Tag: Gordon Hayward

#The300sPodcast – Next Up for the Celtics: Kemba Walker

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Red and Mattes jump into The 300s Podcast studio to discuss all the swirling Celtics rumors that are out there. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the NBA Offseason is the best show on TV.

– Kemba Walker signing a max deal with the Celtics?

– Kyrie Irving is a PILL

– Al Horford is likely gone

– Are the Celtics’ young guys getting off too easy for their role in the drama around the team last season?

– Recapping the Celtics draft night and what it means for the 2019-20 roster

– NBA Free Agency and potential fits for the C’s

The Celtics Now Belong to Jayson Tatum

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Danny Ainge refused to include Jayson Tatum in any Anthony Davis deal (as he should have). Kyrie Irving is as good as gone. Al Horford just opted out of his last year. Look around guys.

The Celtics now belong to Jayson Tatum.

If you had asked me two years ago (23 months ago but whos counting) I would have traded “every player on the Celtics roster” for Anthony Davis. But so much has changed since then. AD shot his way out of New Orleans, he demanded a trade to the Knicks or the Lakers, his agent Rich Paul tried to strong arm a deal to LA mid-season and then made it wildly clear that AD would not re-sign with Boston. Now I get it that it’s Danny Ainge’s job to call that bluff and pull the trigger on a trade because A. Davis may end up loving Boston like Kevin Garnett did and B. Davis suddenly would be sacrificing $50 Million dollars to leave Boston for LA. But, by landing in LA, Davis and Paul both get exactly what they wanted. Maybe it was a bluff, maybe it wasn’t. All I know is I’m not trading Tatum and the rest of the team for a guy who may or may not play in Boston for less than 12 months. I’m just not doing it. Tatum has shown way too much promise and you’d have to throw in heart and soul guys like Marcus Smart *just* to make the money work. Pass.

As for the Kyrie situation, I have been going back and forth on my thoughts because I hate reacting to news that hasn’t happened. I don’t want to bury a guy for a decision he hasn’t made yet. BUT, it sure seems like Kyrie is already out the door. There are reports that the Celtics are resigned to losing him in free agency. In fact Adam Himmelsbach wrote in the Globe that Kyrie has essentially “ghosted” the Celtics leading up to free agency, which would be the least surprising shit I’ve heard about him if true. Kyrie has shown that, despite all his grandiose speeches and delusions of grandeur as this elder statesman, he is just immature. A leader, or even a grown ass adult for that matter, handles last season very differently. I’m 30 and even I know that publicly criticizing younger, more impressionable co-workers is a piss poor way to inspire confidence and improve performance. Read a management book on one of your 6 hour flights for christ’s sake. Even Cleveland.com is criticizing Kyrie for making the same mistakes as the guy he so desperately wanted to get away from on the Cavs.

That doesn’t mean I think things are beyond repair though; I honestly believe Kyrie could come back, show a little embarrassment at the way everything has been handled the past 12 months, put up a good month of basketball and all would be forgiven. But, I just don’t think thats the way he’s wired.

And this is why the Boston Celtics do not kowtow to superstars. The C’s did everything they possibly could have to appease their young superstar in Kyrie Irving and he still is less than two weeks away from likely leaving them at the altar. You may need to do that in order to win an NBA title, but I’d rather live and die with guys like Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas than beg a superstar to please come play for our historic franchise. Why?

Woj also tweeted earlier today that Horford has reportedly opted out of his contract.

To be completely honest, I fully expected this from big Al. He is 33 years old with one year left on his deal in a suddenly barren free agent market. This is his last chance to get a long term deal. So he could opt in and cash the $30M check, or he could opt out and potentially negotiate a 3-year $60M deal to stay with the C’s and secure the bag for another $30M. Nobody is going to pay Horford $30M per on his next deal so it makes perfect sense for him to opt out. Orrr he could see the writing on the wall in Boston and try to take a lesser deal to jump ship to a more clear cut contender. Except, theres not so many clear cut contenders out there now with Golden State’s rash of injuries, Kawhi’s uncertainty in Toronto, LA’s revival with AD, Philly’s 3 starters heading towards free agency [plus Ben Simmons needing a max extension next summer], Milwaukee lurking, not to mention the apparent turmoil in Houston. So theres a whole lot of second tier teams that think they have a legit shot at a title next year.

I know Mattes wrote about this potential deal before, but with Al Horford opting out it makes a trade for Mike Conley seem unlikely at this point. Not that a soon to be 32-year-old point guard would necessarily become the face of the Celtics, but its another legit player seemingly off the board. In fact, just check out Mattes’ entire breakdown of what the Celtics can do this offseason with AD off the board.

So to Tatum, Brown and the other young guys: you all privately and publicly battled with Kyrie last year for mostly petty reasons. Kyrie is definitely to blame for that, but Tatum, Brown and co. aren’t without fault. Either way the team suffered as a result. Tatum, Brown and the young guys reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without Kyrie (and Hayward) so I get it. Well now Kyrie is all but gone so here you go. It’s your team now Jayson. Jaylen can be your 1A, but this is your team.

Tatum has the best pedigree, the highest ceiling, has shown the most elite offensive flashes, and has the length to play D, can be a spot up shooter or get to the rim. I am excited to see what a 3rd year Jayson Tatum looks like with the ball in his hands a lot more. I think Tatum will be an All-NBA player before long….but he better be. Danny just bet the next decade of the Celtics’ fortunes on Tatum being that good. Because if he’s not, we have become the Atlanta Hawks.

An Anthony Davis-less Plan for the Celtics Offseason

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(Updated June 17, 2019.)

This had to be the single most disappointing Celtics season of my lifetime.

Now, to be clear, I am not saying that this is necessarily the “worst” season I’ve ever seen the team have; 2005-2007 were some dark times, and 2013-14 was pretty brutal, too. (The late 1990s were also an abject nightmare, but fortunately I was young enough not to have been nearly as invested in the team then as I am now.) The team also still finished as the four-seed in the East this year, and they made it to the second round of the playoffs. Fine.

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Rondo was there for the good times and the bad.

But this was supposed to be one where the Celtics would run away with the Eastern Conference – after being mere minutes away from doing so just last year without their supposed best player AND another All-Star, both of whom were back this season. All of that was supposed to be a foregone conclusion before what seemed like a guaranteed trip the Finals. They were supposed to be THE top dog east of the Rockies, and only the juggernauts out on the West Coast could dare hope to challenge them.

