Victor Wembanyama dominates as Celtics fall to Spurs: 7 takeaways

Wembanyama is just too huge and expert to be stopped. The Celtics needed to hope that 1) they may outscore the Spurs by sufficient within the 22 minutes Wembanyama spent on the bench to counteract the minutes he was on the ground and a pair of) that Wembanyama would miss. 

Neither factor occurred sufficient for the Celtics to tug out a win on Saturday. 

Jaylen Brown is irate. 

The Celtics, notably, shot simply 4 free throws, and two got here within the closing seconds. 

The Spurs, in the meantime, took 20. 

A furious Jaylen Brown after the sport took the officers to job, guaranteeing himself a hefty effective.

The preliminary query touched on the best way the Spurs defended the Celtics — a crossmatching look that Joe Mazzulla lauded as one of many causes the Celtics’ offense struggled. 

“It was positively distinctive attempting to guard a few of their guys,” Brown mentioned. “They didn’t need to go man. They didn’t really feel like they may guard us.”

After taking his refined shot on the Spurs, Brown obtained to the crux of the matter.

“I really feel like, actually, they only obtained away with rather a lot, and I’m bored with the inconsistency,” he mentioned. “I’ll settle for the effective at this level. I believed it was some bulls*** tonight. I believe they’re defensive group, however they ain’t that rattling good. I hope someone can simply pull up the clips as a result of it’s the identical s*** each time we play group. It’s like they refuse to make a name, then name contact falls on the opposite finish.”

Brown referred to as out official Curtis Blair and the remainder of the crew, saying they had been “horrible tonight.”

“They will effective me no matter they need,” Brown mentioned. “However it’s loopy. Each time we play group, it’s the identical bulls***. Anyone please pull up the clips. I’m irate at how they officiated the sport right this moment.”

Brown famous that the Celtics solely obtained 4 free throws and misplaced the sport by 4.

“To not say that’s the entire sport, the entire story. We’ve obtained to be higher in spots,” he mentioned. “I’ve obtained to be higher in spots. 

“However goddamn. I’m driving to the basket. I’m bodily. I don’t flop. I don’t shrink back from contact. I am going up sturdy. I’m athletic. And nothing. Zero free throws tonight. The inconsistency is f***ing loopy. Give me the effective.”

Brown added in response to a follow-up query that he has his “conspiracies” concerning the officers earlier than he was rapidly dismissed by a member of Celtics PR, however the harm is actually executed — Brown can be smacked with as a lot of a effective because the league can hand out. 

Whether or not the tirade will do something constructive for Brown and the Celtics stays to be seen. He has voiced his displeasure repeatedly this yr, and it’s exhausting to think about that he’s a very fashionable determine in referee circles today. 

Brown gave the impression to be forcing it.

On the court docket, Brown was lower than stellar. He completed 11-for-28 from the sphere, and whereas he grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists, he turned the ball over 5 instances because the Spurs attacked his dribble aggressively — one thing of a regarding pattern, on condition that the Celtics have succeeded this season in no small half due to how effectively they’ve restricted their turnovers.

In the meantime, after making a few moonball 3-pointers over Wembanyama within the first quarter, Brown additionally appeared to get a little bit caught up within the matchup. There’s plenty of profit to attacking a shot blocker head on, however there’s additionally plenty of profit to creating good choices as a driver, and Brown’s repeated makes an attempt to recapture the magic of his first two moonballs had been lower than inspiring. 

“Clearly, he’s a particular expertise,” Mazzulla mentioned of Wembanyama. “He can shut the hole on 2-on-1s extraordinarily quick, in order that they do job of retaining him as near the rim as doable and rotating round.”

Baylor Scheierman had one in all his greatest video games of the yr.

Regardless of the late basket by Wembanyama, Scheierman performed effectively in his prolonged run — along with his protection, he was 4-for-5 from the ground and 2-for-3 from 3-point vary. 

“He’s been wonderful,” Derrick White mentioned. “He’s at all times prepared. It’s powerful — you by no means know what number of minutes or if he’s going to play, however he’s at all times prepared, and when he is available in, he simply does plenty of issues for us, and I really feel prefer it’s at all times a constructive phase when he’s on the market with us.”

Scheierman is an odd NBA participant — popping out of school, he confirmed promise as a 3-point shooter with some means to deal with the ball and go. Within the NBA, he has proven some promise as a hustling ahead with nice measurement who reads the sport instinctively as a defender. 

“I’ve a bunch of confidence in myself that I can play at this stage and impression the sport and play towards anyone,” Scheierman mentioned. “Regardless if I performed tonight or not or performed yesterday or not, that confidence doesn’t change going into the subsequent sport. I believe simply seeing the outcomes of the work I’ve put in has given me that confidence that I do know that I can dangle on the market on the ground.”

Luke Kornet obtained a pleasant tribute video.

Previous to the sport, Kornet spoke with Celtics reporters and quipped that he was extra pleased with his off-the-court content material than his on-the-court content material from his time in Boston, which doesn’t play “as effectively in an area,” as he put it. He puzzled whether or not he would get a tribute video earlier than concluding “I’ll be trustworthy, I think about there’s going to be one. Particularly in these instances and days. For these potential Corridor of Famers like myself, you sort of count on it at a sure level.”

Kornet was right: He obtained one, and the Celtics discovered an important mixture of clips. Kornet’s tribute video, which was proven between the primary and second quarters, included a number of clips of his on-court play, however most of it was centered on his antics — his moose antlers, his dabbing as he ran down the court docket, his well-known butterfly celebration, and a number of other cases of his even-more-famous Kornet Contest. Additionally they, in fact, confirmed clips of Kornet celebrating the Celtics’ championship and hyping up the gang in the course of the championship parade.