Tag: Jaylen Brown

As Kevin Durant Trade Speculation Drags On Celtics Should Stay the Course With Core

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While the Kevin Durant soap opera drags on, it seemed like any interest the Celtics may have had in the Slim Reaper evaporated once they started bolstering the current roster with legit rotation guys like Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. These are the exact kind of moves that seemingly fill the holes that the 2021-22 team had. But then a late night Woj bomb said the C’s were still in on KD. In retrospect it looks like Woj and/or Shams may have been doing the bidding of Nets GM Sean Marks looking to drum up a better return, who 4 weeks after the initial trade request has “failed” to find a new home for Durant. Whether that’s by design or not is debatable because it’s impossible to get equal value for a player like Durant. The Jazz getting FOUR first rounders for Rudy Gobert didn’t do teams hoping to lowball the Nets any favors either. Hence, the trade speculation continuing into its third month which is unheard of in today’s NBA.

Either way the question will not go away as there have been reports of specific trade offers the Celtics have made to Brooklyn as well as counter offers by the Nets. (Tatum completely sidestepped the question when asked if he wants the team to keep Brown or go after Durant so that must be confidence inspiring for Jaylen.) My original point remains though, the Celtics need to stay the course rather than blow up their core to bring in Kevin Durant, who is without a doubt an all-time talent, but will also be 34 when the season starts with a significant injury history. As tempting as it is to chase the dragon here after years of the Celtics promising fireworks (and Kevin Durant is the Drogon of NBA trade bait), if I’m the Celtics I am standing pat.

The Celtics literally just got to the NBA Finals and lost to a once in a generation type dynasty. Disappointing, but losing to a team that has won four of the last eight NBA championships is hardly a reason to blow up your entire roster. If I could get Durant without giving up Tatum or Brown then yes absolutely 100%, but that’s only happening in NBA2K after you turn off the fair trade feature.

The Nets super team experiment clearly has imploded with some going so far as to call it “the biggest disappointment in NBA history.” I’m not ready to give it that lofty title quite yet, but it is the kind of calamity that people will write books about. After Kyrie hemmed and hawed about whether he even wanted to come back to Brooklyn (all while trying to secure that max deal from the very same employer), he finally decided to opt in for the last year of his deal. Not long after Kyrie hit send on the tweet, Kevin Durant decided he’d had enough of the clown show and wants off the ride.

While the internet mockery of the Nets has died down in recent weeks, it still seems like just a matter of time until Durant is dealt. With a young team on the verge of a title and having just brought in key reinforcements, I hope Brad Stevens doesn’t try to move up the timeline and make a trade that could derail the whole thing.

PS – With all that being said, it would be high quality entertainment if the Celtics were to trade for Durant and then win a championship at the expense of yet another Brooklyn trade. Nets fans would be screaming at their TVs like Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

Don’t Look Now, But the Celtics Are…Good?

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Watching the Celtics roll to 9-1 in their last 10 games (including a complete dismantling of the Sixers) with their only loss coming by one point, has me feeling like Austin in Not Another Teen Movie when he sees Janey Briggs’s “makeover.” Complete and utter shock. The makeover in this analogy being the Celtics’ renewed focus and tenacity on defense. After months of up and down play, has this team finally figured it out?

The Celtics are….good?

ESPN’s Zach Lowe seems to think so:

“Boston is about to overtake the Golden State Warriors for No. 1 in defensive efficiency. Their starting five has allowed a bonkers 88.8 points per 100 possessions — easily the stingiest mark among lineups that have logged 100-plus minutes…Smaller groups with Time Lord as the only traditional big have been impenetrable; Boston’s potential new closing lineup — Smart, White, Brown, Tatum, Robert Williams — might be a problem…They are a threat to beat any conference rival in the playoffs..”

Anybody can cherry pick specific stats and point to a winning streak as reasons to be optimistic, but the Celtics weren’t exactly playing the Warriors and Bucks every night. The Ringer says the Celtics recent success goes beyond that though:

Sure, a favorable recent schedule helps, but point differential is a stronger predictor of future success than record, and the streaking Celtics now boast the best point differential in the conference, at plus-4.8 per game.