Well, ummm, that didn’t happen. At all. And instead we were treated to perhaps the most underperforming, inconsistent, and outright whiniest team in recent Boston sports history. At times, it felt like I was following a shitty MTV reality show about a group of spoiled AAU players as opposed to a professional team of adults. I am truly indignant right now as a die-hard fan of this team. This year was just completely unacceptable. We should all be mad. Truly.

It’s easy to get all over Kyrie Irving and place the lion’s share of the blame on his shoulders. And yes, teams like Milwaukee, Toronto, and Philly were really, really good this season. But to be honest, Brad Stevens deserves almost just as much flak for not being able to manage this group with any sort of consistency or aplomb, regardless of how difficult the guys on the team made it for him to do so.

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You’re not getting away that easily, Brad.

Because in reality, the end result for the Celtics this year had nothing to do with talent; there should be no doubt that this team can still match up with the vast majority of other rosters in the league from top to bottom. Instead, it was out-of-control egos, piss-poor attitudes, and an overall toxic culture that brought the team down.

Also, the whole Anthony Davis idea is now done after Saturday’s trade. Kyrie is about to walk out the door, too. And while there are still a few intriguing big-name free-agent options we could try and throw the bank at, I think this team instead needs an infusion of guys who are committed to winning, playing team ball, and who are willing to put aside all future contract aspirations and personal endeavors. If you really look at who’s been winning in the NBA lately, it’s still all about team ball and players who understand their roles within a well-oiled machine. The Celtics are already loaded with guys who just need to find their place within such a system – without the presence of a selfish superstar who will only suppress them and dominate everything, both on and off the court.

It’s a multi-pronged approach, which will call for a number of different factors to fall into place. But it’s possible. And here’s just how I think they could actually end up pulling it off in a few simple steps:

Trade Gordon Hayward for Mike Conley

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Now, before anyone tries to call me out for plagiarism due to the fact Bleacher Report wrote a feature with this very idea a couple weeks back, I can assure you the idea is not their own. Nor is it mine. Rather, it almost makes too much sense – from both a basketball and financial standpoint – not to happen, and it’s an idea that’s been floated around in some circles for a while now.

Conley is EXACTLY what this team needs: an experienced floor general who can both score and has no problem distributing the ball to talented guys around him. A 12-year veteran who is still only 31 years old, Conley has only been getting better with age. While some of this might have to do with the dearth of talent surrounding him in Memphis over the past few seasons, he’s seen his PPG increase by almost five points over his past two fully healthy campaigns. He’s now a nightly 20-point, six-assist player. He’s also a career 38-percent three-point shooter.

But what about Hayward? Remember how everyone (myself included) was all over his you-know-what during the last month of the season after it looked like he was finally finding his groove once again? Yeah. Then the playoffs rolled around, and it was U-G-L-Y. In all reality, I do believe that Hayward did make great strides toward the end of the season, but on this team he simply blends in with the rest of the wing talent on the roster.

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A change of scenery could honestly be a good thing for G-20.

Conley, on the other hand, can facilitate an actual offense and help propel guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to reach their true potential. Also, him and Al Horford would be a pretty lethal combo on the pick-and-roll. Unlike Kyrie, Conley doesn’t need to put up a ton of buckets every night, and his presence and leadership is desperately needed in this locker room. Furthermore, this is a guy who’s probably super hungry for a chance to win after struggling to ever do much of anything down in Memphis, even during the team’s “good” seasons.

Memphis is also trying to tank hard and rebuild from scratch, and the Celtics have a lot of enticing assets they can offer to a team in such a situation to get this deal done. Also, most people expect the Grizz to pick stud guard Ja Morant with the No. 2 overall pick next month, making Conley pretty expendable. And above all, both Conley and Hayward have stupid high annual salaries, so the numbers work out, too. (And while, yes, Hayward does indeed have All-Star-level talent, I don’t believe he alone will inflate the Grizzlies’ win total all that much. Memphis will likely just want to trade one monster contract in Conley for another in Hayward – who is set to come off the books entirely in 2021 – while at the same time picking up a few more solid building blocks.)

Again, this one really just makes too much sense for all parties involved not to happen.

Let Kyrie and Terry Rozier Walk

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BYE, FELICIA.

No, seriously. These two can both take a fat hike. I don’t care how good Kyrie is. He’s not the end-all be-all that everyone is making him out to be. This team absolutely faded when it mattered most under his leadership, and who in their right mind would ever believe that’s going to change just because he gets paid this summer? In fact, couldn’t that potentially make it even worse??!! Don’t buy into the hype that we NEED a superstar like Kyrie to win in this league. The dude simply isn’t worth it. At all.

And “Scary” Terry? Yeah, it was pretty effing scary to watch him on the court this season. He was truly horrible in almost every facet of the game, no matter how you spin it. I’ll always remember how key he was in the playoffs in 2017-18, but he fell off a cliff this year. Then he goes out after the season and airs all the team’s dirty laundry on ESPN just because he’s salty that he didn’t get to play as much as he wanted? Again, BUH-BYE.

Go Hard After Bojan Bogdanovic

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Some of you might be staring blankly at your computer screens right now, but I promise you this dude is actually pretty good. After quietly averaging between 11-15 points per game over the previous three seasons, the 29-year-old Croatian exploded onto the scene with Indiana this past year. Not only did he average 18 PPG overall, but he shot nearly 43 percent from deep and is a 38-percent career three-point shooter. And there, my friends, is where the true value with him lies.

The Celtics were already a top-10 three-point-shooting team this year. They finished sixth in terms of three-pointers made and seventh in terms of three-point percentage. Adding a guy like Bogdanovic will only further enhance the Celts ability to kill opponents from deep. Rather than trying to dominate the ball or run the iso, Bogdanovic can instead focus on finding his spot and getting as many open looks as possible.

Why is that so important? Here are the five teams that finished ahead of the Celtics in terms of three-pointers made this season (in order): Houston, Milwaukee, Golden State, Atlanta, and Brooklyn. Four of those five are playoff teams, and this year’s NBA champion Toronto Raptors finished eighth.

I rest my case.

(Side note: I wouldn’t necessarily mind going for someone like J.J. Redick instead, because he’d actually likely be much cheaper. However, he’s also five years older, and I just like Bogdanovic more overall. But if B.B. is gone, then by all means, Danny!)

