Category: Celtics

What the Hell is Going on With the Celtics Right Now?

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No, but really, though. What the hell?

After Sunday night’s 100-94 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Celts are set to return home this week after a rough 1-4 road trip – which could have easily been 0-5 were it not for a furious fourth-quarter comeback which forced overtime against the two-win, atrocious Phoenix Suns. (Yeah, we struggled to beat the effing Suns!)

The Celts now currently sit sixth in the East, at 7-6, tied with the Charlotte Hornets and five games behind the 12-1 Raptors.

Yeah, I know it’s still early in the year, but again: what the literal hell?

For starters, after giving up just 99.5 points per game through the first eight games of the year, the Green gave up just about 110 points per contest over the past five games. Sure, this stat could be slightly skewed by last week’s OT game in Phoenix, but the team still allowed 115 points to the Nuggets last Monday and 123 to the Jazz on Friday night, both in regulation. As of Monday morning, they’re still somehow first in the NBA in defensive rating, but this past week really wasn’t so hot on that front.

Offensively, the team continues to struggle, although there have been slight improvements. Kyrie looks like he’s starting to get hot; after putting the team on his back with 39 points – 18 of which came in the fourth quarter and OT – against the Suns, he missed Friday night’s game against the Jazz due to his grandfather’s funeral. However, he averaged a solid 27.3 points per contest in the other games he played on the trip, and he’s now shooting over 40 percent from three on the year.

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Kyrie’s been cooking lately.

Jayson Tatum has looked good the past two games as well. Although he somehow only mustered up four points in Phoenix last Thursday, he’s shot exactly 50 percent in each of the past two games with totals of 21 and 27 points, respectively. The 300s favorite Marcus Morris continues to be a force off the bench as well, currently sitting third on the team in scoring in just 25 minutes of action each night. And finally, even though he’s not racking up the points, Marcus Smart has been a great facilitator all year long and is second on the team to Kyrie this year in assists.

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Yeah, Marcus. I see you dropping dimes out there.

Otherwise, though, there’s not really anything to hang your hat on. The Celtics rank only ahead of the Magic, Hawks, and Suns in terms of offensive rating. Again, I know we’ve only seen the team play 13-of-82 games at this point, which is a paltry 16 percent of the regular season action the C’s will take part in this year. A lot can still change, and I’m not saying to hit the panic button.

BUT MAYBE we’re starting to see signs of trouble, those that aren’t found on the stat sheet, which could be a slight cause for concern.

Earlier last week, there were rumblings that Terry Rozier was unhappy with his bench role after being one of the team’s studs (at times) in the playoffs last year. Rozier downplayed the rumors on Thursday, but he didn’t necessarily deny them outright (h/t ESPN):

“I go from starting in the playoffs to coming off the bench. … I’m pretty sure it’s not easy for nobody. But I’m not complaining. And, if you know me, I would never be the one to complain about it. I would never go to the media or bring out the unhappy thing. Like I said, people that know me know I wouldn’t do that. I’ve never been a selfish type of person, selfish player. You can tell the way I play I’m all about team.”

He said he wouldn’t “complain” or “go to the media” about it, but that certainly does not constitute a denial of the rumor itself. Not in the slightest. I’m not saying I blame him either, as he could probably start for most teams throughout the league, but this is definitely a situation to monitor.

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“Scary Terry” might soon become “Salty Terry” if the rumors are true.

And as much as I love Kyrie, the guy’s definitely a bit of a wild card. After rifling the ball into the stands after the game in Denver because some kid roasted him for almost 50 points that night – a move which I made sure to call him out for last week – he comes out with this comment after the team’s latest loss to Portland:

Really, man? So, having you – a former champion and THREE-time NBA Finals participant – Al Horford, and Gordon Hayward won’t cut it? You can’t express to them just what it takes to win a title, or at the very least get to an NBA Final – which, again, is something you’ve done yourself on multiple occasions?

For a guy who supposedly left Cleveland to be THE GUY, it doesn’t always seem as though Kyrie relishes the role. And while I’m not in the locker room and don’t want to just project, Horford and Hayward don’t really seem like big rah-rah-type leaders either.

