1st Quarter
Jayson Tatum Hot Start
Starting where he left off the last few games. Jayson Tatum has been nothing but the best player we have. He hit a fall away which is hard to defend. He went to the hole looking for contact. Nailed his step away - how can you block that? He doing himself for a nice dunk off an Al feed. Found himself at the line again. Keep going to the paint!
Defense Was Stout - Offense hit or miss
Defense started out very strong, they blocked shots, collapsed on the ball when it hit the paint. There were plenty of active hands and contested shots. They had a few lapses, but overall solid defense. Offense was good and bad. A few nice moments where the ball was moving but some of the shot selection was terrible.
Celtics lead 22-21, need to see a better flow on offense, and better shot selection.
2nd Quarter
Playing to the level of your opponent is not a recipe for success
Lazy passes on offense are not the way to take hold of the game. When you play to the level of your opponent, it's evident with the product on the floor. As the second continues, they have elevated their play. Going to the hoop usually solves offensive issues as it did for the C's. Plus their hustle leading to extra possessions.
Tatum continues to cook and Brown looks good
JT continues to cook, getting to the line again, using his fall away to get baskets. We even saw an excellent spin to get to the hoop for 2. JB not to be outdone, nailed his patented free throw jumper, getting an easy to the hoop, and nailing a pure three. Watching both of these young bloods go to the hoop is a welcome sight.
Celtics lead 52-47, despite playing to the Rockets level. Need to look at third as the quarter to separate themselves.
3rd Quarter
Defense Defense Defense
Overall the effort on D forced the Rockets into some very poor shots. Celtics also forced a shot clock violation. They were very active on D, active hands, hustling, and just playing tough D. Quality switches on D, the D led to transition points on the other end.
JB came to show out, Tatum too
JB has been missed, finding his way to the line. During the Celtics massive run he nailed two very smooth three point shots. Tatum had a nice up and under getting to the rack, he passed up an open three to get the ball to Al for three.
Celtics lead 86-63 after coming out and imposing their will on the Rockets.
4th Quarter
Finish tonight's fourth quarter
Coming out a tad flat, Celtics need to regroup and finish off this fourth. Music to Celtics fans ears as they heard our plea, pushing the lead back up to 24. Lots of positives from this game as both Tatum and Brown played pretty damn well.
Nesmith and Pritchard Are In
We finally have a sighting of the summer duo who lit it up. Nesmith came out firing. Trying to maximize his minutes, showing Coach Udoka that he deserves more minutes. One thing is for certain about Aaron is his heart and hustle. It looks like he would run through a wall for the Celtics. PP seemed to press a bit, but when your not getting the minutes you should. How can you blame him.
Celtics win 108-90, the score doesn't tell the story because once they flexed their will on the Rockets, they didn't stop.
Extra Thoughts On Winning
Over these past few wins, what are the key ingredients? Defense, when you play hard and give effort on this end it pays off. Ball movement has been key in these games. Going to the hoop, what a concept, when we see this team get to the rim good things happen. Now going forward all we need to see if this every night! Don't take plays off! Big Game Vs the Nets Wednesday. You blew out the Lakers, now blow out the Nets! Bleed Green! Celtic Pride!
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