And, if there’s enough money left over…

Bring Back Marcus Morris

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This dude was an absolute monster at times for the Celtics this season, and a lot of people think he’s about to get PAID on the open market. If that’s the case, then it’ll be tough to make this one work.

But, if he’s willing to take a slight hit in the pocket in order to keep chasing a ring with a team on which he’s proven he can be a key contributor, it could be a huge win for both sides. From Thanksgiving through the first half of January this season, the man was on fire, averaging over 17 points per game and serving as the team’s best three-point shooter over that stretch. And while his play wasn’t quite as prolific the rest of the way, he still put up numbers and was perhaps one of the only bright spots for the team this postseason.

He’s also one of those guys, much like Marcus Smart, who plays with grit-and-balls every night and can serve as a key enforcer in the toughest moments. I’ve always been a huge fan of Marcus Morris, and I’d love to see him in green again next season.

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Seriously, though, this dude can ill-grill with the best of ’em.

While LeBron duped everyone into believing that placing all your eggs into the basket of one superstar is the way to go, teams like the Warriors, Blazers, Sixers, and Bucks (yes, Giannis is nasty but that team is also loaded around him) are proving that much more team-focused play is making a big comeback.

So here’s to hoping Danny doesn’t fall into the trap of bringing back Kyrie or trading away the farm for another big name. Indeed there was a time when I thought this was the way to go, too, but we’ve spent too much time building up such incredible assets to piss them all away on nothing but a hope and a prayer. Plus, with the way this team went down in flames this season, we need a little bit more of a shakeup. (And let’s also not forget that we STILL have Memphis’ lottery pick in one of the next two offseasons after this year, too!)

What do you think, Celts Nation? Who do you think we should go after? Be sure to let us know in the comments or on Facebook!

Could Kendrick Perkins Return to the Celtics as a Coach?

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I first heard this rumor the other morning on 98.5 and I believe CelticsLife was the originator of this theory. With the disaster that was this past Celtics season they are obviously in need of some changes, both on and off the court. What was the one thing the Celtics lacked this year, aside from wins? Grit and Balls. This could all be #fakenews but hear me out for a second.

Would the Celtics consider bringing back Kendrick Perkins as an assistant coach?

Perkins has been extremely critical of the Celtics and their issues, yet all while sounding eerily like an assistant coach on the bench.

Perk has also been making the rounds on TV and radio more recently as he breaks down what he sees as the biggest problems on this Boston team. Hint hint: not a fan of Kyrie playing hero ball.

This sounds like a guy who wants to be on a bench somewhere imparting wisdom to younger players. I mean just look at this article from nearly two years ago about how Perk is “destined” to be a coach.

It makes a ton of sense. There was really no one to tell Kyrie Irving to stop acting like a dickhead because he was surrounded by Horford (quiet, lead by example type), Hayward ($30M bench player), a bunch of young guys, and mild mannered Brad Stevens. On one hand I think its a total crock of shit to say you *need* a coach who has played in the NBA to be successful, but on the other hand perception is reality. If players don’t respect the coach then it doesn’t matter how good of a coach he is. So while Brad may be the best X’s and O’s coach in the league, if Kyrie is tuning him out it doesn’t matter. Well, what if Kendrick Perkins is there to provide that street cred? A guy who played FOURTEEN seasons in the league and is a scary sonofabitch to boot. You think Kyrie, or Tatum, or anyone is going to ignore this guy??

Not to mention, there is suddenly an opening on Brad Stevens’ coaching staff.

Lending more credibility to the rumor is the fact that Perk recently pulled out of the BIG3 League, just a couple of weeks after rosters were officially announced, which I blogged about extensively.

Hmmm. The connection to the C’s is still there with Perk; enough that he actually reached out to Danny Ainge last season about returning as a player for the stretch run, before ultimately retiring. Here’s what I wrote back in November:

I LOVE Perk, but we all saw him last year with Cleveland in a suit. The guy would make a phenomenal coach or more likely a corrections officer, but we all understand his playing days are over…If Kendrick Perkins was born 20 years earlier he might be in the Hall of Fame today. I’m not joking. The guy was straight out of the 1980’s NBA. Bill Laimbeer would have been throwing hands with Perk twice a season. He was just an absolute force in the paint; a real old school bully. And that was exactly what the Celtics needed in 2007. A bodyguard for Rondo, a No. 2 to KG’s crazy, a guy willing to do the dirty work while the Big 3 handled all the scoring. He was the perfect fit for that team and both teammates and fans alike adored him.

So while there has been absolutely zero indication from the Celtics, Danny, Wyc, or even Perk himself about this move actually happening, it’s one that I would be completely on board with. The Celtics have lacked a scary strong veteran voice of leadership in the locker room for a long time and I think Perk could bring some Grit and Balls back to this team.

The Celtics and Kyrie Got EMBARRASSED. My Advice? Do Not Trade Jayson Tatum (i.e. 2014 Klay Thompson)

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The Celtics are at a crossroads after that disastrous end to a confounding season. Going into the year, just about everyone had the C’s pegged to win 60+ games and take Golden State to 6 games if not outright win the title. It all made sense too. Boston went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year without Gordon Hayward and without Kyrie Irving. Plus they match up with Golden State better than any other team in the NBA. It seemed like a virtual lock for the C’s to make the Finals, or at the very least the ECF. Welp, the team came out of the gates slow, publicly bitched and moaned about each other, and never got on track en route to finishing as the No. 4 seed. That was all before sweeping a Victor Oladipo-less Pacers and ultimately getting their skulls caved in by Giannis and the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.

NOW, this brings me to my main point. Kyrie Irving has been a pain in the ass all year long, from the bizarre flat earth trolling, to saying the Celtics *needed* another veteran player, to openly questioning the coach, to publicly bitching about the young guys, to calling LeBron for advice, and now infamously punting on the regular season while looking ahead to the playoffs. As we all know, Kyrie had an excellent Game 1 (12/21 – 26 pts) before having all-time shit bombs of games the rest of the series. He statistically got worse as the series went on going 4/18 – 9 pts in Game 2, 8/22 – 29 pts in Game 3, 7/22 – 23 pts in Game 4, and 6/21 – 15 PTS in Game 5.

Jesus christ.

That all brings up the question of will Kyrie re-sign with the Celtics this summer? It also brings up the question I never imagined I would ask; do the Celtics even want to re-sign Kyrie Irving?

