FanPost

Two Cents: No JT? No Problem For The 16-4 C’s

A win without Tatum and Rob in the lineup cannot be slept on, even if it was against the Wizards.


To be up by 17 entering the second half, then proceeds to close the third with a score of 113-88, before the bench started playing funny, how can you not roll with this wagon of a team with what they’ve been showing lately?


The answer is simply yes because they are the best show in basketball right now with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.


Yay Stuff: JB Continuing To Silence The Doubters


At this point, it’s pointless to argue with the vocal minority when it comes to JB’s play.


We all know what #7 brings to the table and ever since the weirdos on Twitter have been nitpicking every fabric of his game to the point that nothing will convince them how much of a luxury it is to have Brown on the team.


Ever since the Dallas game, JB has dropped 31, 25, and 36 with a shooting percentage of 61% from the field and 35% from the three-ball range. What’s even more impressive to see is how he makes it look so easy to score, even with defenders all over him.


Yes, I know I’ve said that a bunch of times but just look at how efficiently he does it while being guarded:


Very Tight Coverage - 80 FG%

Tight Coverage - 69 FG%


JB’s 2-point play at 2:39 in the fourth easily showcases Brown’s elite awareness when it comes to finishing the play regardless of any whistle or not.


And that dunk of his at 5:01 in the second quarter is such a classic JB move at this point, wherein I pretty much expect him to punch it hard at the rim at least once every game.


Brown had 36 points on 56% shooting from the field and grabbed himself 5 rebounds to boot.


Yay Stuff: Bounce Back Smart Game


Smart had an all-around game with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Yes, he had 4 turnovers but throughout the whole game, Marcus was in his bag and in control.


Outside of some sloppy passes, Marcus looked like a maestro again when it came to setting up his teammates.

At 5:03, he makes a nice quick pass to a cutting JB with a straight-line drive to the basket with no rim protection for a slam to get the crowd up and roaring.


Another gorgeous pass from Smart was at 6:07 in the third when he drove hard to the basket and fooled the defense to think that he was going up strong to the cup when dropped a nice pass to Horford under the rim for an easy two.


When it came to shooting the rock, Marcus shot the ball at an efficient clip with 62% from the field and 50% from deep.


Yay Stuff: Al Out There Hooping At Age 36


Al dropped 14 points on 75% shooting from the field and 66% from deep, while also having 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.


Just some quality production from Al on both ends of the floor.


To have Al as the veteran leader of this ball club, while contributing quality minutes as well and not just being a steady presence on the court and in the locker room, adds to the many little things that the depth of this team fulfills.


Ever since the Chicago game, Al has been shooting an incredible 90% from three-point range with a frequency of 47%. I mean, that’s one way of coming out of the gates strong in response to the subpar outing against the Bulls.


Yay Stuff: I See You Brogdon


I knew he’d bounced back for this game and bounced back he did.


Brogdon had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was able to shoot well from the field at 50% and 60% from deep.


With only 1 turnover, it was an overall great outing for Brogdon as he ran the offense well when he was on the court and maintained composure throughout.


Yay Stuff: Kornet Playing Aggressive


This was the most aggressive I’ve seen Luke play from backing down his defender after grabbing an offensive board, to battling hard down low for a putback dunk.


An underrated highlight of his from this game was when he rolled out of the screen and tricked the Wizards into thinking he was going to finish at the cup, instead made a quick pass in mid-air to a wide-open Grant at his corner office.


Just great awareness from Luke to add to his overall production. Kornet had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.


Yay Stuff: DWhite Hooping


White has been balling lately and especially during this win streak at a shooting percentage of 61% from the field and a steady 47% from the three-ball range.


DWhite had 15 points with 2 steals in this game as he provided another steady presence for this ball club as he has been reliable on a nightly basis.


The team is so deep that I didn’t even notice he had 15 points as White has always played in a sneaky manner, outside of the games without Smart and Brogdon, adding that extra weapon to this team.


Yay Stuff: Hauser Being Automatic


It still sometimes surprises me whenever a Sam three-ball doesn’t drop.


But for the most part of this game, Sam yet again looked automatic.


Hauser dropped 14 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 80% from the field and 75% from deep.


I love that play Sam did at 2:32 in the third quarter when he did a little strep-through move and got the and-one floater to go in. I think this is the next step in Hauser’s overall evolution in his game as opposing teams will try to run him out of the three-point line.


Yay Stuff: Crisp Ball Movement


The Boston Celtics had a total of 28 assists on 55% shooting from the field and 47% from three-point range.


Once again, what’s new? But the C’s moving the ball with ease and patience leading to loads of quality shots each offensive possession.


Even in possessions wherein, the shot doesn’t fall like at 4:43 when DWhite drove hard in the middle of the lane and kicked it out to the corner to Al, swinging it then to JB and moving the ball again to Grant, who passes it to Smart and finds an open DWhite that just relocated to the corner for a triple that doesn’t go down.


Just an overall good offensive possession showcasing the team’s patience and selflessness in motion.


Yay Stuff: The Rebounding


An overall great effort in crashing the board to have the edge over the Wizards with a total of 38 rebounds to the Wizards’ 29.


Everyone contributed from Grant having 7, Marcus with 4, Brogdon having 6, Al with 3 boards, and even Hauser joining in the action with 5 rebounds.


Yay Stuff: Minus the Bench Giving The Wizards Life, The Defense Was Good


They were fast on their switches and quick on their feet for closeouts. Interestingly, Beal had a quiet 30-game as the C’s were all over him.


From clogging up his driving lanes and forcing him to pass up the ball, the defense made him invisible until it was too late for him to imprint his presence on the outcome of the game.


Yet again another showcase of the team ramping up their defensive intensity, as opposed to their earlier games.


Nay Stuff: The Bench in The Fourth


The C’s were up on the scoreboard at 113-88 entering crunch time.


It looked like a good opportunity for Joe to give the starters a rest but of course, the bench made that a foolish suggestion as the young guys gave some life to the Wizards.


Their shots weren’t falling, the defense slowed down on the intensity, and all of a sudden the Wizards were slowly gaining some momentum.


The lead was trimmed down to 14 and Joe brought back the starters to close this one out for good.


Nothing too deep was just annoying to see, but JB hooped some more so it ain’t all that bad.


Wrap Up


My two cents? Riding strong on a 3-game winning streak with an electric offensive performance without JT is just a blessing that keeps on pouring.


Now, they have a B2B against the Hornets and it looks like JB might be getting some rest as his back looked like it was bothering him a bit, probably from some stiffness, while JT looks like he’ll be suiting up.


The Celtics are just so fun to watch that I feel confident for 4-straight.


Love and trust.

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