Boston Celtics
“My legs felt a bit of heavy, however I’ve received to make a play for my teammates.”
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics had an opportunity down the stretch, however they got here up simply brief towards the Pistons for the third time this season in a 104-103 loss.
Listed here are the takeaways.
Jaylen Brown was this shut.
Aside from the less-than-ideal indisputable fact that they had been behind, the Celtics had quite a bit going for themselves on the ultimate play of Monday’s recreation.
They had been solely down by one, which leaves no room for ambiguity about going for the win. They’d a timeout. They’d greater than sufficient time to take a few dribbles and get a shot up.
And, in fact, they’ve Jaylen Brown — an All-Star starter after Tuesday’s announcement, and one of many best possible gamers within the league at attending to his spot and creating his personal offense. Brown wasn’t having essentially the most environment friendly recreation of his illustrious season (11-for-28 from the sphere, 2-for-8 from three), however he had 32 factors and had simply notched a layup and a floater because the Celtics labored their technique to inside two.
On the ultimate possession, Brown appeared like he tried to show the nook towards Tobias Harris, however the Pistons ahead prevented Brown from attending to the rim. As an alternative, Brown took three dribbles to his proper and fired up a fall-away jumper. It was a superb look, and Brown created greater than sufficient area to separate himself from Harris’ reaching fingertips.
Brown’s shot hit the again of the rim and ricocheted up within the air. It appeared prefer it may need dropped in on its manner again down if it hadn’t grazed the highest of the backboard, which made it leap ahead and brush off the entrance of the rim yet another time earlier than it fell to former Celtic Javonte Inexperienced, who swatted it away.
“It felt good,” Brown told reporters afterward. “My legs felt a bit of heavy, however I’ve received to make a play for my teammates.”
Brown labored a bit by way of Monday’s recreation — he as soon as once more spent fairly a little bit of time complaining to the officers about calls he felt he ought to have gotten, and he missed some photographs he normally makes. He coughed up the ball 4 instances towards Detroit’s stalwart protection — the Pistons are the NBA’s second-best protection, with a large hole between themselves and the Spurs at No. 3. Brown additionally missed a pair of free throws late within the fourth quarter that may hang-out him a bit in a one-point loss.
Nonetheless, Brown defended numerous robust matchups together with fellow All-Star starter Cade Cunningham, and with others struggling mightily on offense, Brown’s capacity to assault, create, and hammer mismatches right into a effective mud was the explanation the Celtics had an opportunity to win.
Brown and Isaiah Stewart went at it once more.
Brown and Isaiah Stewart received right into a complicated altercation over the last showdown between these two groups — complicated not as a result of Stewart received into an altercation (that’s his factor), however as a result of Brown’s supply to fistfight Stewart did not look significantly critical, and he later advised reporters he thinks Stewart is “a pleasant man.”
Nonetheless, Brown and Stewart appear to rub one another the improper manner throughout video games, which may very well be so simple as two high-level opponents making an attempt as laborious as they’ll to beat one another. Virtually instantly, the duo picked up double technicals after Brown grabbed Stewart’s arm, and Stewart pushed Brown off aggressively, who responded by pushing Stewart off aggressively too.
That’s a great distance of claiming the double technicals had been a bit of delicate however most likely deserved. Afterward, Stewart may very well be seen tapping the facet of the top as if to remind himself to remain sensible the remainder of the best way, and whereas Brown and Stewart administered some passive-aggressive (and under-the-radar) blows, nothing actually received going.
We should always be aware that it appears unlikely that the uneasy peace between Stewart and Brown would keep itself in a playoff sequence.
Sam Hauser is totally again in rhythm.
Hauser had a very nice recreation as soon as once more — coming off his near-record-setting efficiency towards the Hawks on Saturday, he scored 16 factors on 6-for-9 taking pictures and put collectively a comparatively stable defensive displaying, regardless of choosing up 4 fouls.
Future contests between the Celtics and Pistons (if there are any) might name for a bit of extra Hauser on Tobias Harris, who proved himself just too massive towards guards like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, however Hauser may need the scale and size to harass a participant like Harris, who’s proficient at getting his shot off however not significantly speedy or shifty.
Offensively, Hauser went 4-for-7 from three, and he scored a pair of baskets contained in the arc — one slicing layup, and one driving jumper on which he let Duncan Robinson fly by.
Hauser is a really streaky participant, and he’s presently on one of many heaters that he catches at varied factors all through the season. The Celtics will hope it lasts, but when historical past bears itself out and he cools off sooner or later, the excellent news is that they have gamers like Jordan Walsh and Hugo González who’ve confirmed themselves worthy of minutes.
Derrick White had a tricky one.
The Celtics actually wanted extra offense out of White, who took loads of good photographs however simply couldn’t discover the vary. White was 1-for-11 from the sphere — his lone make was a baseline jumper within the third quarter that got here simply because the NBC announcers had been commenting on his lack of scoring — and he missed all six of his 3-pointers.
White appeared bothered by Detroit’s tenacious protection. He did dish out a team-high 5 assists to go along with 9 rebounds, and some of his photographs had been late within the shot clock, however he missed some open seems to be from three as nicely that might have been an enormous enhance.
The Pistons are very bodily.
The Pistons aren’t soiled — they’re very massive, very sturdy, and really keen to make use of their our bodies defensively, which turned Monday’s recreation between two high-level playoff contenders right into a heavyweight combat harking back to the playoff sequence that may unfold between them in a number of months.
“You’ve received to offer credit score to them,” Brown mentioned, and he seemed like he meant it. “They’re extraordinarily bodily, and you are feeling it on each possession of the sport.”
Brown added that he felt the Celtics matched that physicality, and the officiating would seem to again him up: The groups mixed for 48 fouls — one foul per minute — and the sport stretched on at instances as gamers whacked, shoved, bumped, and reached. The Celtics shot 30 free throws to the Pistons’ 23, bolstered partly by technical fouls issued to J.B. Bickerstaff and Duncan Robinson.
For his or her half, the Celtics discovered themselves in foul hassle — most notably within the second half after Neemias Queta picked up his fourth, which despatched him to the bench and prompted the Pistons to play a double-big lineup that gave the Celtics suits in Queta’s absence. If the Celtics hope to beat the Pistons in a playoff sequence, they may most likely want to deal with their heart wants to a point.
The Jayson Tatum query
The Pistons have now crushed the Celtics 3 times out of 4, and whereas each recreation has been shut, they current numerous matchup points that the Celtics would wrestle with within the postseason. Honest questions may very well be requested in regards to the Pistons’ lack of playoff expertise, however questions may be requested in regards to the Celtics’ capacity to cope with the Pistons’ measurement, in addition to the regarding variety of turnovers (14 to Detroit’s six) that they let slip on Monday.
However the largest query will, in fact, be whether or not Jayson Tatum is again, and the way shut he’s to one hundred pc. Tatum labored out in entrance of Celtics media on Tuesday, which was very clearly finished on function and meant to generate loads of buzz about his well being standing (which, in fact, it did).
The Pistons look like higher than the Celtics in the intervening time, and they’re the one group within the Jap Convention able to saying that with any degree of confidence.
Whether or not that is still the case if Tatum returns stays (hopefully) to be seen.
What’s subsequent
The Celtics will head residence very briefly for a recreation Wednesday towards the Pacers earlier than hitting the street Saturday and Sunday for street contests towards the Nets and Bulls respectively. They may finish the month with a four-game homestand.
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