4 things we’ve learned about the Celtics this week
With observations on the team's reaction to the Kobe Bryant news and more.
COMMENTARY
Observations from a professional Celtics fan on the team’s recent three-game road trip. . .
What it was like being with the team following the Kobe Bryant news.
I don’t think anything I can write can adequately address the sorrow and pain of the Kobe Bryant tragedy. I will do my best to capture my own reactions and feelings from being in New Orleans for Sunday’s Celtics-Pelicans game shortly after the news broke. Upon arriving at the Smoothie King Center, there was a palpable air of sadness and emptiness. I didn’t exchange my typical boisterous greetings with other writers on the beat, just solemn head nods as we made our way into the arena.
Walking onto the court, I saw some players trying to go through their pregame routines, while others were just sitting courtside in stunned silence. As reporters asked members of the Celtics organization about their memories of Bryant, there were brief moments of laughter when they reflected on his dominance and villain-like status in Boston. It was clear how much respect they had for Bryant’s incredible talent, his indefatigable drive, and his commitment to his daughters.
I found that my overwhelming feelings of sadness and pain peaked at any mention of Gianna, Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter who also was killed in the helicopter crash. When pictures and videos of the two of them came across my Twitter timeline, my eyes welled and a feeling of emptiness took over my body.
I thought about my own loved ones, both my late father and the people in my life who I’d be devastated to lose today. As I tried to process the suddenness of the tragedy, I kept thinking about how we have no control over death, which left me feeling powerless and profoundly sad. It shouldn’t take something so horrific to make me appreciate all of the great people in my life, but it did on Sunday. I told my friends and family I loved them and getting their replies made me feel safe.
The coaches’ pregame media availabilities were surreal. It felt, at least to me, oddly comforting the business of the NBA would continue, though the press conferences were anything but normal. Alvin Gentry and Brad Stevens did their best to gracefully express the of grief the organizations they represented, but there was a collective understanding among everyone gathered that nothing they said could fully capture the emotions of the moment.
The pregame availability for players was canceled, so I made my way to my seat to continue to try and process. Despite the constant images of Kobe, Gianna, and the other victims, I found looking at Twitter to be comforting. The highlights, messages from the NBA community, and videos of Lakers fans gathering outside the Staples Center all helped me appreciate the remarkable and unrivaled impact Bryant had on the world.
As tip-off neared, the absurdity of a pre-game show actually brought a smile to my face. A local middle school’s girls cheerleading squad performed a great routine to the classic New Orleans song, “Choppa Style.” As their parents loudly cheered them on from the stands, it helped me realize that in life, even in the lowest moments, there will always be joy and happiness.
At the start of the game, the arena observed a 24-second moment of silence before each team took its own 24-second violation to honor Bryant, who wore No. 24 for the latter part of his 20-year NBA career. Although I knew both moments were coming, I was surprised by how moved I felt. As “Kobe” chants rang out throughout the arena, I felt a weird sense of pride for having been lucky enough to have watched him play basketball. I was never a Kobe fan and oftentimes I was even a Kobe detractor, but I knew he was a legend.
Everyone around me knew it, too. For a fleeting moment, it was comforting to share that recognition and appreciation with everyone in the arena, basketball community, and so many across the world.
The actual basketball game, which I’ll get to later, was very much a welcome distraction. The feelings of sorrow returned when it came time to actually talk to the players after the game. I don’t think any group of people respect Bryant more than the current generation of players. As Stevens mentioned pregame, he was their Michael Jordan.
Although he didn’t speak to the media, you could see the anguish on Jayson Tatum’s face. A Celtics employee told me he kept his hood on the entire time he was in the arena. His Instagram post was just devastating.
For the players who did speak, the words did not come easy. Kemba Walker must have said the phrase, “it’s tough,” seven or eight times during his very short press conference. It was heartbreaking to hear Gordon Hayward talk about how the tragedy made him reflect on his relationship with his daughters.
Many players have said they think Bryant would have wanted them to keep playing, to get back in the gym and work even harder, so I am going to try and do the same. Any subsequent basketball thoughts and observations are obviously trivial, but I hope they can serve as a possible distraction from the pain, and perhaps as a celebration of the amazing game that brings us together. The shift in tone will be stark, but I only know one way to talk about the game, and that’s with extreme Celtics-bias and many helpings of whimsical nonsense.
A Kaizen mind trick fixed the defense.
Prior to last week’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Celtics were playing their worst basketball of the season, losing six of their last eight games. Horrible first quarters, home losses, and horrendous defensive efforts had become as routine as Stevens refusing to reveal his starting lineup.