So while it’s definitely too early to begin worrying about hard numbers and stats, it may not be too early to start monitoring the air in the locker room. As with any NBA roster loaded with talent, there comes a point where the “team-first” mentality can start to wane, for different reasons, after everyone gets a little taste of success.

I’m not jumping ship guys, and you shouldn’t either. But, Brad, it’s time to get ya boys in check now before it’s too late.

Is Kyrie Irving Courting Carmelo Anthony?

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Reports came out over the weekend that the Houston Rockets are about to part ways with Carmelo Anthony after just 12 games. Then we get this vague quote from Kyrie Irving alluding to the Celtics needing a 15 year vet (like Carmelo) to help out? Kyrie, lets not mess up a good thing here. Sure the Celtics are currently tanking on a roadtrip of their own losing 4 of their last 5, but for a team that puts a premium on defense, moving the ball, and everyone being multi-faceted, adding a 33-year-old iso guy is not the solution.

I remember we all had delusions of grandeur when there were rumors of a Rajon Rondo-Carmelo-Kevin Love Big Three. And I was all in on that. Mostly because I was an impatient fan looking for anything to jump start a post KG/Pierce/Allen Celtics team that had fallen on hard times.

Thats why I’m not a GM.

Danny Ainge instead opted to play the long game and put this team in arguably the most enviable position in the NBA with the current collection of players and draft capital.

So I’m not saying I’ve never wanted Carmelo, but just look at recent history and you’ll see this is not a guy the Celtics want to add. If he were a through and through 3 point guy, then I could see adding the veteran, similar to how the Heat brought on Ray Allen in 2012 just to drain wide open corner threes. But Melo is a career 34% shooter from three. That would be good enough for 168th in the NBA this season.

While it is tempting to add another elite ball handler, shooter, playmaker — this isn’t 2010. This isn’t the “I’m Coming Home” Knicks Melo. This is 2018 Melo who has averaged 22.4, 16.3, and 13.4 points per game the past 3 seasons on 3 different teams. Thats not a coincidence.

Hoodie Melo though? Give me Hoodie Melo and we can talk…

Former High School Phenom and Celtics Player Sebastian Telfair is Dropping an Album

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Former high school phenom and street ball legend Sebastian Telfair was on the Breakfast Club this morning and I was wondering why he was on the radio regailing tales of his NBA heyday. Apparently he’s dropping an album, which I’ll get to in a bit, but first I have to dive back into my long dormant obsession of one Sebastian Telfair. On the Breakfast Club Telfair even briefly touched on his time with the Boston Celtics. I’m paraphrasing here, but basically what he said was:

“Even the young guys was acting like old guys, like if that guy drives a Cadillac instead of a Bentley I’m not setting a screen for him.”

Telfair played on the worst Celtics team of my life as a fan: the 2006-07 squad that went 24-58 under Doc Rivers. Woof. That was the year Paul Pierce missed a bunch of time due to a foot injury and only appeared in 47 games. What I totally forgot though was just how young Telfair was when he joined the Celtics. In case you were wondering he averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 assists per game in his one year with the C’s. He was still only 21-years-old though and it was just his third year in the league! So its not like he was this total project of a player, which probably helped his value as he was later part of the earth shattering Kevin Garnett trade package just a few months later.

Now who was it that Telfair could be referring to? That Celtics team had a TON of young guys that were on a terrible team so I can imagine how toxic that environment was. Lets take a look at the young guys on that team. Since it was Telfair’s third year in the league, lets take a look at guys who had three years or less of NBA experience when he joined the team. Tony Allen, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Kevinn Pinkney (?), Leon Powe, Allan Ray (not Ray Allen), Rajon Rondo, and Delonte West. Holy shit what a cast of characters. I don’t remember the last time I actually looked at the 2006-07 roster (why would anyone?), but I forgot how many “mercurial” players were on that team. I can totally picture Delonte West and Rajon Rondo hating on Telfair for no other reason than the publicity and fanfare he got for being good in high school. And thats before we even get to Kendrick Perkins, who is a favorite player of many Celtics fans, but is also known for being a complete prick too. My money is on Rondo and Perkins just icing Telfair out and straight up bullying him like Mean Girls.