The Celtics are now the third favorite according to Las Vegas in terms of where Kyrie ends up this summer, behind the Nets and the Knicks. So it would seem like the Celtics have two options if they do indeed want Kyrie back. They can offer him the max and hope he wants to build a legacy in Boston (as his motherfucking Nike commercial would make it seem)

and then trade anyone on the roster not named Hayward (Horford’s probably gone due to matching salaries) for Anthony Davis. Thats not *as* risky as it sounds because at least it would be a plan that only goes into action after Kyrie re-signs. But you’re still trading half your team including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for a one year run at it with Kyrie and Davis and hoping Davis then re-ups. After this year I’m not so sure I want to bank on a guy enjoying his time in Boston enough to sign a max deal.

The other option is to do what the Warriors did in 2014 with Klay Thompson. Play it out. The Warriors were reportedly on the brink of trading Thompson for Kevin love to “put them over the top” before they evolved into the dynasty they are today. The Warriors had gone from a disaster of a team to a pretty good squad with a new coach in Steve Kerr, yet one that still felt a player or two away. Luckily Kerr, and most importantly, Jerry West advised the Golden State GM of nixing the deal and the Warriors promptly turned into an all-time team led by Steph Curry and an even better Klay Thompson.

I bring this scenario up because I see a ton of similarities between 2014 Klay Thompson and 2019 Jayson Tatum. Thompson had just finished up his third season in 2013-14; Tatum just finished his second. Klay was a key piece in a potential trade for an “established all-star big man” as Tatum is now. Not to mention the numbers. Take a look at Klay’s first 2 years compared to Tatum’s.

Uncanny.

People sleep on Klay Thompson because he’s not the star of the show in Golden State, but theres a reason the best basketball team of my generation is going to offer him a max (if not super max) contract at 12:01 am on July 1st.

The Ringer also asked the same question in their Celtics post-mortem last night:

“Irving may stay, Irving may go, but the referendum on Tatum’s career is coming no matter what. A year ago, the then-rookie looked like an MVP candidate-to-be, but a season of floating around on offense, settling for midrange jumpers, and getting IRL subtweeted has sent many a Tatum stan retreating into the bushes. It’s worth noting that Tatum actually improved in his sophomore season—virtually all of his raw totals are up, and while his scoring efficiency is down, expecting Steph Curry–level shooting from 3 again, even on low volume, was a bit ambitious. Punctuating any Tatum commentary, good or bad, with his age has become the internet’s favorite gag for two years running, but here’s the thing: He’s only 21—and was only 20 for most of this season. Only five players 20 or younger averaged 15 points or more this season, and Tatum had the highest effective field goal rating of anyone of them who didn’t always shoot right at the basket. Tatum hasn’t been great, but it’s worth remembering that it took Brandon Ingram only a couple of games this spring to regain traction before a fluke blood clot issue derailed the rest of his season.”

Now Tatum may have not been the 20 ppg guy everyone expected him to be in Year 2, but that may not be fair just because he dominated in the playoffs the year before. Not to mention he had to adjust to playing with guys like Hayward and Kyrie. Would the Celtics be better off letting Kyrie walk and giving Tatum more time and space to grow into the player we all think he could be?

…Maybe.

The Bruins Are Everything That is Right With Sports, the Celtics Are Everything That is Wrong

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Watching the Bruins and Celtics these past couple of weeks has been like night and day. The Bruins have been tough, relentless, clutch, and generally fun to watch. The Celtics? Not so much.

After an incredible performance in Game 1, Kyrie has been abysmal in Games 2, 3, and 4 with defense that borders on “bad” and “not giving a shit.” After dropping 26 points in Game 1 when he shot 57% and was a +22, he’s gone 9/22%/-9, 26/36%/-7, and 23/31%/-6. So while he’s had three games with 20+ points, his shooting percentage has fallen off a cliff and he’s finished in the negatives in terms of +/- in 3 of the 4 games. Not great.

The Celtics have routinely packed it in this series too when the Bucks go on a run and the game starts to get away. It’s a pretty shitty attitude to just assume you’ll get it back the next game, especially when playing the No. 1 seed and the potential MVP in Giannis. Thats what this team has been all year long though. Kyrie punted on the regular season months ago legitimately saying talk to me when we get to the playoffs. Welp the playoffs are here bud, time to pick it up.

The C’s had one guy after the next playing hero ball and bricking shot after shot. From Kyrie (7/22, 1/7 from 3) to Terry Rozier (1/5, 0/3 from 3) to Al Horford going 3/8 from 3 to Jayson Tatum lacking awareness in key situations last night.

Not to mention Gordon Hayward scoring all of 2 points on 5 shots.

To top it all off, Kyrie came out to the post game presser and basically gave everyone the double freedom rockets despite another poor performance from him.

MEANWHILE, the Bruins had all the history in the world against them heading into Game 6 with an opportunity to close out the series.

They could have very easily fallen victim to recent history especially after having a huge goal taken off the board in the first period.

But unlike the Celtics, this Bruins team has shown huge balls and mental toughness all season long. They’re looking more and more each day like a team that could be raising a trophy soon.

The B’s have battled back all series while Sergei Bobrovsky has been playing out of his mind, they’ve gotten jobbed by the refs, and they nearly collapsed in Game 5 before scoring in the final 90 seconds to secure the W. Mental toughness like you read about. Speaking of mental toughness, shoutout to Tuukka Rask who closed his excellent series out with a 39 save shutout performance. Buffs wings on me, Tuukka.

Oh and the Bruins even have guys laying their bodies on the line in meaningless plays with the game already in hand.

So while the Celtics continue to be the inconsistent, hot and cold, unreliable team they were all year long, the Bruins just keep getting better and look like a team that could make a legit run at a championship.

Celtics End of the Year Check In and Seasonal Awards

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(Mattes and Dom are back to give their take on where things stand with the Celtics heading into postseason play. With a first-round playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers on tap for Sunday at 1 p.m., here’s their two cents on the State of the C’s along with their picks for a few seasonal awards.)

(MATTES): The regular season is officially over, and we are now just a few days away from NBA playoff action, my man. While the Celtics have gone just 6-4 since our last check-in about three weeks ago, there are definitely a lot of areas in which I’ve seen some improvement. Yeah, I’m still pretty disappointed that this team couldn’t even lock up a top-three seed in the East, but it’s not like Milwaukee, Toronto, or Philly are anything to sneeze at. Also, we’ve seen what this team can do when they play full-out, so maybe we’ll see them hit another gear over the next couple weeks. I’m done trying to predict what to expect from these guys, but I am at least a bit more hopeful.

