Shoot your shot: 10 Takeaways from Boston Celtics – New Orleans Pelicans

1. We (he) did iiiiii…it!

That was massive time.

Jayson Tatum’s struggles with that precise sort of shot have been well-documented, and for me personally, it’s gotten to the purpose the place I don’t actually assume that 20-odd foot fadeaway goes in. However Tatum delivered, nailing this 21-footer with two guys closing out. And it was superb.

Sport-winners are an odd artwork. On one hand, I’d love if the Celtics ran the best set play of all time to get a large open shot for any of their 5 starters. However on the opposite, I’d a lot relatively have Jayson Tatum miss a sport winner than anybody else, as a result of that’s his duty and likewise his burden.

On some stage, and possibly lots of ranges, it’s a must to stay and die along with your greatest participant within the greatest moments. Even when it’s not the perfect shot… there are good causes he retains taking them. He’s the perfect man Boston has, and it’s a shot I — and clearly the Celtics as effectively — have realized to stay with. As a result of typically, it’s fairly sick.

2. Jaylen Brown’s easy execution

It received misplaced within the precise sport winner, however Jaylen Brown hit a lowkey sport winner roughly 30 seconds earlier.

This doesn’t appear to be that difficult a shot, however it’s an instance of the kind of late-game execution the Celtics have been missing recently. Brown sees the house afforded to him by three non-committal defenders, and assaults it instantly, attending to his spot with none hesitation.

The final month and alter of Celtics basketball has been stuffed with indecision and inconsistency. But irrespective of how a lot of a lead Boston needs they’d within the ultimate seconds, wins and losses will at all times come all the way down to these kinds of pictures; discover what works, and go to it time and again. That’s what’s going to get this staff out of their funk

3. Dejounte Murray’s harm and a very robust Pelicans season

Dejounte Murray, the Pelicans’ massive free agent acquisition and most followers’ preseason reason-to-care-about-an-other-wise-unchanged-roster, suffered his second and ultimate main harm of the 2024-25 marketing campaign, tearing his Achilles and endnoting a very, actually tough Pelicans season.

Each staff struggles due to accidents, however typically the NBA produces a staff so cursed that it results in an total downward spiral and to a document that, actually, simply doesn’t make sense. The Pelicans at the moment are 12-37, don’t have a snowball’s probability in a Louisiana summer time of creating even within the Play-In and will need to tear issues down on the commerce deadline. And so they simply misplaced one among their greatest gamers, no less than on paper, to a season ending harm. Jeez.

For this reason, in sports activities, “Championship Home windows” are type of a fable. Everybody’s window opens when the season begins and closes once they get eradicated. You don’t essentially ever get one other crack at it, and the Pelicans hoping that issues would enhance naturally has been met with tragedy and entropy. It’s a merciless league.

4. Kristaps Porzingis: stat sheet stuffer

Did anybody even discover that Kristaps Porzingis was one block and two steals away from a “5×5 sport” — which means 5 or extra in 5 stats; blocks, steals, assists, rebounds, and factors. The final individual to drag that off was Victor Wembanyama, and Porzingis stuffed up the stat sheet with an total superior sport. Good things.

Everybody from time to time, it’s good to remind ourselves that Porzingis is able to issues that different gamers simply aren’t. He’s so tall but so dextrous, and sneakily artful as a fringe defender with good instincts albeit actually lackluster footspeed. Had Zion Williamson performed and introduced his bodily traits towards Porzingis in switches, it might have been a special story. However no one on this roster made him work, and he was free to wreak havoc to his coronary heart’s content material.

5. Can we please get a rebound?

Right here’s the primary solution to lose a basketball sport you’re imagined to win: get crushed on the boards.

It wasn’t overwhelming, however the Pelicans have been +13 on Boston within the rebounding column, a regarding notice given they’re lifeless final in most rebounding classes on the season. But it surely’s not even like Boston is getting abused by rebounding titans like Domantas Sabonis or Anthony Davis (although they’re additionally getting that-ed by these folks) — they’re additionally simply giving up free lunch like this.

Should you give Boston a 50 p.c probability of scoring on the subsequent possession, a lot of these offensive rebounds are, every, roughly a 3.5 level swing. In a sport determined by two factors within the ultimate 0.2 seconds, these sorts of issues can’t occur. But it surely’s definitely been taking place recently…

The Celtics are fairly torpid going into the All-Star break. It’s comprehensible, and I’m not at my greatest 24/7/365 both. However these rebounds are about snapping out of your trance and conserving your eye on the ball. They only have to lock in. Fortunately, that’s a comparatively simple repair.