Now it’s probably because I saw Telfair’s documentary Through the Fire when I was like 16 that I have such an affinity for the one time superstar in waiting.

Plus a closing credits song that bangs so hard its on my iPod (iPhone?) to this day.

He was one of the first high school basketball players to go straight to the pros not named Kobe, Garnett or LeBron. Jay-Z even spit a verse about the fucking guy on Dead Presidents.

Let me live out my dreams, until my heart give out
Devour cream, you know exactly what this is about
Fuck y’all mean, handlin’ since a teen
Like LeBron or Sebastian, high school graduates
Straight to the league, I ain’t waitin’ for my knee to blow
Yesterday I was needin’ this dough

Telfair was on the cover of magazines,

His high school games were on ESPN, he had the aforementioned documentary, HOV and Derek Jeter even went to watch him play. In a high school gym.

This was the real life Jesus Shuttlesworth as we all watched a 17-year-old kid decide what he wanted to do with his life. He ultimately ended up spurning the honorable Rick Pitino at Louisville to turn pro instead, going 13th overall to the Trailblazers.

After parts of 11 seasons in the NBA where he averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds over his career, Telfair went over to China just like his cousin Stephon Marbury and not surprisingly lit it up for a couple years. Now? Now we get mixtape Sebastian as Telfair is apparently dropping an album. Athletes releasing music almost always ends poorly, unless you’re Cole Beasley of course.

But we’ve buried the lede long enough. All athletes want to be rappers and all rappers want to be athletes, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t gonna give Sebastian Telfair’s debut album a listen. I literally could not find any mention of it on the internet though, which is not a great sign. But I was able to track it down after I finally landed on Telfair’s own Twitter page. So without further ado…

The New Celtics City Edition Uniform Is Damn Near Perfect

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NBA City Edition uniforms are a mixed bag. Some, like the Timberwolves uniform, are great. Others, like the Suns uniform, suck. They all feel like an obscene cash grab. Still, this Celtics uniform is damn near perfect.

It can be easy for Nike to get a little too creative and make these uniforms too busy and look like costumes. Last year’s gray Celtics uniform is a good example. Others feel a bit dull. This year’s Celtics City Edition uniform strikes a perfect balance.

The Celtics can’t really wear throwback uniforms because they’ve basically worn the same uniforms for 70 years. They’re the Yankees of the NBA, in more ways than one. This uniform feels like a throwback, though, when compared to the Celtics’ old warmup jackets:

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Some people might call these Celtics uniforms dull, but the introduction of a third color for them is huge. The yellow is a nice touch, much better than going the easy route and just adding in more black. I would have preferred Celtics on the front instead of Boston, but I guess they are “City Edition” uniforms.

The Celtics will wear these uniforms 11 times this season. And of course, they’re on sale now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Talk: I’m Not Mad at Jamal Murray and Kyrie Needs to Relax

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Look, sometimes you just have to buck up and admit when you got got.

Last night, Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray went off on the Celtics in his team’s 115-107 victory in the Mile High City last night, scoring 48 points on 63 percent shooting, including five triples.

He tried his damnedest, however, to break the 50-point mark by hoisting up a completely unnecessary three-point attempt at the buzzer – and that little move is what irked Kyrie Irving and a few other Celtics teammates so much on Monday night.

Seriously, with the way Kyrie acted – firing the ball into the stands after rebounding Murray’s missed last-second shot attempt – you would’ve thought Murray took a shit in the Celtics’ Gatorade cooler. Kyrie even doubled-down on his reaction after the game (h/t ESPN.com):

“I mean, what kind of competitor wouldn’t it bother? I understand if we fouled him, going to the free throw line. … I don’t want to make a big deal out of it…Obviously, I was pissed at the game, but it’s time to decompress and move on. Congratulations to him having 48 points. …But the ball deserves to go in the crowd after a bulls— move like that. So I threw it in the crowd.”

Honestly, dude, relax. Love ya. Mean it. But you’re acting like a third-grader who didn’t get one last push on the swing before recess was over even though the other kid got to go TWICE.

And to fire the ball into the stands over it? Really?