Then, last night, we got the awful news that Marcus Smart may be out for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs. That is NAHT good at all, especially for the team’s defense. However, The Boston Globe‘s Adam Himmelsbach is reporting that maybe it won’t be quite that long:

Either way, losing your best defender for any period of time in the playoffs isn’t great, but hopefully Smart – one of the league’s toughest players – is able to come back sooner rather than later. Stay tuned.

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No matter how long he’s out for, Smart’s top-notch defense and intensity on the court are going to be sorely missed.

Dom, besides the whole Smart news, what are some other things you’ve noticed over the past 10 or so games that are particularly noteworthy for you heading into a first-round playoff matchup with Indiana?

(DOM): Yeah, I think we’re all pretty disappointed with where this team finished this year. I think all of us expected too much out of Hayward right away, including Coach Stevens. He really shouldn’t have given him so many minutes, and I believe if given a second chance Brad would’ve handled it differently. At the end of the day, though, the top three in the East all played great. Milwaukee overachieved behind an MVP season from the Greek Freak, and Toronto continues to play great basketball, with Pascal Siakam a candidate for Most Improved Player and Kawhi Leonard on his way to another First-Team All-Defense honor. Philly is stacked and made some great moves, with Elton Brand staring an Executive of the Year Award in the face. So, although I think we should’ve been in that top three, the competition has definitely improved over years past.

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Giannis and his Bucks were truly a force to be reckoned with this season.

I’m with you when it comes to predicting where this team is headed. It all depends on what team shows up. I really wanted them to head into the playoffs riding a winning streak, but with the injuries sustained over the last several games, health is the top priority. Looking at the numbers, we actually don’t have much to be excited about. Although we picked up two big wins against the Pacers in the last two weeks, we haven’t played very well otherwise. Almost every statistical category is down compared to the rest of the season. Although the difference is pretty slight, we’re scoring less, and assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks are all down. The only positive stats are that our turnovers are down and our three-point percentage is up. This is just on paper, though.

In terms of the eye test, having Aron Baynes back from injury is huge. His physicality in the post and on the glass are exactly what a playoff team needs. I think he’ll be a huge part of our playoff run. I also see a much more aggressive, offensively minded Gordon Hayward. He’s been looking for his shot, attacking the hoop, and making smart plays with confidence. I wrote about both of these guys a few days ago, but they are my two X-factors in the playoffs.

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At least the big Aussie is back and ready to roll.

At this point, we know what we’re going to get out of Kyrie, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum is another story, but I actually think that Hayward being able to command the second unit is more important than Tatum going off with the first unit. There are enough other weapons in our starting lineup that Tatum scoring the 15-18 points a game that he usually puts up will be plenty. He just needs to take smart shots and he’ll be fine.

(MATTES): Like I said, while I’ve seen some improvements, I agree that they certainly aren’t world-beaters right now. However, I think you are really underestimating how stupid good Hayward has been playing lately. And I know I’m in the minority, but I can’t get on Brad for his insistence on using him this year. Since missing three straight in mid-March while in the concussion protocol, the man has been absolutely EN FUEGO. In our last piece, I mentioned this article from SB Nation, which highlights just how vital he had been to the team’s success the whole season, even before his recent hot streak. Yes, he was certainly prone to some clunkers; there is no doubt about that. But since March 24 alone, the dude is averaging over 16 per night with a 58/32/88 shooting line. He’s really starting to wake up at the perfect time.

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Look who finally woke up!

Outside of those solid numbers, though, which anyone could look up with a few quick clicks, inconsistency has still been rearing its ugly head. I’ve said all year long that this team has suffered from a severe lack of aggressiveness. No longer are we seeing the old “grit-and-balls” style of play that KG made so famous (save for maybe Marcus Smart), as most guys have been happy to settle for three-point attempts (7th-most 3PAs in the league) and other ill-advised jumpers. Rarely have we seen anyone on the Celts pinning their ears back and attacking the basket. As a result, the team is at the very bottom of the league in free-throw attempts per game (29th), severely limiting the amount of easy buckets they could have used, especially at the end of games.

Just take a look at this: On April 3 against Miami alone, Hayward had 13 free-throw attempts, and the Celtics as a team shot 31 of them. The game before that, also against Miami, they attempted 24 free throws as a team. But over the next two games, they shot a combined 30. To be fair, the difference in points per game between those two sets of games is nominal, and a higher amount of shots from the line does not necessarily correlate with direct success. But this team plays SO MUCH better when they’re being aggressive, which they are not too keen to be all the time, for whatever reason, and it drives me NUTS.

Again, perhaps they’ll kick it up a notch in the playoffs. And having a healthy Baynes back is huge, particularly in the rebounding department, which has been a glaring issue all season long. Hopefully he can help get the boys fired up, especially with Smart on the shelf.

(DOM): So when it comes to Hayward, most of my criticism of Brad is from the first couple months. He gave him too much too soon, and probably could’ve handled things differently. Brad readily admits that it’s been a work in progress with this quote:

“The one thing we haven’t done all year is talk about what Gordon can’t do. We talk about what he does well and try to put him in the best position to do that…We didn’t do a great job of that early on. And I think we’ve all learned how he can best help us. When he plays with the ball, he makes the right play over and over and over.”

For most of 2019, Hayward has been great. Every month we’ve seen his offensive efficiency improve, and I could not be more happy with Hayward’s performance. He played a great stretch at the beginning of January, went into a funk, then played great before getting hurt at practice right after the All-Star game. Then, as you mentioned, since the concussion he’s been lights out (pun intended).

As for your point about aggressiveness, I’m with you 100%. Kyrie is really the only one who attacks the basket with consistency, and he’s subsequently the only person on this team who should be chucking early-shot-clock jumpers. Tatum needs to cut the shit and stop settling for contested jump shots all the time. If he attacked the hoop more often, he would be Kevin Durant. Same game. Same body type. The difference is that Durant attacks the hoop to open up his outside game, not the other way around. Tatum needs to learn how to do that. Jaylen Brown is usually good at attacking the hoop and is surprisingly good at finishing, although he also struggles to attack with any consistency. It’s going to be super important for this team to attack the Pacers. If we can wear down Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis with our pace and aggressiveness and get them in foul trouble, too, this series will be a breeze.

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We need a lot more of this outta you, Jay!

