The Boston Celtics acquired some shock reinforcements on Monday night time in opposition to the Los Angeles Clippers when Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut notably sooner than had been beforehand anticipated. Porzingis’ return was a triumphant one, as he acquitted himself properly in his first recreation motion because the NBA Finals and the Celtics smothered the Clippers 126-94, however one small footnote nonetheless evaded this workforce — Al Horford sat out the second finish of a back-to-back, depriving us of the chance to see the workforce at full energy for the primary time this season.
We needed to wait 4 days to get our want. Horford returned to the court docket in opposition to the Chicago Bulls, and the Celtics fielded their complete ostensible playoff rotation — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Horford — collectively on the identical time. This was the squad that performed the vast majority of the minutes within the clinching Sport 5 of the NBA Finals (we’ll rely Pritchard’s one-minute-and-some-change), making their collective season debut.
So, with all that in thoughts, how did they really fare? The reply is a little bit of a combined bag.
We will begin with the great: the Boston offense has seemed like a world-beater all season, and so they leveled up in opposition to Chicago. For the umpteenth time this season, it seemed just like the NBA single-game three-pointer document was at risk of falling — they completed with 23 makes this time. Tatum scored a ludicrously environment friendly 35 factors (12-of-18 capturing), Porzingis tacked on 21 and Payton Pritchard continued his Sixth Man of the 12 months marketing campaign with 29 and 7 made three-pointers.
The Celtics can merely beat defenses in any means that they need, and Porzingis’ return has solely amplified that high quality. For all of the handwringing about their large three-point charges, they continue to be one of the vital efficient groups on the rim within the league. They entered tonight’s recreation capturing 67% inside 5 ft of the basket, sixth-best in basketball and only a level shy of final yr’s 68% (second-best). Including a 7-foot-3 strolling put up mismatch into the combination is simply going to drive that quantity increased. He’s already been as much as his traditional tips, offering a cheat button the Celtics can hit at any level when they should generate a simple look contained in the arc.
And, sure, the Celtics take a whole lot of threes. Individuals can complain as a lot as they’d like, however given how good they’re at capturing them, it’s troublesome to argue they need to be doing the rest. After tying the NBA document for made threes of their season opener in opposition to the Knicks (and shamelessly, hilariously failing to interrupt the document in rubbish time), any given night time looks like it may very well be the one the place they lastly topple it. Porzingis returning to the fray solely makes that edge extra comical. The KP pick-and-pop is likely one of the handiest spam performs in basketball.
For those who’re going to nitpick this Celtics workforce, nevertheless, you can begin on the defensive finish. Issues are a bit of extra wobbly there. Per NBA Stats, their defensive score has nudged down from final yr’s second-best mark (110.6) to an eighth-place 111. It’s a delicate slip, lower than half some extent, however it tracks with the attention check — we’re seeing only a few extra lapses than we’re accustomed to from this group. The Bulls scored 129 factors in a regulation recreation tonight, and whereas they benefitted from some high-level shot-making that you simply simply should tip your cap to, it did really feel at instances just like the Celtics weren’t offering sufficient resistance.
Porzingis’ return will assist there too, after all. He’s far and away probably the most impactful rim protector on this workforce, and it helps that he siphons so many minutes away from the Celtics’ motley crew of flawed-but-useful backups. Luke Kornet has been banged up, Neemias Queta appears equally more likely to document a highlight-worthy swat as he’s to be caught miserably out of place and Xavier Tillman appears to be a situational consideration greater than a rotation mainstay. Boston’s Latvian unicorn solves a whole lot of issues along with his mere presence, and very like the Celtics’ close-range capturing proportion, you’d anticipate they’ll enhance on the rim defensively with him taking up these minutes.
It should be talked about that Pritchard’s elevated position has an impact, too. He has been nails on the offensive finish and performs with most effort as a defender, however it’s simply troublesome for a guard his dimension to really transfer the needle defensively on the NBA stage. The Celtics will at all times be overlaying for him on that finish of the ground; their superb defensive scheme revolves round huge guards like Vacation and White overwhelming opposing groups’ ball-handlers. Pritchard deserves credit score for the way exhausting he works, however these bodily disadvantages will at all times make him a goal — a gambit that can simply be price it if he continues to attain on the torrid tempo he has by means of the primary quarter of the season.
The humorous factor about this milestone — having the gang again collectively for the primary time — is that’s simply may not matter. The Boston Celtics are 16-3 on the season so far. They’ve discovered methods to win regardless of Porzingis’ absence and Horford’s limitations. It’s not like they’re eking them out both — they’re second to solely the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in level differential, and put an finish to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 15-0 begin to the season. We all know the Celtics can win even when the script doesn’t go their means, and simply because it was final yr, crucial factor shouldn’t be their common season success, however whether or not or not they will put their core on the court docket within the playoffs.
Nonetheless, it was good to get a glimpse of this workforce’s endgame, even when it was only one flawed efficiency in late November. These Celtics are nonetheless probably the most gifted workforce in basketball, and all of the expertise is lastly right here. They’ve drawn inside a half-game of Cleveland for the Jap Convention lead, and with Porzingis again within the fold, it’s completely doable they’re about to reclaim their throne and run with it. Friday night time’s tilt with the Bulls gave us an attractive glimpse of what’s subsequent to come back.