To be entirely honest, I’ve never been one to buy into the whole “running up the score” myth anyway. I cannot stand it when a team gets criticized for simply continuing to do what they are supposed to do – score points and win the game! – in ANY sport, at ANY time. I don’t care if you’re up three touchdowns with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, toss the hail mary and go for another score if you want! Up five goals at the end of the third period? Rip one from the blue line straight at the goalie’s chest and make him stop the damn puck.

If you’re a professional sports team and you can’t prevent the other team from scoring on you, that’s not their problem; it’s yours. Stop them next time.

Look, I’m not saying that sportsmanship isn’t important, and I’m not endorsing the idea of acting like a selfish douche out on the field of play. I’ll also note that, yes, in that situation most players would have simply let the clock run out and not have gone for another basket. The Celtics weren’t even trying to defend the shot, and they were caught off guard.

But I think the real anger had to do more with the fact that they let a career 13.6-point-per-game player drop more than three times that amount on them last night. Or maybe it was the fact that it was their second-straight loss to a team that they were expecting to beat. Or maybe it was the fact that loss gives them four already on the year in just 10 games.

Regardless, let’s stop vilifying a 21-year-old who just had the game of his life and maybe just got a little too caught up in the moment. Monday night was his night. Deal with it.

End rant.

Checking In on the Celtics After First Two Weeks of Action

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The Celtics 2018 season has been officially underway for about two weeks now, but with everyone focusing on the 2018 WORLD CHAMPION Boston Red Sox and the 5-2 Patriots lately, the C’s have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle.

Never fear! That’s why ya boy Mattes is here to catch you up to speed.

Off the top, the Green are currently sitting second in the Atlantic Division and fourth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 record. (The Toronto Raptors are 6-0, sitting in first place in the division and tied for first in the conference with the Milwaukee Bucks. Kawhi Leonard is absolutely dominating, and our neighbors to the north could definitely be a problem this year.) Besides a very disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic last week, I’m pleased with our record so far.

However, the offense, until Saturday night, has been a bit lackluster. Besides Marcus Morris (more on him in a minute), the team has really struggled shooting the rock, especially from deep. Both Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving are shooting less than 30 percent from behind the arc so far this season, and as a team the Celts currently rank second-worst in offensive rating. After two solid showings to start off the year, Jaylen Brown also had a rough three-game stretch wherein he shot 19 percent overall before getting back on track with 19 points against Detroit two nights ago.

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He may still lead the team in points per game (16.7), but Tatum’s yet to rediscover last season’s lethal three-point stroke.

On the flip side, their defense has been top-notch, ranking first in the league with a very solid 96.73 rating. (Basically, this is how many points they should be expected to give up per every 100 possessions, and it is pretty much spot on with the 96.3 points per game they have given up through the first six contests so far.)

In fact, the D has been so good that Blake Griffin – who was off to a ferocious start heading into Saturday night’s contest (33.8 points per game through the Pistons’ first four games) – was held to just seven points by Jaylen Brown this weekend. Opponents are also only hitting 28 percent of their threes against the C’s this year, which is the No. 1 mark in the league.

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Jaylen showed out in Motor City on Saturday night.

So, to sum it up: the defense has been phenomenal so far, and the offense needs to pick it up.

Now, here are few other noteworthy bits from the team’s first half-month of action:

  • Marcus Morris is now officially my new favorite player. I predicted he might very well ascend to such status during the preseason, when he was on a tear and making sure, through both his words AND his play, to set the tone for he and his fellow benchmates this season. Even though he’s technically coming off the pine, he’s currently second on the team with 14.3 points per game and shooting about 50 percent in terms of both field-goal and three-point percentage. This man is on an absolute mission this season, and there’s no doubt who the leader of the newly coined BWA is and will be moving forward.
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That’s right, Marcus. You’ve certainly been backing up that big mouth so far.