(MATTES): You just absolutely nailed it with this little tidbit here: “Tatum needs to cut the shit and stop settling for contested jump shots all the time. If he attacked the hoop more often, he would be Kevin Durant. Same game. Same body type. The difference is that Durant attacks the hoop to open up his outside game, not the other way around.” Very well said. While I would never say Tatum has had a “bad” season – especially with how well he’s been playing lately – I will say that he has taken nowhere near the leap forward I’d thought he’d take in Year 2. With the way he finished last year, I thought this dude was truly ready to TAKE OFF, giving us bona fide top-20-player type of production. But honestly, I feel like he’s regressed a bit. Not so much in terms of his skillset, per se, but rather his mindset, as he just hasn’t been as confident as he was last spring/early summer. Whether it was a spending a bit too much time with “Mr. Shoot ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em” Kobe Bryant this offseason, or maybe being a bit oppressed by Kyrie and the rest of the talent on the roster, Tatum just hasn’t shown the type of effort or chutzpah he needs to in order to get to level where he should be. At least not so far.

Jaylen has actually been one of the only guys on the team to get the line with any semblance of frequency this year. However, I think his inconsistent usage this season – something which I will get on Brad for – has hurt his further development. While the rotation has been a bit fluid at times this year, nobody has seen more fluctuation in playing time than Jaylen, and I honestly don’t know why. I truly feel like the more he plays the better he gets, and I do believe coaching has significantly held him back this year.

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I see you, Jaylen! I still believe in you!

OK, so we pretty much agree on the following:

    1. The team is still plenty talented enough to make a deep playoff run.
    2. In order to do so, they need to put their big-boy pants on and start being more aggressive in all facets of the game – especially Tatum.
    3. Having Baynes back is a lot more important than people think, particularly even more now with the Smart injury.
    4. Hayward is really starting to come alive and could be the team’s X-factor in the postseason.

Now, let’s hop into a few seasonal awards:

(TEAM MVP): Kyrie Irving – I mean, duh. Sure, he can be a bit of a pill sometimes, and I totally understand if people are fed up with his ego and, ummm, candid commentary. But he’s still the very best player on this team, bar none. Most importantly, he stayed relatively healthy this season and looks to be in top form heading into postseason play. He truly might be ready to hit another level entirely.

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Kyrie is still the king.

(MOST IMPROVED): Marcus Smart – At first I thought picking “Most Improved” was going to be difficult. But after consulting the numbers, it wasn’t. Marcus Smart is actually the only guy on the roster who has improved significantly this season. You can make a case for Irving, I guess, but Smart took a HUGE step forward offensively this year. He set career highs in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage as well as three-pointers made, steals, and games played. Both his FG% and 3P% were up by six percent over last year, his free-throw percentage was up nearly eight points. Basically, his entire offensive IQ is up. His shot selection has been so much better that he seems like a different player. He rarely chucks up shots before setting his feet, attacks more, and continues to do a good job of finding open teammates. His turnovers were also the lowest since 2015-16, when he only started 10 games. Marcus Smart is the heart of this team, and he always happens to be in the right place making huge plays at the right time. He’s the only guy that consistently gives 110 percent and never takes plays off. He’s the type of guy that wins you championships, and his new deal last offseason certainly seemed to propel him to his best season yet. Losing him for even a small amount of time this postseason could truly be a killer.

(MOST DISAPPOINTING): Terry Rozier – It was just NOT a good season for “Scary Terry.” After last season’s solid playoff performance, he just couldn’t settle into the rotation this year and finished with the lowest net rating per 100 possessions of any guy on the roster (-9.5) besides Robert Williams. He’s always been a poor shooter, but he’s hitting just under 39 percent of his shots this season and seems to be trying way too hard. To be fair, I think he’d thrive more in a spot where he’d get more volume, as the talent’s still there. But it’s pretty clear that the impending free agent is miserable here, and to be honest I don’t even want him in the rotation for the postseason. Thanks for everything, Terry, but I think it’s time to go, bud.

Be sure to check back into The 300s this weekend for a first-round playoff preview. And be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook!

Checking in on the Celtics With Just 10 Games Left to Go

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(The NBA postseason begins in less than a month, and let’s just say it’s been a rather up-and-down season for our Boys in Green. While there’s still 10 games left to go in the regular season, Mattes and Dom are here with their take on the Celtics’s play this season and where things stand with the team heading into the home stretch.)

MATTES: I’ll be honest, heading into the year I never thought I’d see this team sitting 10 games out of the top spot in the East with 10 games left to go in the season. After they were mere minutes from an NBA Finals appearance last season – without their best player, mind you – I (and pretty much everyone else) am shocked to see them sitting in freakin’ FIFTH at the moment. After two tough losses this week, the Celtics are now four games behind Philly for the 3-seed and a half-game behind Indy for fourth place. At the moment, they wouldn’t even get home home-court advantage in the first round!

If things stand pat – and they probably will, especially with Kyrie saying he’s probably going to take some time off to rest before the playoffs – the Celtics are likely to take on the Pacers in the first round. (The Pistons are 5.5 games behind the C’s, and unless The Green absolutely collapse, they should get either the fourth or fifth seed and play Indy either way.)

So, Dom, how are you feeling with just 3.5 weeks left in the season? Do you feel OK with this squad heading into postseason play? Kyrie said back in February that all that matters is getting to the dance, and basically that the regular season is overrated. Do you agree?

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Kyrie says not to worry, but shouldn’t we be?

DOM: I both agree and disagree with what Kyrie says. The big reason being that home court is important, no matter how much players and coaches try to downplay it in press conferences. The Celtics are under .500 on the road but 29-14 at home. That’s important. We’re about to start playing the best teams in the league, and although I think any team in the East will have a hard time beating us in seven games, being able to play in a building that you dominate in is a massive advantage. Combine that with the fact that since February 1, we’re 4-8 against playoff teams, so we’re going to need all the help we can get. However, I do agree with Kyrie in the sense that there’s no point risking injury in the regular season if you know where you’ll end up in the playoffs. I’d actually like him to take the less important games off so we can get Terry, Tatum, and the rest of the cast feeling better about themselves for the playoff push.

As far as preseason predictions, I’m glad I didn’t put any money on this team like I originally wanted to. That’s for sure. I think we’ll move into the 4-seed by the end of the season, as the Pacers are fading and have a really tough schedule ahead. We also get to play them twice, so that’ll be a nice postseason preview. Still, though, fourth? I’d call you an idiot if you said that to me six months ago. As for predictions now, safe money has them getting knocked out in the second round by the Bucks.