6. Derrick White, accumulator

White is slowly however absolutely ascending into the Licensed Level Accumulator tier of the NBA participant social scene, typically racking up random buckets and free throws that I merely don’t bear in mind him taking all through a sport. That’s as a result of he’s grow to be such a giant a part of the offense that I don’t blink when he makes a shot. That’s what’s imagined to occur.

White had 16 factors on solely 9 pictures final evening, which is nice effectivity and precisely the type of factor Boston wants from him going ahead. Seeing each he and Brown have stable taking pictures nights from three can also be nice, and so they lacked the trademark “Extremely-Bricks” that they’ve been placing up recently; pictures that don’t actually have a probability of stepping into.

I’m monitoring who White will probably be for this staff going into the stretch run. I nonetheless assume Jrue Vacation is a extra vital participant on stability, however White is a barely extra dynamic scorer. If he can rating in bunches, that’s going to take a world of duty off of Payton Pritchard’s shoulders. Which is nice for everybody concerned.

7. Two Pelicans Video games, two absolute nail-biters

When later generations search for “Celtics v. Pelicans year-by-year document” on the supercomputer AI search engine of the longer term, they may see 2024-25 recorded as a crisp 2-0 for the defending champs. Nothing in any respect to see right here…

These two wins have been recorded by an equally-crisp three whole factors, which seems unhealthy towards a banged up staff that may’t appear to win any basketball video games. However whereas the primary sport was a win that felt like a loss, this was a win that really felt like a stable victory. It was shut, however that was largely a perform of Takeaway #8’s otherworldly antics from past the arc. There was loads to love there, and I give Boston a 7/10 for his or her final week of hoops, means up from the three/10 that was the three weeks earlier than that.

8. What within the Trey Murphy III was that

I like Trey Murphy III. The man was so underrated as a shot creator final 12 months, though apparently not by his personal staff that gave him a fairly superior 4 12 months, $112 million contract, which could appear to be a steal by the top of this season. My man can hoop, and he virtually value the Celtics a sport they’d firmly in hand by hitting that type of shot each time they have been about to shut issues out.

Murphy III dropped 40 factors on solely 20 pictures and 8-12 from three and solely three whole free throws. That’s like… fictional effectivity in a world the place most 40 bombs come from the mental disciples of prime James Harden, the place 40-odd pictures and 20 free throws is commonplace.

If we’re going by New Orleans’ roster, is Trey Murphy III the perfect asset on the staff now? Is Zion Williamson truly extra invaluable as of late, together with his contract and the easy incontrovertible fact that he doesn’t actually play all that a lot basketball? Murphy III is at worst a super-duper shut second, and I’d enterprise to say the Pelicans would relatively preserve him than Williamson. It’s a terrific story for a man most thought would simply be a premium 3-and-D dunker. He’s means higher than that.

9. Six extra video games till respite. Lock in

It’s not stunning that the Celtics are drained after, like… their sixth tremendous lengthy season in a row, with this ultimate one ending on the final sport of the season. However there’s solely six video games till the All-Star break, and one very-important Cleveland Cavaliers sport that I might love Boston to make use of to take the Jap Convention mantle again. So it’s time to lock in.

If Boston can journey the truth that Tatum lastly made a sport winner and sweep these final six video games — which they’re completely able to doing — they’ll be the discuss of the city going into the league’s obligatory relaxation interval, and make groups that felt daring cower in concern of the reigning champions.

I wager this final week and alter gained’t go common; it’ll most likely go actually nice or completely horribly, and we’ll all have completely enjoyable or completely unfun conversations whereas Brown and Tatum are within the ASG. I’ll cross my fingers it’s the previous.

10. The place does this staff stand?

Boston was in a rut, however now they’re simply in mile 12 of the half-marathon that’s the first half of the season. Certain, they need to run one other half-marathon proper after the break, however they’ll get some water and electrolytes earlier than persevering with. It’s not DEFCON 1, however I nonetheless have a number of questions.

Are the Celtics the favorites to win the East proper now? In all probability, although the Cavaliers have made it extra attention-grabbing than I believed they’d. However who is definitely taking Cleveland in a collection towards Boston? You? Do you need to?

Are they the favorites to win all of it proper now? In all probability not. I’m not saying they gained’t be by the point we hit April, however the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder appear prohibitively good for the time being, displaying the type of dominance that we used to indicate final season. Is that going to encourage Boston to get again to that stage? Or will they simply file OKC within the “Western Convention issues we don’t want to consider” cupboard?

This staff is clearly good, however I’m nonetheless not offered on them being adequate. I do know they are often, and I don’t assume they’re lacking something important. All of it feels very psychological, and I’m cautiously optimistic they’re beginning to flip the nook again to what we have been all used to: elite Celtics basketball.