barely shorter one, since Porzingis needed to go away the sport for stitches.
Nonetheless, the Celtics have finished an excellent job preserving everybody for the postseason as greatest they will, and they need to be capable to see that full-strength rotation extra usually.
“Simply get pleasure from it,” Tatum mentioned. “It hasn’t occurred lots, however I believe it’s going to occur much more developing. So simply get pleasure from it. It’s a lot enjoyable and we play with a lot pleasure on a regular basis, however particularly when everyone’s wholesome. You’ll be able to see it from the starters to the blokes off the bench to the reactions from the blokes on the bench. We’re simply on the market having a variety of enjoyable.”
The tip is in sight.
The Celtics have 5 regular-season video games remaining, beginning with Sunday’s matchup with the Wizards at 6 p.m. After that, they face the Knicks and Magic on a back-to-back earlier than closing their season with consecutive video games in opposition to the Hornets at TD Backyard subsequent week Friday and Sunday.
The playoffs are virtually right here.
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