MATTES: I agree that making preseason predictions can often be a fool’s errand, but there is no doubt this team has severely underachieved. Yes, the Bucks and Raptors (especially the Bucks) are also far exceeding expectations, and Philly got even better by adding two studs (Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris) to their already loaded roster since last year. And I definitely did not expect an Indiana Pacers team which lost their best player (Victor Oladipo) for the season two months ago to still be hanging tough with the big boys in the East. So some might say that the surrounding competition is simply a lot better than we thought it would be.

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Harris (left) and Butler (right) have been two huge additions for the Sixers.

Honestly, though, I think it is much more about the Celtics themselves, as you even said they are 4-8 against current playoff teams since February 1. That includes teams out West, who do not affect the Celtics’s position in the Eastern Conference standings. To me, effort and demeanor has been the team’s biggest issue all year long; the talent is still obviously there.

It does seem as though we’ve gotten past a lot of the ridiculous off-court drama/bitch-ass-ness that was engulfing the team a few weeks ago, and it does seem as though they’re working together much better than before. (On Wednesday night, Kyrie was a wizard on the floor, making sick passes all over the court while trying to get the rest of the team involved early on in Philly. In fact, since March 1, he’s been averaging over eight assists per game, dishing out at least 10 dimes in 4-of-9 games this month.)

But again, effort is still lacking. After being a top-five defensive squad all year long, the team has dropped to sixth in terms of defensive rating. While that might not seem like a noteworthy change at all, it’s not a comforting trend when you consider they’ve given up an average of over 122 points per game (!!!) over their last five contests. They’re also 21st in the league in total rebounding, including being 20th in terms of offensive rebounding specifically. One of the first things I texted you while watching the game in Philly on Wednesday night was the fact that I was infuriated that the team refuses to even box out at times. I get that Embiid is really good. I get that we don’t really have anyone to match his size. But letting the guy get TWENTY-TWO boards on the night, including 16 on the defensive glass? That’s unacceptable.

 

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Embiid is one baaaaad man. He could be a huge problem in any potential playoff series against Philly.

DOM: All great points there. Defensively, we’ve actually been 16th in the league post-All-Star Break, and the team’s opponents’ points per game has really been driving me crazy. I often see people not knowing who to guard on fast breaks, losing their man on switches, and not closing out with their hands up. And that’s the difference in effort between winners and losers at the end of the year. Watching March Madness, you see it all over the place: teams who consistently lay out for loose balls, have their hands up and heads on a swivel, and play team defense usually come out on top.

I would also agree the competition in the East has gotten markedly better, especially at the top. The Bucks, Raptors, and 76ers are all legit championship threats, and Nate McMillan deserves serious consideration for Coach of the Year with what the Pacers have been able to do after the Oladipo injury. However, of the Celtics biggest disappointments, the coaching of Brad Stevens has to be the biggest for me. A lot of people will point to Hayward and say for a guy making $30 million a year, he sucks! But his salary doesn’t matter. The dude had one of the most horrific injuries you can possibly have, and anyone who expected him to come back and be the same player he was before is a fucking moron. Now, I’m not saying I don’t want more out of him, but his scoring and shooting percentage have increased every month this season. If you want to talk about contract value, that’s a conversation for next season.

Brad should’ve won the Coach of the Year Award last year with all the juggling of minutes of reserves, getting the most out of his players, and managing injuries as good as I’ve ever seen. This year, it seems he’s worrying too much about the egos of guys like Hayward, Tatum, and Morris and not doing the things that made them so good late last year. Namely, keeping a rotation based on who’s hot rather than giving people a set number of minutes. Although he’s been better lately, I can point to a dozen losses from earlier in the year where he failed to call timeouts when the other team went on a run, especially late in the game. Obviously the players have to perform, but as a coach you need to be able to stem the tide and know if the levee is about to break.

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Sorry, Brad. You’re not getting away scot-free here.

MATTES: YES! Brad Stevens really isn’t getting enough flak for the poor job he’s done overall this year. I’ve always been a big fan of Stevens, ever since we first brought him on almost six years ago. Especially after last season, like you mentioned, I thought he was quickly ascending up the NBA coaching hierarchy and that we’d be set for years to come with him leading the way. But, like you also mentioned, the guy refuses to take timeouts when needed or make the tough calls, and he instead seems to be more worried about upsetting the big egos on this team. (Although, much like when he called out the team for taking shortcuts on defense after the game in Toronto a few weeks ago, he seems like he’s been finding his voice at least a little bit more lately.)

As I’ve said time and time again this year, though, there might simply be too many cooks in the kitchen. There are eight very talented guys who are averaging over 20 minutes a game for the Celtics this year, and that can’t be very easy to manage. Also, in regards to Hayward, the team plays incredibly well when he specifically plays well. (But no really, they’re almost unstoppable when Hayward is on his game.) So I don’t necessarily blame Brad for continuing to play him so much, even when he’s been outright bad at times.

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As much as people might want to get on him this year, Hayward’s been huge for the team at times this season.

But, it is now March 22, and the postseason is right around the corner. Brad needs to continuing tightening things up, shorten the rotation even more, and play the guys who are really making an effort to salvage this season. No more “figuring things out.” We’re 90% of the way through the season! Get it together, boys!

DOM: Totally agree. I’m not one of these dopes calling for Brad to be fired, and even if they were to get swept in the first round, I still want Stevens as our head coach, for now at least. He’s had five years in a row to prove himself, and one bad year isn’t enough for me to call it on him as a good coach. But you’re right, Brad needs to stick with the guys who are playing well, and hopefully these guys can start playing consistently as a unit. That’s the key to winning: team basketball, on both sides of the ball.

Here’s a stat that blew my mind, and although it’s not surprising if you’ve watched this team at all this year, it is frustrating. Aside from Kyrie and Horford, the Celtics suck in the ISO. There’s two guys in particular who need to cut the shit and stop clearing everyone out: Tatum and Morris. To give people an idea of how effective people can be out of the ISO, James Harden is the league leader, averaging 18 points per game in the ISO, and Steph Curry is the most efficient, scoring 1.1 points per possession in terms of people scoring more than one basket per game in ISO. (Technically, Rodions Kurucs is No. 1 at 1.75 PPP, but we’re not gonna count that).

