Bobby Mushkin, @bmushkincourant
The Celtics entered week five of the NBA season coming off of an embarrassing defeat against their rival New York Knicks. The C’s had three games on tap for the week, two in Philadelphia against another rival in the 76ers, and one in Boston against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 76ers were only one game behind the Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference, and center Joel Embiid has been in the midst of an MVP caliber season. The 26 year old Cameroonian center went into Wednesday’s matchup with the Celtics averaging 26.1 points and 11 rebounds.
The 76ers looked for revenge against the team that swept them in the opening round of the 2020 playoffs. The Celtics went into the week hoping that all-star Jayson Tatum would be able to return to the lineup. They were going up against a high powered offense and really needed Tatum’s scoring lift. However, the 22 year old St. Louis native was unable to clear the health and safety protocols in time for the Wednesday tilt, so the Celtics were short-handed once again.
The matchup against Joel Embiid was going to be a tough one for the C’s, as they lack size at the center position. Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis are more power forwards then they are centers, and the Celtics do not have a player in their active rotation that is taller than 6 foot 9. Going up against a 7 foot 1 big man, with the mobility and shooting that Embiid has, is a tough task for a 6 foot 9 power forward. Nonetheless, the Celtics look to avenge their loss from Sunday with a big win in Philadelphia.
Wednesday 1/20 Celtics @ 76ers:
The ball was set to tip off at 7:45PM ET in Philadelphia, as the Celtics faced off against the 76ers. The first quarter began and Philadelphia started off on fire. Embiid was dominating the Celtics on the low block and Tobias Harris was knocking down every jumper he took. The 76ers were up 32-25 at the end of the first quarter.
But the second quarter was a different story, Kemba Walker came out firing on all cylinders, going 5-6 from the three point line in the first half. The Celtics shot the ball very well and came back to take a 3 point lead into halftime. The Celtics had a good third quarter as well, maintaining a lead over the 76ers. They went into quarter number four with a six point lead, despite a stellar performance from Joel Embiid. However, a 14-7 and a 17-6 fourth quarter run from the 76ers bolstered them to an eight point win over Boston.
The big discrepancy in this game was free throws. The Celtics shot 20 total free throws, and Embiid shot 21 on his own. In total, the 76ers hit 23 more free throws on 25 more attempts, in what was ultimately the deciding factor. The Celtics had a better shooting percentage, hit six more shots, three more three pointers, and had two more assists. Overall, the Celtics had a better offensive game than Philadelphia, but their defense killed them.
Nobody could guard Embiid, he went off for 42 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 63% from the field. The Celtics lost a game where their opponent didn’t beat them, they beat themselves. They were fouling way too much. Giving the other team 45 free throws in one game is a sign of being out of position and playing undisciplined defense. If they wanted to win on Friday, they were going to need to foul much less and play better team defense.
Friday 1/22 Celtics @ 76ers:
Friday’s game vs Philly brought another game without Jayson Tatum, and Celtics fans were really missing him. Much of the chatter around Boston was that if the Celtics had Tatum they would be winning these games handily. Whether or not that’s true, Tatum was out of the lineup. The players who were playing on Friday needed to go out there and get a win, with or without Tatum.
This time it was the Celtics getting off to a hot start, leading by 8 points after one quarter of play. Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker played well and led the offense to a 33 point output. In the second the 76ers responded, holding the Celtics to just 19 points. They scored 24 themselves, winning the second quarter. Once again, the Celtics headed into halftime with a 3 point lead.
But this time could they hold onto it? Unfortunately for Celtics fans, that answer is no. The Sixers outscored the Celtics 42-28 in the third, getting a huge performance from their bench players. Suddenly, that three point lead the Celtics held, had turned into an 11 point deficit. In the fourth quarter the Celtics responded with a run of their own, cutting the Sixer lead to just 3. But costly turnovers and an inability to get stops wound up being the deciding factor in this one. The 76ers took another win over the Celtics, this time by 12, 122-110.
Joel Embiid shredded the Celtics once again for 38 points. Jaylen Brown added an impressive 42 points in the loss. For the Celtics, they had reasons to be concerned. Were they down their best player? Yes. But the way they completely lose it on the defensive end of the floor in the second half is despicable. They had two leads going into halftime, and one lead going into the fourth, yet they were unable to hold onto them.
In the second game, they did a better job not fouling for three quarters of the game, but in the most important time, they fouled way too much and let Embiid dominate them. The Celtics seem to have a ton of energy when they play offense, but once it is time to play defense, that intensity goes way down. Brad Stevens expressed frustration after the game about the Celtics defense. He claimed that the Celtics need to recommit to having their defense be their identity. Three straight losses for the Celtics as they head back home to face Colin Sexton and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sunday 1/24 Cavaliers @ Celtics:
Sunday brought a home game for the Celtics against a Cavaliers team coming off two huge wins against a high powered Brooklyn Nets team. Colin Sexton, the point guard for the Cavs, is in the middle of a career year. He is averaging a career high 26 points per game and has been tearing up opposing defenses. The Cavs have three high energy, elite rebounding centers in Andre Drummond, Jarrett Allen, and Javale Mcgee. The Celtics will need a total team rebounding effort if they want to keep the Cavs off the offensive glass.