  • Gordon Hayward has been solid but unspectacular so far, averaging 11 points on 42 percent shooting through five contests. (He sat out the team’s game against the Knicks to get some extra rest). Most importantly, however, he does not seem to be having any ill effects from the gruesome injury he suffered last year.
  • Another guy trying to make his way back into the rotation after a season-ending injury, Daniel Theis, exploded for 17 points in 19 minutes on Saturday night to go along with eight rebounds. His presence has been especially significant with Aron Baynes being out the past three games due to a hamstring injury. Once Baynes is back in action, the Celtics will have a pretty nice trio of bigs – the third, of course, being Al Horford – to use down low. (AND don’t forget about rookie – and 300s favorite – Robert “Bob” Williams and what he could potentially do, too!)

Again, it’s only been two weeks, so no need to over-exaggerate anything so far – either positively or negatively – as we still have a very long way to go. But, from what we’ve seen so far, I think Celtics Nation is going to be in for a good time this year, as expected.

That’s it for now. Be sure to keep checking in with The 300s for Celtics talk all season long!

Bob Made His Debut for the Celtics Last Night!

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Our loyal 300s fans know that Red and I have not been shy about our love for Celtics rookie Robert Williams (or “Bob”), as we’ve been in his corner since Day 1.

No need to rehash past transgressions; he’s seemed to have his head on straight for the past few months. And, most importantly, the big fella made his NBA debut last night in the Celtics’ 93-90 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Bob played about four minutes and did not record one meaningful statistic, BUT that does not mean he was unnoticeable. The 21-year-old wasn’t shy about getting involved on the defensive end, showing off his toughness and pure athleticism with a few contested shot attempts.

In fact, Al Horford made sure the people knew about Bob’s under-the-radar performance after the game (h/t MassLive):

“It was good. He impacted [Nikola] Vucevic in the post there, he tried to make a move and he felt the length. I was happy to see Rob. He looked fearless out there. Now, obviously that Baynes is out, I’m sure he’ll continue to get an opportunity.”

FEARLESS. (Also, “Rob??!!” Come on, Al. It’s Bob. Stop with that.)

At the very least, it was a small taste of what the kid can bring to the table for a team that, until recently, was pretty lackluster and unintimidating in the post for quite some time. Hopefully it’s a sign of better things to come in short order – especially if Aron Baynes’s hamstring injury lingers longer than expected.

Well done, Bob. We’re proud of ya. Keep it up.

John Karalis and I Previewed the 2018-19 Boston Celtics Season on The 300s Podcast

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The Boston Celtics 2018-19 season FINALLY kicks off tonight as they host the Philadelphia 76ers. John Karalis of Reds Army recently joined me on The 300s Podcast and we discussed the Celtics, how they got to where they are today (the infamous Brooklyn Nets trade), how they’re setup for the future, and what we expect to see from them this season.

We’ve got Gordon Hayward healthy and ready to rock after only playing 5 minutes in the green last year. Kyrie Irving is back after late season knee surgery and by all reports seems to be at full strength. Al Horford will set the table for everyone and then of course we have 2nd and third year jumps coming from guys like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. All flanked by one of the best benches in the league led by Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier.

Vegas has the over/under for the Celtics season win total at anywhere from 58.5 to 59.5. Can this Celtics team win 60 games? I don’t know just because this starting core has so rarely played together with all of the injuries, but if they can click early on then it’s entirely possible. They’re also currently coming in at 6/1 odds to win it all.

This season is going to be fun as hell.

Kyrie Irving Says He’s Going to Re-sign with the Celtics…For Now

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Last night, Kyrie Irving uttered the words Celtics fans have longed to hear: “I plan on re-signing here next year.”

At a season-ticket-holders-only event at the TD Garden on Thursday night, Kyrie flat-out told the crowd that, if we’ll have him back, he plans on re-upping with the Celtics next summer:

Obviously, that should be music to the ears of any fan of the Green. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

How many times have we heard similar “promises” issued by other NBA stars, only to watch them pull the rug right out from underneath their loyal, naive fans’ feet?

Remember when LeBron made his triumphant return to Cleveland in 2014 and adamantly stated that he would never, ever leave his precious home state again? He just “didn’t have the energy” to even fathom making another move, and he was going to be a Cavalier FOR LIFE. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

Fast-forward four years and:

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Or how about Kevin Durant, when he was still with the Thunder in 2015, feeding us this crock of shit (h/t ESPN.com):

“I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don’t really think about anywhere else,” Durant told Revolt TV in a recent interview. “I hear it all the time, don’t get me wrong, and once you hear it you’re kind of like [looks up, thinking]. But for me, I love staying in the moment, and I’m one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career.”