The best players in the league hover around 1.0 PPP, but plenty of quality players keep it above 0.9. However, once you start dipping from there, you become increasingly ineffective. And that’s where Morris and Tatum come in. Morris is averaging 0.66 PPP and Tatum is at 0.64!! And it’s not like this is Draymond Green, who’s at 0.67 but is only in ISO 2.9% of the time. Tatum and Morris get the ball in ISO 13.4% and 9.8% of the time, respectively, and both only shoot 32% in those situations. Basically, that means that when Morris or Tatum go at it alone, they only make one of every three shots, good for two points every three trips up the court. That is GARBAGE.

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Move the fucking basketball. Somehow, the Celtics actually average 26.4 assists per game, good for sixth in the NBA. But could you imagine if the ball didn’t seem to get stuck in someone’s hands so often? On the other side of it, Horford and Kyrie are both ridiculously efficient off the pick-and-roll, averaging well over 1.0 PPP each and shooting 50% or higher. That’s insane. Keep doing that.

MATTES: Well, it’s seems pretty obvious that we both feel that guys getting over themselves, learning to defer to those who deserve it, and actually acting like they care are three simple changes this team can make right now. If so, maybe – JUST MAYBE – a second straight push for the Finals isn’t such a crazy thought after all. If not, we might ultimately be looking at one of the more disappointing seasons for a Boston sports team that we’ve seen in quite some time.

The Celtics kick off their final slate of regular-season games on Saturday night in Charlotte.

The Celtics Continue to Be a Roller Coaster Ride

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Seriously, what the hell is this team??

Last week, everyone (myself included) was doing their best Chicken Little impression when talking about the Celtics, and now the media is acting like they are the King of the East this morning after taking out Golden State last night.

Yes, the Celtics did beat the Warriors in their own area by 33 points last night, which was the worst defeat Golden State has ever suffered at home in the Steve Kerr era. Gordon Hayward also had his best performance of the season – 30 PTS, 7 REB, and 4 AST on 12-of-16 shooting – and Jaylen Brown continued to be a force off the bench. All 13 guys who played for the C’s finished with a plus rating, and the team overall finished with 38 assists (including 11 from Kyrie) on 49 made shots. They actually played like a TEAM last night, which should be the game’s biggest takeaway.

There were also no post-game blowups or bitchy comments. Brad did not seem exasperated after the game. And again, we beat the two-time reigning champs by over 30 on their home floor. It’s OK to be happy about this one.

BUT don’t be fooled into thinking this team is definitely “back.” Right off the top, it’s important to note that the Warriors were playing without Klay Thompson last night. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant also sat out the entire fourth quarter (sure, the game was already well out of hand at this point, but still). Also, the Warriors are reeling a bit right now, losing 5-of-their-last-8 games; the Celtics may have very well caught them at the perfect time. It also helps when you shoot over 50 percent from the floor, and your opponent barely cracks 40.

Above all, there is also one glaring issue with this team right now that is being overlooked, and it is one that still remained true even during last night’s big win: free throw attempts. The Celtics are shooting the second least amount of free throws per game this season (19.2), and last night three starters failed to attempt even ONE. Overall, the team shot 17, while Golden State had 23.

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We haven’t really seen a whole lot of this in 2018-19.

I am not saying there is a direct correlation between success and free-throw attempts; while teams like Orlando, Cleveland, and Chicago all rank near the bottom of the league in this category with the Celtics, others like Indiana, San Antonio, Denver, and Golden State are also in the bottom-eight. The Celtics have also been able to overcome a lack of volume at the charity stripe by shooting the sixth-most three-pointers in the league and converting over 36 percent of them. Fine.

But it still illustrates the team’s lack of aggressiveness much of the time, as it is much easier to settle for a three than it is to take the reigns and drive it to the bucket. With guys like Kyrie, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier – all of whom have great slashing ability – it’s a bit frustrating to see them pass up some easy opportunities. It also speaks to the overall psyche of the team right now as well as the fact that we still aren’t exactly sure who wants to be THE top dog behind Kyrie.

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The time is now, Gordon! Carpe diem!

So, it’s not so much the lack of free throws, per se, but rather it’s the lack of cajones – from both the players and coaching staff alike – that has held this team back. Nobody wants to be the man to step up and do what needs to be done to right the ship.

OK then. I’ll do it for them. After last night, I think it’s glaringly apparent that a few things need to happen going forward:

  • Jaylen Brown needs to be starting again. After being bumped up to the starting five around Thanksgiving, Marcus Morris was on fire during the month of December. Since this time, he’s been mediocre to outright bad (which included putting up a GOOSE EGG in 17 minutes against Houston on Sunday). Brown, however, is shooting over 46 percent from the floor in his past five games and just looks like he wants it out there. The young fella could provide this team with the energy and spark it needs to get out of their funk.
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The kid is locked in right now.

  • Morris then needs to battle Gordon Hayward to be the sixth man. Bench scoring has been a huge issue on this team, but one of these guys needs to step up and solidify themselves as the consistent top dog off the pine.
  • Brad needs to keep tightening the rotation, giving the minutes to those who show that they actually want to play and burying those that don’t. It’s March, the playoffs are right around the corner, and it’s time for the men to be separated from the boys.

So, there was definitely a lot to like from last night, but this team still has a ways to go. The Celts have another sneaky tough contest tonight in Sacramento and aren’t home again until next Thursday night. Here’s to hoping the boys can keep it up!

Celtics Lose On a Buzzer Beater by Old Friend Rajon Rondo, But That Wasn’t the Worst Part

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Last night the Celtics blew an 18 point lead to LeBron and the Lakers and lost on a buzzer beater by our old friend Rajon Rondo. The Lakers were hotter than the sun as they set a franchise record for 3 pointers made.

LeBron was even using some sort of black magic while en route to another triple double he somehow converted a sloppy turnover down the stretch into a fadeaway three under pressure.

And then of course Rajon Rondo, whom I adore by the way, couldn’t hit a jump shot in 9 years in Boston yet corrals a loose ball and pulls up to hit a buzzer beater before I could even blink.

Unbelievable. Just look at Rondo’s shot chart over the course of his career, courtesy of our friends at NBAsavant.com.

Rondo is literally just as likely to hit a corner 3 as he is to hit that jumper at the elbow.

Whether its primetime games on ESPN and TNT or postseason games, Rajon Rondo morphs into Playoff Rondo every time the spotlight is on.

But that all paled in comparison to what we saw immediately after the game. My basketball nemesis LeBron James leaping for joy and hugging my man Rajon Rondo on the sacred Celtics hardwood.

That one hurt boys.