Already a defensively oriented team—the Celtics are up to second in the league in defensive rating, per CtG—Boston doubled down at the trade deadline. Individual defensive stats are squishy, but trade acquisition Derrick White ranks fourth in the entire league in defensive impact this season, according to estimated plus-minus. Boston now employs two guards who rank in the top 10. Good luck scoring against the Celtics’ new closing five.

I know the NBA is worlds different than it was back in 2007-08, but seeing the Celtics return to one of the toughest defenses in the league to play against has me clutching my beer stained Kevin Garnett jersey.

This team needs more than just a hot streak to turn their season around because we’ve seen chemistry issues for a couple of years now. It’s put up or shut up time for this group or else Brad Stevens will have every justification he needs to shake this team up in the offseason. But, can we please put to bed the narrative that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown don’t want to play together? Can they improve their ability to consistently play well at the same time rather than just watching each other go off for 30+ in alternating games? 100 percent. But splitting them up? Unless you’re getting an elite elite level talent like KAT then splitting up the Jays makes this team worse, and not in one of those addition by subtraction kind of ways. Most players in the league leave their current team so they can link up with another All-Star. That’s exactly what Tatum and Brown have here in each other. Even Tatum scoffed at the notion on JJ Reddick’s podcast recently.

Speaking of the chemistry issues this team has seen bubble to the surface, Tatum, also on Reddick’s podcast, addressed the comments Marcus Smart made early in the season calling out him and Jaylen Brown.

While Tatum didn’t address the comments for several days in the aftermath, he said a meeting with Marcus Smart at the practice facility ended up getting everyone on the same page.

“I wasn’t angry or mad or anything,” Tatum said. “I just waited to the next day. I saw Marcus at the facility and we sat down and talked. It was a great talk actually. We had some time to sleep. The adrenaline was gone from the game. He apologized for what he said and that was something he shouldn’t have said in the media and that they got his words mixed up. I didn’t take offense.

“I started it off by saying, ‘Bro I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I still got a long way to go from where I’m trying to get to.’ I think we ended the conversation on, we are in this together, we are all on the same team and we are trying to figure it out. Trying to say things like that in the media doesn’t help anyone’s case because that’s all they talk about for the next week or so when referring to the Celtics. It wasn’t the end of the world. No harm, no foul, we are past it now. “ – via MassLive

Smart can be a loose cannon at times. The man still has glass in his hand from punching a picture frame a couple years ago, but if you tell me that you’ve never punched an inanimate object, then you’re a liar and we can’t be friends. So yes, he can be…let’s say…hot headed, and the words “Marcus Smart for three” keep me up at night, but this team is simply better when he’s engaged and playing his role. Easier said than done, but it’s true. And Tatum knows that.

With that said, I have been incredibly wary of truly investing in this team because the Celtics really have been like Lucy ripping the football away from Charlie Brown the last couple of years. Now I always take advanced analytics with a grain of salt because you can paint any picture you want with the right numbers, but when their core four are all healthy and playing together this team is GOOD.

This season Tatum has missed time, Brown has missed time, Williams has missed time so naturally Marcus Smart left the Sixers game the other night with a hobbling ankle injury. With the All-Star break though he’ll have had plenty of time to rest up. So hopefully, hopefully the Celtics can soon get their core four together on the court all at once and with the addition of Derrick White finally make the deep playoff run we all know they’re capable of making.

The Celtics are back in action on Thursday night to take on the new look Brooklyn Nets with James Harden getting swapped out for Ben Simmons at the deadline.