Just over a year later, he joined the Golden State Warriors.

I am not criticizing either player for choosing to make the moves they did, and everyone reserves the right to change their mind. I just simply refuse to take any player at their word – in any sport, but ESPECIALLY the NBA – when it comes to long-term commitment or promises of future loyalty.

NBA players are a fickle bunch, and even more so they’re very obstinate. As soon as the opportunity arises for them to team up with one of their buddies or another star who just so happens to become available, they’ll drop their old team quicker than you can say “the next big three.” There’s already been plenty of chatter about Kyrie wanting to team up with biffle Jimmy Butler, and there’s just no way that could ever happen with the Celtics. (Well, it could, but it wouldn’t be worth the effort it would take to do so.) And Thursday night we got a report, per Jay King of The Athletic, that he’s also spoken with Pelicans All-Word forward Anthony Davis about a potential team-up.

While the idea of Davis in a Boston uniform makes me feel things in certain places that I probably can’t mention on this blog, there’s no guarantee Danny Ainge could make that happen. And if there’s another team that can offer a better pathway to get the three of them together, Kyrie would be foolish to not at least consider it.

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GOOD LORD. Just imagine…

Furthermore, there’s also been plenty of credible rumors connecting Kyrie to other teams throughout the Association, particularly the New York Knicks. Besides the fact that he is from West Orange, New Jersey – which is only about 20 miles away from Madison Square Garden – the Knicks have not been bashful whatsoever about how much they covet the 26-year-old guard. Irving also had the the Knicks on his list of short teams he’d like to go to before he was ultimately traded to Boston last summer:

Even former teammates are chiming in on the speculation. Just three weeks ago, in response to an Instagram post from NiceKicks which asked about the chances Kyrie signs with the Knicks next season, Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith responded by posting the simple word: “HIGH.”

Now, to be fair, Smith may have just been letting everyone know about his current state at the time of the post, but in all seriousness the two did play together for two years, so they’re not strangers. Also, again, he is not the first to connect Kyrie to the ole Knickerbockers. Seriously, just Google: “Kyrie Irving Knicks” and you’ll see the rampant speculation out there from all corners of the NBA zeitgeist.

It’s also no secret that Kyrie is about other things than just basketball. That is not to say that he is not a competitor or that he doesn’t care about winning; all I’m saying is that the guy is an absolute ham for the camera and is not shy about self-promoting off the court. While staying in Boston with such a young, talented roster would give Kyrie the chance to compete for championships for at least the next 5-10 years, it simply does not have the marketing clout that comes along with playing in New York or L.A. (I’m talking about the Clippers; I know there’s no way Kyrie is choosing to play with LeBron again.)

Perhaps the one saving grace Celtics fans can rest their hat on is the fact that Kyrie can make way more money by re-signing here as opposed to going anywhere else due to NBA max contract rules. But again, if he can still make just as much – if not more – with endorsements and movie deals off the court, does that really even matter?

So, look, it’s OK to be happy about what Kyrie said last night; I am, too. But let’s not take it as Bible, and do understand that a lot can change over the next year. Until I hear about the T’s being crossed and the I’s being dotted on Kyrie’s next official contract, I’m not counting my chickens.

Stay tuned…

Quick Celtics Thoughts After First Weekend of Preseason Action Against the Charlotte Hornets

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Image result for celtics gordon hayward

Well, Sunday was a great day in Boston. For the first time in a long time, the Celtics, Patriots, AND Red Sox were all victorious on the same day.

Sure, the Pats victory was the only one that mattered, as the Celtics are only playing preseason ball at the moment and the Sox already locked up their spot in the postseason what feels like eons ago. But October is officially here, which is the one month per year we get all four of our beloved squads playing meaningful action at the same time. The Pats, Celts, and Bruins are either already in or about to be in the fresh, young stages of the season, and the Sox are getting set for another World Series run.

What a time to be alive in the Bean!

