Some lingering observations from the Celtics’ emboldening win over the Warriors
COMMENTARY
A few thoughts on the Celtics’ stirring win over the Warriors, a late-night West Coast special that started when it should have been finishing yet kept us awake thinking of the possibilities when it was over …
1. Should anyone give you, the smart and reasonable Celtics fan, grief about Al Horford and your appreciation for all of the little things that he does, tell them to watch the fourth quarter of this game and focus only on him and what he’s doing. I say watch rather than re-watch because they were all sleeping while the game was being played. Must have been a surprise to wake up to that score. Horford didn’t put together a final line to light up the box score (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), but he was he ever one of the most essential contributors to the victory.
Horford is the Celtics’ best passer, and a minute-plus sequence late in the fourth in which he pulled down an offensive rebound, saved the ball from going out of bounds, and found Bradley with a delicate pass that led to a crucial basket was an All The Small Things compilation that reminded me of something Kevin Garnett might have done in 2008. Horford makes a ton of money. He’s had his ups and downs this season. He is not a sure-fire 20-10 guy every night, and when he is it rarely looks smooth. But if you’re not happy to have him on your basketball team, you either are not watching, or do not know what you’re watching.
2. Steph Curry is a swell guy and a blast to watch, but his image helps him get away with more cocky antics and mannerisms than your average superstar. It was amusing to see him trash-talk Jaylen Brown after upfaking the Celtics rookie into oblivion before burying a three in the fourth quarter. More amusing was Isaiah Thomas’s truth-spitting line about it afterward, per Adam Himmelsbach: “I mean, they don’t do that when Avery guards them, I know that.” Brown will get his revenge when he posterizes Curry in the Finals. (I didn’t say which year.)
Curry didn’t score for the remainder of the game after that three, because one of the fun recurring story lines from recent Warriors-Celtics games came into play again: Bradley pestered, agitated, and locked down Curry down the stretch in a way no other guard in the league seems capable of doing. This doesn’t just go back to the two thrilling games last year, either. Bradley has been doing this to Curry as far back as March 2013, when he tormented the Warriors star – who was coming off a 54-point game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden – into 6-of-22 shooting in a Celtics win. Bradley is his legitimate nemesis.
3. I generally love watching Isaiah Thomas play and it was remarkable to hear “M-V-P” chants in Oracle Arena for someone other than Curry. You travel well, Green Teamers. IT, who had 25 points last night, is an unabashed gunner, but he’s justified – he’s a genius contortionist when he finishes at the rim, and when he pulls up for a 3, I always believe it’s going in. More important, he always believes it’s going in. I have little doubt he’s going to have a far better – and longer – postseason than he did a year ago. He’s a much better shooter and passer than he was when he got here three seasons ago.
But it’s that can’t-stop-me confidence that is both part of his charm and an occasional source of frustration. He was ticked off after the bizarre loss to the Suns, not just because of his fluky turnover that gave away the game, but because he felt like Brad Stevens’s odd lineup choices that afternoon contributed to his relative struggles. His mistake was saying so publicly, but that’s who he is. No harm, no foul. I just wish he’d said after the Warriors game that Stevens did a better job of coaching in this one. Troll the trolls, IT.
I do find myself wondering whether Thomas will actually be the odd man out should Danny Ainge trade one of this three diversely skilled primary guards in the next year or two. Bradley’s injuries are frustrating, but he might be the most complete player on the Celtics roster and he’s still only 26 years old. Marcus Smart is trending toward becoming something between Dennis Johnson and Don Chaney – a killer defender who is fearless in the big moment. Bradley and Smart make watching defense fun. If the Celtics end up with a more conventional point guard in the draft this year, I do wonder whether IT is a player they look to sell high on, provided they have a way to fill the scoring void. Not saying I hope it happens. Just don’t believe it’s out of the realm of possibility.
4. Kelly Olynyk scored 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting, while also contributing 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals (including one from Curry) in 26 minutes of playing time. The wise-acre comment is to suggest that there will never be a better time than now for Danny Ainge to text Warriors GM Bob Myers and suggest an Olynyk-for-Kevin Durant swap. The reality, though is this. Olynyk is always going to be somewhat maligned because his aggressiveness comes and goes, he falls down a lot, and he was drafted before Giannis Antetokounmpo. But he’s become a very helpful player to the cause, and on some nights even looks like their second-best offensive weapon. He should get a little more respect from Celtics fans than he does.