Celtics Re-sign Robert Williams for 4 Years So Time Lord Shirts Are Now Essential

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The Celtics have been anything but idle this offseason so it’s hard to fault them for not at least trying to improve after last season’s flameout. Among those moves is the 4-year $54 million contract extension for Robert Williams III, which means Time Lord shirts are now essential. (Swipe swipe)

Time Lord really has become a cult figure amongst fans in Boston as you either stan for the freakishly athletic, rebound grabbing big man with silky smooth passing skills or you rail against the undersized, oft injured backup center.

I fall into the former category and so do a lot of our readers, evidenced by the fact that the Time Lord shirt is by far our best selling shirt.

While it may seem like splitting atoms to fans, the contract isn’t fully guaranteed with a portion of the deal based on incentives tied to playing time (something that has eluded Williams due to injuries).

Williams can earn just over a $1 million each season if he hits those incentives, which mostly hinge on his playing time. The big man can earn $446,000 per year if he plays 69 or more games, according to Brian Robb of MassLive. Should he hit that mark, Williams can earn even more if the Celtics make it to the conference semifinals and/or conference finals.

Hitting the 69 game mark is no guarantee for Williams, considering the 23-year-old has never played in more than 52 games over his three NBA seasons. Injuries have long been his nemesis, and he’ll have to shake that to earn the maximum value over the life of his extension with Boston. – via CBS Boston

I admit I was a bit surprised at the size of this deal when I first saw it, $10 million +/- a couple mil for a big man that can run the floor is not outrageous. If Williams can continue to improve, both his game and his 18.9 minutes per game, then this contract will end up being a solid deal for the Celtics.

Obviously if he continues getting hurt and playing less than 52 games a season then this deal could end up being a problem. The one thing I will say though is this is an easily tradable contract because of William’s potential as a player, but more importantly the relatively low average annual value. So while this does eat into the Celtics cap space, it does not preclude them from making a deal for someone like Bradley Beal should that opportunity present itself.

Not to mention the benefit of keeping your best player happy by re-signing guys he actually wants to play with.

As I’ve said here in the past, I am a huge jersey guy and as part of that I refuse to buy any player’s jersey unless they’ve recently signed a contract extension because I’ve been burned before. Robert Williams III is now locked into the C’s long terms plans so if you haven’t done so already, go get yourself a Time Lord shirt and get ready for the season.

Marcus Smart Isn’t Going Anywhere and That’s a Good Thing

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As Phil Jackson once told Toni Kukoc when the Bulls were trying to sign the Euro amidst a lot of waffling and hesitation, “shit or get off the pot kid.” Reports recently surfaced that the Celtics had offered Marcus Smart a contract extension earlier this month and the team had not heard back from the point guard’s agent. I’m sure there were some hurt feelings with all of the trade speculation being thrown around, but this deal solidifies Smart as a part of the Celtics plan for the (at least immediate) future.

The Celtics have had a rocky past year with a gigantic missed opportunity in the NBA bubble playoffs, followed up by a .500 season and getting dusted in the first round by Brooklyn, then their biggest offseason move being a salary dump of their oft injured point guard, Kemba Walker. So the C’s needed some good news, or at least some sense of stability, and thats what the Marcus Smart signing is right now.

There have been tons of reports over the last couple of years that Smart rubs some of his teammates the wrong way or that he even butts head with former head coach turned GM Brad Stevens, but it would appear much of that was overblown. Sure the Celtics could be thinking a bird in the hand is better as their reasoning for re-signing Smart, but I cannot fathom Stevens with all of his intimate knowledge of the Celtics roster and team dynamics would bring Smart back if he was such a problem. His teammates seem to be happy about the deal too so there’s that.

Does he jack up too many shots he has no business taking? Yup. Does he think he’s just as important as future MVP Jayson Tatum? Probably. And is he an emotional roller coaster of a player? 100% But sometimes a team needs that fiery, get in your face type guy, especially on a team who’s best player in Tatum is just not an emotional leader. Enter, Marcus Smart.

The money might seem like a lot at first glance (4 years at $77 million), but when you see the stupid money getting thrown around the NBA then this deal is practically frugal in comparison. Especially if Smart makes the majority of starts at PG or even ends up splitting duties with Dennis Schroder (who in an all-time mental lapse turned down said stupid money in the form of an $80+ million offer from LA and is now playing for the C’s on a 1-year midlevel exception).

