The Boston Celtics obtained some shock reinforcements on Monday evening towards 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 effectively in his first recreation motion because the NBA Finals and the Celtics smothered the Clippers 126-94, however one small footnote nonetheless evaded this staff — Al Horford sat out the second finish of a back-to-back, depriving us of the chance to see the staff at full power for the primary time this season.
We needed to wait 4 days to get our want. Horford returned to the court docket towards the Chicago Bulls, and the Celtics fielded their whole ostensible playoff rotation — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Horford — collectively on the similar time. This was the squad that performed nearly all of the minutes within the clinching Recreation 5 of the NBA Finals (we’ll depend 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 are able to begin with the nice: the Boston offense has regarded like a world-beater all season, they usually leveled up towards Chicago. For the umpteenth time this season, it regarded just like the NBA single-game three-pointer document was in peril 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 manner 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 publish mismatch into the combination is simply going to drive that quantity increased. He’s already been as much as his common methods, offering a cheat button the Celtics can hit at any level when they should generate a straightforward look contained in the arc.
And, sure, the Celtics take quite a lot of threes. Folks can complain as a lot as they’d like, however given how good they’re at capturing them, it’s tough to argue they need to be doing anything. After tying the NBA document for made threes of their season opener towards the Knicks (and shamelessly, hilariously failing to interrupt the document in rubbish time), any given evening 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 without doubt one of the best spam performs in basketball.
If you happen to’re going to nitpick this Celtics staff, nevertheless, you can begin on the defensive finish. Issues are a little bit 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 refined slip, lower than half some extent, nevertheless it tracks with the attention take a look at — 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 need to tip your cap to, it did really feel at occasions just like the Celtics weren’t offering sufficient resistance.
Porzingis’ return will assist there too, in fact. He’s far and away essentially the most impactful rim protector on this staff, 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 quite a lot of issues along with his mere presence, and very similar to the Celtics’ close-range capturing proportion, you’d count on they’ll enhance on the rim defensively with him taking on these minutes.
It should be talked about that Pritchard’s elevated function has an impact, too. He has been nails on the offensive finish and performs with most effort as a defender, nevertheless it’s simply tough for a guard his measurement to really transfer the needle defensively on the NBA stage. The Celtics will all the time be overlaying for him on that finish of the ground; their excellent defensive scheme revolves round large guards like Vacation and White overwhelming opposing groups’ ball-handlers. Pritchard deserves credit score for a way onerous he works, however these bodily disadvantages will all the time make him a goal — a gambit that may simply be price it if he continues to attain on the torrid tempo he has via 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 won’t 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 manner, 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 staff’s endgame, even when it was only one flawed efficiency in late November. These Celtics are nonetheless essentially the most proficient staff 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 potential they’re about to reclaim their throne and run with it. Friday evening’s tilt with the Bulls gave us an attractive glimpse of what’s subsequent to come back.