Now, there were some legitimate reasons for the team’s dalliance with ineptitude. The Celtics’ early January schedule was downright insane. The team played 10 games in only 16 nights, including three sets of back-to-backs/3-games-in-4-nights stretches.
While general fatigue could explain the slip in play, the team looked especially disjointed on the defensive end of the court, where their margin for error is razor slim. Because of their lack of size, the Celtics utilize a quick, high-intensity, scrambling style of defense that requires all five guys to be moving on a string. When a player makes a mistake, either due to lack of effort or energy, it causes the entire defense to collapse. Not only were the large opponents picking the Celtics apart, but the Cs were consistently burned by shifty guards who exposed their weak pick-and-roll coverages.
All of that changed against the Lakers, when the Celtics held LeBron James and Anthony Davis to only 24 points. The Lakers shot only 43 percent the field. Boston’s excellent defense continued all week. Against the Grizzlies, the Celtics completely neutralized likely Rookie of the Year Ja Morant and simply stopped Memphis from scoring, ending the first half on a 23-2 run. In Orlando, the Celtics held Nikola Vučević, the exact type of versatile big man who normally gives them trouble, to only 17 points on a pedestrian 6 of 18 from the field.
Before and after the win against the Lakers, we heard a lot about the great film session the team had on their off day leading up to the game. Rather than the coaches simply pointing out the team’s defensive mistakes, Brad used an old Kaizen mind trick to force his team to hold themselves accountable by having each player grade themselves.
In Miami, the Celtics excelled at — to use a Brad phrase that I’m not sure I am comfortable with — getting into the ball. The Heat were never able to establish any sort of offensive rhythm, preventing them from going on any sustained runs.
After the win in Miami, Walker even referenced the aforementioned film session as one of the reasons for the defense being more consistent.
Gordon Hayward is excelling as second banana.
With Tatum missing all three games of the recent road trip to rehab a strained groin, the Celtics needed someone other than Walker to provide some sort of scoring boost. Gordon Hayward, who is currently ranked fourth on the team in terms of usage rate, more than rose to the challenge. Over the three-game span, Hayward averaged 24.7 points, 9.7 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.
Walker was absolutely dominant in the first half of the Orlando game, but when he went to the bench in the third quarter, it was Hayward who, through a sequence of pretty assists and three pointers, led the Celtics on an 18-4 run that put the game away. Against the Heat, when Walker was struggling with his shot, Hayward once again stepped up to provide offensive support. He finished with a game-high 29 points on an extremely efficient 10-of-14 from the field. Hayward repeatedly attacked the paint, which dismantled Miami’s zone defense and resulted in him attempting 10 free throws, his second-highest total this season.
I’ve been impressed with Hayward’s ability to adjust his game to meet the team’s needs each night. He has fully embraced his role as Leader Brad’s swiss army knife. While consistently playing solid defense and providing support on the boards, he has no qualms purely acting as a facilitator, or, as we saw on this road trip, he can ramp up the aggression when points are at a premium.
Grant Williams is Lord of Verticality and fouler of many.
Despite being a below-average Settlers of Catan player, Grant Williams turned in an impressive road trip. Although he may not have put up the most exciting box score stats, in a very Thick Young Marcus Smart fashion, Williams’s energy most definitely impacted winning.
In his start against the Magic, Williams only put up nine points and four boards, but he was a game-high +17 during his 23 minutes on the floor. Perhaps in homage to his high-energy mentor, he even surprised from beyond the arc, knocking down 3 of 4 attempts. In Tuesday night’s win in Miami, Williams made hustle play after hustle play, including a huge offensive rebound and kick out for a Brad Wanamaker three at the end of the third quarter that extended the Celtics’ lead to four.
Williams’s play is filled with contradictions that I find fascinating. Despite being many inches shorter than most other power forwards and centers in the league, he is still a physically imposing player. He is the best player on the Celtics at playing vertically while simultaneously committing a bunch of fouls. (Williams managed to foul out of Boston’s blowout over the Pelicans while playing fewer than 14 minutes.)
Earlier this year, Williams explained to me why he was so good at contesting shots at the rim.
“Especially at my size, you have to do a good job of timing things and making it so that guys don’t have easy lay-ups, or you can actually get blocks off of that,” he said. “For me, it’s always been about being in the right position. If I am there to jump vertically, I am also there to take a charge.”
His desire to be in the right position largely is a byproduct of his body type.
“Before, I was the fat chubby kid that was falling every time,” he explained. “I said, ‘You know what? I kind of don’t like falling anymore, so maybe I can go up vertically and just affect the shot and make them miss and get in transition.”
As a fellow formerly fat and chubby kid myself, I have immense respect of Grant’s commitment to overcoming the obstacles and doing whatever it takes to win. We stan a thicc king.
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