The average annual value of Smart’s extension will range from $17-$21 million over the 4 years of the deal, which this past season wouldn’t have even cracked the Top 50 highest paid players in the NBA. Smart averaged a career high in points at 13.1 per game with 5.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds last year, not to mention is a 2x All-Defensive first team selection as arguably the best defender in the game at times. So this deal is far from outrageous.

Are this the fireworks that fans were hoping for? No of course not, but it’s a…smart…move that also allows the Celtics to keep their financial flexibility heading into the big ticket summer of 2022.

That is if you buy into the hype of a superstar signing in Boston, which I am less than certain on. I’m a little tired of always looking ahead to *next* summer for the real monster moves the Celtics never make. Sure they signed Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker to max contracts in the last handful of years, but 2/3rds of those relationships had ignominious endings. Hopefully Brad taking over for Danny Ainge in the front office and Horford returning helps, at the minimum, improve the Celtics’ public perception problem around the league.

The 2021-22 Celtics may not be better on paper, but I think this is a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You now have Smart, Tatum, and Jaylen Brown all signed long term for big money so in theory all should be comfortable in their roles. You have culture building locker room veterans in Horford and Enes Kanter, added scoring off the bench in Schroder, and brought in a new coach that seemingly will be better equipped to connect with players as a youngish black man in Ime Udoka with the credibility of being a former player and coming from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree (whom Tatum just played for at the Olympics). Could this team end up being nothing more than another likable, plucky, 7 seed based on talent alone? For sure. But if Tatum and Brown continue to improve and this team can actually have defined roles for guys with consistent scoring off the bench, then I think Celtics could surprise a lot of people next season.

The Celtics Are Even Getting Ripped by Team Broadcaster Mike Gorman Now

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The Celtics are officially a sub .500 team and things have gotten so bad that even team broadcaster Mike Gorman is now ripping them on the radio. Last night’s loss to the Mavericks was an absolute heart breaker, but at least you got beat by Luka Doncic, who is arguably the best player in the league right now.

The Celtics nearly came back and showed some balls making it a game in the final 5 minutes, but it was ultimately another display of miserable basketball down the stretch that sunk this team yet again as they fell to 15-16. In the last month the Celtics have lost to some of the worst teams in the league including the Kings, Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, and not to mention blowing a 24 point lead in New Orleans.

And now they’ve pissed off local legend Mike Gorman. During his weekly appearance on Toucher and Rich, Gorman came in hot right out of the gate.

“The All-Star game is a perfect showcase for [Tatum and Brown] because they have an abundance of individual skills and that’s what the All-Star game is all about, individuals going one on one. Unfortunately last time I looked basketball is a team game, it’s not tennis, it’s a team game, and we just played like we met on the bus on the way over. It’s really sad to watch these guys right now.”

The Celtics have been playing middling defense the last few weeks and are statistically one of the worst 4th quarter teams in the league. Gorman ripped the players for not owning up to their own failures and even had to get dumped by T&R for swearing, which was hilarious and something I’ve never heard from the always even-keeled broadcaster.

“We have a tendency in all sports to always point at the manager or the coach and fire him. How about the players stepping up and taking some responsibility here? How about these guys stepping up and saying hey look I know we didn’t play well, or we came out flat, we weren’t ready to play. That is such a bullshit excuse. You gotta be ready to play, it’s your job…The players need to be accountable. “

With all of that the Celtics are now a sub .500 team nearly halfway through the season, which is not something I would have ever expected. Yes, Marcus Smart has been out a couple of weeks and Kemba is hobbled by a knee injury, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both All-Stars and the Celtics have one of the best coaches in the league. Yet they’re now 15-16 and are currently the No. 6 seed. How??

“Am I saying Tatum and Brown are responsible for the Celtics current record? Yea I am, I really believe that to be the case because when you’re the best player on a team you also get the glory and you also get the gas,” Gorman said. “You also have to lead by example, if you expect your teammates to be unselfish, you need to be unselfish. If you expect your teammates to play hard, you gotta play hard ALL THE TIME. It’s terrific that you can get 27 a night, but how about 22 and the C’s win the game? Enough with the one on one at the end of every quarter, enough with no assists over the course of a half. It’s really tough to watch these guys play right now, they do really play like they just met.”

With Kemba hobbled and Smart out, the C’s are basically Brown and Tatum and then just a bunch of guys. You’d think two All-Stars would be able to feast on basement dwelling competition, but that has not been the case. It was another thing that jumped out at me from the Gorman interview. When T&R asked if he thought Brown and Tatum have the killer instinct that someone like Luka Doncic showed in spades last night, here was his response:

“I think they have the game for it, I don’t know if they have the personality for it.”

That is concerning.

In fairness, after Tatum and Brown there’s no real scoring threat on this team. The bench is comprised of young unproven guys and disappointing veterans. There’s not a single guy on that bench who could threaten to be a starter, which I know is a delicate balance (see Terry Rozier) but the C’s just don’t have much firepower after the Jays.

Attitude has been an issue at times too. Jaylen Brown is a smart, thoughtful guy, but he was asked about the team’s ball movement recently and his response was no comment.

Not a good look.

Then we have Danny Ainge on Toucher and Rich saying maybe this just isn’t their year. WHAT? I appreciate the honesty and the pragmatism, but it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I understand it would be stupid to rush into a trade and massively overpay for anyone, but we also have to realize that this team needs to be continuously improving or at least trying to improve. For the past few years the C’s have mainly stood pat at the trade deadline, which is fine when you’re building towards something. You have to remember though that even though Tatum and Brown are only 22 and 24, these guys aren’t on lifetime contracts. The clock is ticking and I think there needs to be a sense of urgency that this team hasn’t faced in a while. If another year or two goes by without the C’s improving and making progress towards winning a title what’s to stop Tatum from saying ya know I’ve always wanted to play in LA like my idol Kobe Bryant? Or god forbid this team gets worse and your two stars start lining up their next spot like half the league’s best players seem to do routinely these days.

The Celtics have trusted the process and stuck to their guns and been rewarded with two under 25 all-stars that could very easily become superstars, but they can’t afford to just sit on their hands.

1.3.21 Hoop Tales: What Can (Jaylen) Brown Do For You Edition

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Saturday: 1-1 (-0.06 units)

Season: 8-15 (-8.24 units)

Recap: Richaun Holmes made us sweat to get to 9 rebs, but missed a couple of acrobatic layups late in the fourth quarter, so we missed that over by the hook.


First pick: Jaylen Brown O22.5 pts vs DET (-110) – winner

Fact #1: He has totaled 23+ points in four of six games, including 25 on New Year’s Day against these same Pistons.

Fact #2: Detroit allows 25.4 points per game to the 2-guard position, which I would expect Brown to occupy again if Teague comes off the bench rather than starting.


Second pick: Joe Harris O12.5 pts vs WAS (-120)

Fact #1: Harris has 13+ pts in three of his last four

Fact #2: The Wizards give up an average of 26.2 points to the 2-guard position this season

Fact #3: Assuming Russ takes Kyrie, that potential means Harris gets to run Beal around screens all night. We like!


Third pick: Kevin Durant O27.5 pts vs WAS (-120)

Fact #1: Durant has 28+ points four of his five games this season, so I’m going to keep playing this until it doesn’t hit.

Jayson Tatum Ranked No. 11 On ESPN Top 100 NBA Players List

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Jayson Tatum was recently named the No. 11 player in the NBA according to ESPN (so it’s a good thing we have a fire flames JT t-shirt you can buy) with three of his teammates also landing in the Top 50. Jaylen Brown was ranked No. 32, Marcus Smart No. 37, and Kemba Walker No. 48 to round out the list.

I would expect Kemba to be ranked higher, buttt he did deal with a knee injury before returning to the bubble last season and looking less than 100% and now he’s out until at least January so I’m sure that knocked him down this list a bit.

Jayson Tatum was ranked No. 35 by ESPN before the start of last season so it’s a substantial leap for the young forward prior to his fourth NBA season. It’s not like Danny offering the deal was ever in question, but all this talk of Tatum knocking on the door of becoming a Top 10 player in the NBA makes his recent 5-year $195 million max extension look even better.

Tatum also came in at No. 2 on Complex’s Top 24 Players 24 and Under list (Jaylen Brown was No. 12) behind only Luka Doncic. Here’s what Complex had to say about Tatum, which has me looking like the Three Eyed Raven (or an overly optimistic Celtics fan).

“We all thought Tatum would be pretty good coming out of Duke when the Celtics made him the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft because Danny Ainge usually knows what he’s doing up in Boston. But if you saw Tatum elevating his game to All-NBA status in three short seasons you need to play the lottery because Tatum really burst onto the scene last season. “

Roll the tape from Dec. 18th, 2017:

I don’t think it was a stretch to assume the No. 3 overall pick was going to become a very good player, but not many people expected such a meteoric rise for Jayson Tatum. I know they lost the series and there’s no moral victories in sports, but Jayson Tatum ended his rookie season by dunking over LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If that didn’t tip people off to greatness bubbling under the surface then you just weren’t paying attention.

Depending on where you fall on the blind optimism meter, Danny Ainge is either a so-so GM whose won just one title in nearly 20 years on the job and is a terrible drafter OR he’s a master chess player that turned a bunch of scrubs and Al Jefferson into Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and a Larry O’Brien Trophy and THEN turned those guys in their late 30s into Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart (and Kyrie Irving). I fall somewhere in the middle because Danny obviously orchestrated the Brooklyn trade and has nailed his picks when the Celtics get that high up in the draft. BUT he has also had some horrific misses like trading up to draft Kelly Olynyk over Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as some really bad draft picks like Guerschon Yabusele, RJ Hunter, James Young, Fab Melo etc.

As we all know Danny has borderline fetishized acquiring assets and stockpiling draft picks, so much so that he often hurt his own leverage because teams knew he couldn’t actually use all the picks he had. Thats how you build the best G-League team in the entire NBA! But seriously, this led to years like 2016 when Danny drafted 6 players + two more guys that he traded away. So my point is, over the years I have seen A LOT of Danny’s crappy draft picks playing meaningful minutes for the Celtics and none of them ever had the potential that Jayson Tatum had on Day 1. Again, obviously he was the No. 3 overall pick so he should have great potential, but even Jaylen Brown was a No. 3 overall pick and for the first few years of his career he was looked at as a jack of all trades, athletic, defensive specialist type player. Marcus Smart was the No. 6 overall pick and is the heart and soul of the team, but I still cringe when he pulls up for a 3 in a big spot. Tatum though, from Day 1 you could see they had something special, and he’s only gotten better ever year.

He’s improved in just about every statistical area significantly including Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks per game. Even the nerds love him as Tatum’s advanced analytics have improved substantially from Year 1 to Year 3 including his PER (Player Efficiency Rating) and his VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). Thats the full package, folks.

Tatum is now signed through 2026, which means the Celtics are married to him and are quite frankly dependent on him turning into a Top 5 player if they have any hope of winning their first title since 2008. Top tier free agents never have and never will make Boston a destination so the Celtics are all in on Jayson Tatum being that piece. The way things are looking now, so far so good.

So grab your JT shirts before the new season kicks off!

The Celtics Are Hosting the Nets on Christmas Day

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Christmas Day NBA is my favorite sports day of the year hands down. You get five marquee basketball games to watch from your morning mimosa coffee all the way to your post-Xmas dinner blackout when all the IPAs you’ve been guzzling catch up to you late night. Obviously 2020 is a little bit different as I had Thanksgiving dinner at my house with just my wife and my dog like I live in Siberia, but Christmas Day NBA is a tradition that needs to continue. Not to mention we get gifted with the excellent Christmas present sneakers (we used to get Christmas Day jerseys before the Nike overlords stole that joy from us).

The Celtics are no stranger to Christmas Day games as they were featured for five straight seasons during the Pierce, KG, Ray Allen era when they were routinely one of the best teams in the league. They got relegated to spectators during much of the post-Big 3 rebuilding era and didn’t play again on Christmas until 2016, but the Celtics actually hosted their first Christmas Day game *ever* in 2017.

Now we turn to the actual matchup, which is so choice. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and co. vs the rebuilt on the fly sudden powerhouse New Jersey Brooklyn Nets led by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Now Kyrie would like everyone to think he doesn’t care about any perceived “rivalry” with his former team in Boston, but he does seem to dodge the Celtics every time the Nets play them. This would be Kyrie’s first game back in Boston since leaving the C’s in free agency if he does indeed suit up. With his buddy KD back in action though I would expect Kyrie to want to show off his shiny new toy.

And for that reason…

This will be the biggest rivalry shit talking season between myself and James in a decade when the Patriots made a habit of breaking my heart and losing to the Giants. Well after YEARS of us roasting all Nets fans for the trade that shall not be named…

…Brooklyn is looking for some long awaited revenge. How this Nets team is actually going to mesh though remains to be seen. With notable pill Kyrie, otherworldly talented yet hyper sensitive KD, and a brand new first year coach in Steve Nash, the Nets are either going to come out of the gates on fire like the ’07-’08 Celtics and win 66 games orrr they’ll be a complete dumpster fire.

So even though Kemba Walker will miss this game with his everlasting gobstopper of a knee injury, I need Tatum to drop 40 on the Nets on Christmas Day. Don’t want it, need it.

What Do We Think of These New Celtics Jerseys?

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I think the Celtics/Nike got spooked by the reaction to last year’s Irish Pub City Edition jerseys (that Enes Kanter leaked) because people were massively split on those. They were fine (aside from the blue/green debate), but I think a lot of people saw them as pandering to the Irish fans in New England. I mean the team is called the Celtics so I get it, but still.

Now lets take a closer look at the just unveiled 2020-21 City Edition jerseys.

These new jerseys are an explicit homage to the 17 banners hanging from the rafters, which is a pretty cool idea when you think about it. But, when I see it on a jersey I don’t know, it doesn’t really translate for me. I think this is something that is better in theory than in actual practice. I give the team credit for mixing it up and being creative without just rehashing a slightly different throwback or doing a vomit inducing jersey with different colors. This jersey is clean and simple, but the block letters and stacked Boston Celtics on the front do sort of make it look like a knockoff.

You won’t see it during most games when the jerseys are tucked in, but there is an excellent subtle feature to these tops though; a quote from Red Auerbach in the bottom corner.

“The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team, they’re a way of life.”

A+ attention to detail here.

It was definitely a smart bet to play it safe this year as the Celtics have had some truly ghastly alternate jerseys over the years:

Full disclosure, I dig and own a pair of the grey shorts

One of my favorite jerseys to this day was the old Christmas Day uni that Nike canned when they took over in 2017 in favor of City Edition jerseys they can pump out every single year. The cursive lettering with the snowflake on the back collar was perfectly simple. Good luck finding one of those gems these days.

Maybe I’ll feel different when I see Jaylen Brown slam down a dunk wearing this, but until then I am an enthusiastic “meh” on these unis.

