1st Quarter
Team Wise Thoughts from the First
We saw some pretty good ball movement in spurts, but no consistency. If we aren't executing on each offensive set to perfection, we aren't scoring. These slow offensive starts need to subside as well. Watching this quarter, Celtics fans saw some terrible turnovers. Defensively the heart and effort were not in it early which led to easy points for the Cavs. They eventually got their defense right and finished the quarter very well. Defense wins games!
Marcus Smart has value but with less shots.
When your point guard is over shooting there's a problem. Marcus misses more than he makes and that's what we saw this quarter. He did have an excellent steal which led to Tatum getting an easy hammer dunk. When Marcus over shoots, it's a sign that he's really doing way too much. If we get the Wolverine-who-passes as the distributor then we are in good shape.
End of the first Celtics trail 22-19. It could have been a lot worse, Celtics let's hope for a big second quarter explosion.
2nd Quarter
As in the first Marcus needs to shoot less.
Remember how we saw Marcus shoot way to much in the first, well he did it again in the second. His intangibles are what makes him special, but his shooting diminishes that when he's reckless offensively. He's just not a true offensive weapon as a shooter.
PP and Nesmith on the floor together?
We finally get to see the dynamic duo from summer league - Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard. These two young bloods have the ability to spread the floor for others offensively. This writers question is why are they not in there with JT? JT has the knack of getting into the paint and would be able to kick it out to these two deadly shooters.
End of the second Celtics trail 39-37, it's been a defensive war, with some ineffective offense on the side. There have been way too many turnovers for Celtics fans so far. Let's hope we see some crisp offense come second half. Unfortunately we lose RWill for the rest of the game.
3rd Quarter
Jayson Tatum Leading The Way
Jayson Tatum during the third came to play. We saw a strong take to the cup. He made a nice block on the defensive end. He made an excellent pass to Al for a nothing but net three! Tatum still shoots too many threes. We did see yet another strong take to the rim with a JAM! He finally nailed a nice corner three. He found his way into the paint and got a whistle. Celtics fans need more of him at the line. He was crashing the boards. He drove the hoop and dishes to Al for yet another three!
Team Play On D and O Came Together.
Defensively we saw much better effort. The D was active, fighting through picks, and switching much more crisply. Offensively we saw better ball movement and that was spurred by Jayson Tatum and Al Horford. If those two can build that kind of flow together that's a recipe for success. Celtics fans, I'm sure you see it but when this team plays hard on each possession the results are extremely good.
End of the third and we finally see the Celtics with a lead 65-64. If they can bottle what they did defensively this quarter, good things will come about for the fourth. Celtics fans do we sense a JT come to glory 4th? We will see...
4th quarter
Jason Tatums Defense/Hustle Come Up Big.
Jayson Tatum gave it his all in the fourth. He hustled to save the ball from going out of bounds and getting it to Enes for two. He blocked Rubio on a drive then he liked it so much he blocked him on a jumper! JTs offense came up big, with a nice straight away three. His passing was elite getting the rock to Al for a nothing but net three!
Key Minutes For Enes and JRich.
Enes Kanter finally saw the floor and made an impact, setting screens, getting rebounds and scoring too! JRich hit a big straight away three. He also hit and in your face jumper. JRich has shown this season that he is a pros pro. Nothing flashy about what he does, he just plays hard every play. He even makes big rebounds when needed.
End of the fourth, score 98-92 the good guys are victorious! Despite the slow start they came out with a win.
Final Thoughts On A Bounce Back Win.
At the end of the game we saw how important both Amazing Al and DS are to this team. They made some huge winning plays in the fourth. Overall these two have been pretty consistent and play very well together. On to Atlanta! Bleed Green Celtics fans! This writer does!
Side note, would have been nice to have won both of these games. This is how it goes with a rookie head coach, and a team still finding and grinding their way to something special. Celtic Pride!
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