The game tipped off at 7:00PM ET, and the Celtics got out to a fast start. They had their best first quarter scoring the ball of the young season, exploding for 38 points. They played solid defense as well, holding the Cavs to just 21 points. They took a 38-21 lead into the second quarter. The second quarter was closer, the Celtics only winning the quarter by 5 points. The score was 73-51 heading into halftime. The third quarter was more of the same, the Celtics putting up 41 points to the Cavs 27. The Celtics lead 114-78 after three. At the end of the game, the Celtics won big 141-103.
Jaylen Brown set a NBA record for the most points scored in less than 20 minutes, scoring 33 points in just 19 minutes of play. The Celtics competed on both ends of the floor, having their best offensive output of the season yet also holding the Cavs to just 40% shooting. This was a great bounce back win for the Celtics who were struggling during a three game skid. They needed to build some confidence, especially on the defensive end of the court. It was a great win, but the C’s have a quick turn around, they travel to Chicago Monday night to face off against the Bulls.
This week in review:
Overall, it was an alright week for the Celtics. They came into the week 8-4, sitting atop the East standings. They now sit at 9-6, going 1-2 this week. The two losses they suffered at the hands of the Sixers were bad losses, the Celtics blew leads and played awful defense. But at the same time, they were down their best player against a top 4 team in the conference. With Tatum, the games would’ve been a lot different, the Celtics would have had a much better chance of winning. Tatum adds an extra 27 points to the Celtics offense and he makes the players around him better. With Tatum, the Celtics are a completely different team.
He’s not just a great offensive player, but he is a very good defender. So while they lost, without Tatum playing, we won’t know who’s really the better team. Moving past their losses, their Sunday night win over Cleveland was huge for the team. When you lose three in a row, sometimes your confidence can falter, especially with the defensive efforts from Boston. They came out Sunday night and blew Cleveland out of the gym. It was a truly impressive performance from the whole team and a game they needed to win. It was a great way to end a not-so-great week.
Concerns:
After watching the Celtics lose to the 76ers twice this week, I think there are two main concerns to draw from those games. Number one, the lack of size on the Celtics roster. This offseason, Danny Ainge signed Tristan Thompson to come in and play center for the Celtics. But Thompson is only 6 foot 9, undersized for even a power forward. Joel Embiid exposed the Celtics size on Wednesday and Friday, overpowering both Theis and Thompson in the paint.
On Wednesday, both forwards had 5 fouls on Embiid. They straight up cannot guard Joel Embiid. Now the good thing for the Celtics is that there aren’t many centers like him in the league, in fact he is the only one that will present them with this problem. But the issue is, they might face him in the playoffs, and if he tears them apart like he did last week, the Celtics aren’t going to last long. It might be smart for the Celtics to bring in some more size to compete with Embiid. Having a rim protector would help their defense and rebounding. A guy like Myles Turner sticks out, he leads the league in blocks, he is young, and he can bang around with Embiid. Might be a good idea to look at the trade market for a guy like Turner.
The second concern, and quite frankly the worse concern, is the Celtics defense in this 2021 campaign. Last season, the Celtics were built on the strength of their defense. They were 2nd in opponent field goals made, 4th in opponent field goal percentage, 2nd in opponent three point percentage, and 2nd in opponent points per game. They were truly an elite defensive team and that was how they won a lot of games. They weren’t the most efficient offensive team, but they locked down on defense. Defense has been the identity of the Celtics since Brad Stevens took over 8 years ago, but this year they have taken significant strides backward.
And a lot of that has to do with effort and willingness to compete every possession. The Celtics are 18th in opponent field goal percentage, 17th in defensive rating, and 14th in points per game, allowing 110.4 points per game. The Celtics haven’t allowed over 110 points per game in ten years. Brad Stevens has said on many occasions that he needs his team to recommit to being great defensively. Stevens has highlighted the lack of effort on the defensive end and the poor decision making. It’s hard to wrap your head around what is going on with the Celtics defense. They have been so good for so long, they didn’t lose many key defenders, it is truly a mystery. It goes to show you how far effort and competitiveness go in the NBA. The Celtics are scoring a fair amount of points, more than they have in previous years. If they turn up the heat on the defensive side of the ball, they can be an elite team.
Bright spots:
This wasn’t a week filled with bright spots for Boston, losing consecutively to a rival is never something you’re pleased with. However the game against Cleveland is a bright spot in itself. That was the best performance the Celtics have had all season long, so hopefully they can build off of it. Kemba Walker appears to be completely healthy, a huge bright spot in the eyes of anyone supporting the C’s. He played very well in limited minutes this week. Additionally, Jayson Tatum’s long awaited return to the lineup will come Monday night in Chicago. Tatum has finally cleared the health and safety protocols and will suit up and play against the Bulls.
This is an important week for Boston, how they respond to adversity will help us determine what kind of team they really are.