Celtics 2020 Draft Recap: Danny Ainge Targets the Three Ball

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I know a lot of fans wanted “fireworks” and wanted to see Danny Ainge make a huge blockbuster trade, but that was never going to happen. It’s nearly impossible to package lower picks to move up into the Top 5 in the NBA. The picks just are not nearly as valuable as they are in a league like the NFL because the rotations and the benches are so much smaller. And I know they were rumored to be in on guys like James Harden, but even if you wanted Harden you’d be silly to buy into that. The Celtics are always “in” on every big deal that they don’t actually do. Sure, a lot could change this afternoon depending on which way Gordon Hayward goes, but the Celtics did the only thing they really could do (without fundamentally changing the roster), stay pat and make their draft selections. So let’s take a look at who’s coming to Boston (or Maine) in a few weeks.

No. 14 – Aaron Nesmith, Forward 6’6″ Vanderbilt

Jay Bilas described Aaron Nesmith as the “best shooter in the draft” which is absolute porn for Celtics fans like me who have been begging for a 3 point threat on this team. Nesmith shot 52% from 3 last season to lead the nation. We do not need Marcus Smart jacking 10 threes a game with a guy like Nesmith on the team. This seems like a perfect fit considering the Celtics’ needs and their spot in the draft. A three point sniper who can provide much needed scoring off the bench (where the Celtics ranked 29th in the league in PPG and 28th in 3%) or provide spacing in run and gun lineups with Tatum, Brown, and Kemba.

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Although he did only play 14 games last season due to a foot injury…

You’re never going to get a can’t miss stud in the middle of the first round; the NBA and college basketball just aren’t deep enough. So to get a desperately needed three point threat who can be an immediate contributor is about as good as it gets at this spot. If he turns into anything more, then thats gravy at No. 14.

No. 26 – Payton Pritchard, Point Guard, 6’1″ Oregon

QUACK! QUACK! Now I could make a joke about the Celtics taking a 6’1″ white Point Guard from Oregon, but I won’t because thats too easy and I’m a blogger not an animal. Pritchard has some legit credentials as he was the Pac-12 Player of the Year while he lead the league in Points per Game (20.5), Assists per Game(5.5), 3-pointers, Offensive Rating, and he started all 105 games over 3 seasons. So he’s a pretty good player, but again take a look at the key stat; 41% from 3 last season. Danny was looking for scoring off the bench this year, not freak athlete projects like he loves to do.

And this may mean nothing to you, but the kid is tough, led the league in minutes played, won four state titles in high school and led Oregon to the Final Four. So he may be more grit and balls than elite talent, but as I’ve repeatedly said this team needs more grit off the bench.

“Boston selected competitive and they selected winner and a clutch performer…he can stretch it out and shoot it from deep, he’s strong when he puts the ball on the floor, he’s a competitive defender even though he’s not the greatest defender” – Jay Bilas

No. 30 – Traded to Memphis Grizzlies for Future Pick(s)

First let’s all agree that there was literally no room in this organization for another rookie. Theres just not enough roster spots in Boston or even Maine. I was fully expecting a draft and stash, but Danny trading out of a shitty pick for a future, unknown pick will always make me laugh.

Reports are that its not even another first round pick either.

Two second rounders! Thats twice as good as one first rounder!

It’s gotten to the point where Danny is like Bill Belichick just laundering these picks over the years so it’s nearly impossible to analyze what he actually got in return. So far it’s not great though. Danny traded last year’s No. 26 pick and Aron Baynes to the Suns for a 2020 first rounder, which was originally from the Bucks. Which he then flipped last night to the Grizzlies. So now Danny has essentially turned the 2019 No. 26 pick and Aron Baynes into two future second round picks. Now thats value.

To be honest he was probably just jealous of the Thunder now having the biggest war chest of future draft picks: a title that Ainge coveted for the last several years. After a wild ride as the king of future draft assets, he’s like Henry Hill at the end of Goodfellas. And now it’s all over.

No. 47 – Yam Madar, Point Guard, 6’1″, Israel

There’s the draft and stash! This kid is only 19 and will play at least another year over in Israel before the Celtics ultimately bring him in as reinforcements for the Red Claws. MassLive had a nice breakdown of Madar if you’re interested.

What did you think of the Celtics draft? Shoot us your complaints or wild predictions @the300sboston