This piece is going to focus on the Green, though, after a 1-1 series split with the Charlotte Hornets this past weekend. Rather than break down each game, let’s instead take a look at a few key takeaways:

Mixed Results for Hayward

If you were to look solely at Gordon Hayward’s stat line from the weekend, you might think things didn’t really go so hot for him: 3-of-14 from the field overall; 1-of-7 from deep; seven rebounds; and four assists.

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Sure, those shooting numbers are pretty rough, but he did have seven rebounds and four assists in 44 total minutes of action. Also, it was the first two games the guy has played in since October 17 of last year; he’s still shaking off the rust.

Hayward even admitted as much after Friday night’s contest (h/t ESPN Boston):

“The one cut to the rim, I usually would have dunked that one. Tried to go up off my leg and just didn’t have it, I guess,” Hayward said. “So, that stuff I think will come back, that little explosion. I’m certain of that. … It was just the speed of the game, just the crowd, that’s something I need to get used to again.”

Now, I’m not going to lie, the whole “tried to go up off my leg and just didn’t have it” part of that quote didn’t leave me with the warm and fuzzies, but I’m hoping it really is just a muscle memory sort of thing as opposed to any residual physical limitation.

Regardless of how mediocre his play might have been this weekend, all that matters is Hayward got through the first two games without issue. That’s all we can ask for at this point.

Morris Looks Ready to Go

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After serving as one of the very best bench pieces in the entire NBA last season, Marcus Morris looks rearing to go in 2018. Morris finished the weekend with 24 total points in 35 minutes of action on 9-of-21 shooting from the floor overall, including 46 percent from three-point land.

However, the most impressive numbers associated with Morris were actually his plus-6 and plus-11 finishes, respectively. Morris’s toughness and relentless energy permeate throughout the rest of his teammates each time he is on the floor, on BOTH ends, and efficiency numbers like this only further prove that point.

Easily talented enough to be a starter on most teams throughout the Association, Morris is content to serve as one the Green’s most important reserves on a loaded roster. After coming up with the nickname “BWA” (Bench With Attitude) for he and the rest of the team’s reserves this season, Morris doubled down on the moniker with a clear message for the rest of the league just a few days ago:

We may still be two weeks away from regular-season action, but Morris is already chomping at the bit. LFG!

Bob Gets Some Praise

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I’m proud of you, Bob!

Not only did Robert Williams finish the weekend with eight points and three boards in 20 minutes on the floor, but it was his key block that sealed the victory over the Hornets on Sunday night.

The “block” was actually an even more impressive tip on a three-point attempt from Charlotte’s Malik Monk, which, were it to go in, would have given the Hornets a two-point lead with about 15-ish seconds left to play. However, Williams was able to use his huge wingspan and quickness to get out to the perimeter just in time, forcing Monk’s shot completely off course:

But, as pointed out by fellow teammate Kyrie Irving, it was Williams’s actions after the block that truly stood out to him: After Monk’s missed shot attempt landed in the hands of Celtics rookie Brad Wanamaker, Williams was passed the ball and had an easy lane toward the basket. However, rather than try and continue to show off after an impressive swat, he simply passed the ball to Guerschon Yabusele, who laid in the dagger for the win. He chose the easy basket over the flashy play, which is a decision that flies right in the face of those who continue to worry about his “maturity” issues.

Said Irving after the game (h/t Celtics.com):

“Those little things right there show you how well he fits in the mold of being a Boston Celtic,” said Kyrie Irving, who scored a team-high 20 points. “He makes the huge play and then passes to Guersch when he could’ve easily wind-milled or done something crazy for the crowd. But he passes to Guersch, we seal the game, and I know that felt good for him and for the rest of us.”

Nice work, kid! Keep it up!

Besides those three takeaways, it was a solid overall weekend for the C’s. While they didn’t come without each of their own struggles at times, each and every one of the starters also looked terrific at points this weekend. There truly wasn’t one thing that stood out to me as a concern going forward. Yes, it’s only October 1, and yes, we’re only through two preseason games. But it was a good start for the Green this weekend.

The next preseason game for the C’s is on Tuesday night at home against the now-LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers.