7 takeaways as Celtics clinch No. 2 seed with win over Raptors
"We’re going to get everybody’s best shot."
The Celtics held off the Raptors and officially locked themselves into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 97-93 victory (and with the Bucks’ win over the Bulls, which tied them to the No. 1 seed).
Here are the takeaways.
1. The No. 2 seed might be a minor disappointment given how hot the Celtics started the season, but Joe Mazzulla is pleased with the habits the team has developed.
“The seed doesn’t matter as much as the mindset that we’ve had the entire season,” Mazzulla said. “Our goal is to have been a well balanced team throughout the regular season and finish in the top in both offense and defense. I think we’re developing the proper mindset as we head into the rest of the season and the playoffs. It’s good, I’m happy for the guys and the win they had today.”
Jaylen Brown agreed.
“I think that we’ve been playing some good basketball down the stretch,” Brown said. “We’ve been having guys in and out the lineup, etc., but we’ve been able to fill in and step up and find ways to win games, and that’s what it’s about.”
For his part, Malcolm Brogdon is just excited to be back in the postseason after toiling with the Pacers.
“That’s everything to me,” Brogdon said. “I want to win. The last two seasons for me were rough, not being able to win. I’m a winner. I feel like I’ve been known as a winner. I want to be known as a winner when I’m done playing in this league, and I want to win at the highest level, and that’s winning a championship. So being in Boston, being a Celtic fits me perfectly.”
2. Last week, we wrote about the impact Brogdon has had on the Celtics with his drives, and how his presence gives the Celtics depth for the postseason, which they didn’t have last year.
On Wednesday, Brogdon hurt the Raptors from behind the arc with a 4-for-6 from 3-point range, but the same concept held true — with Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Marcus Smart all sidelined, Brogdon gave the Celtics production that all three absent players usually bring to the table. Thanks to Brogdon, the Celtics still had enough primary scoring, 3-point shooting, and solid guard play to beat the Raptors and give themselves some clarity over the final week of the season.
Brogdon’s biggest shot came in the fourth quarter. After trailing for most of the game, the Raptors were mounting a legitimate threat midway through the period, and Precious Achiuwa buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at 82-82. On the next possession, Brogdon hit a pull-up 3-pointer, and the Celtics had a little bit of breathing room again.
After the game, Brogdon spoke candidly about the challenges of coming off the bench as a former All-Star.
“Having a career where you start your whole career, and you’re coming off the bench, and that’s where you’ve got to suck it up,” Brogdon said. “You’re not going to score as much or you’re not going to play as much. That’s what I think makes it a great team, finding guys that are able to do that, able to sacrifice, because it’s not me sacrificing every night.
“But for me it’s been a mindset the past couple weeks, just trying to take advantage of every minute I get.”
That sacrifice has not gone unnoticed — Brogdon is a frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year along with Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley.
“The humility that he brings to our team, he takes that pride in the second unit,” Joe Mazzulla said. “In order to be a great team, you have to have people like that and we have that from top to bottom. Different guys do different things and Malcolm has come in here with patience, humility and understanding. Credit to the locker room for embracing and empowering him.
“I hope he gets [Sixth Man of the Year], he deserves it. When he plays at a high level, we’re really good.”
3. If Brogdon brought solid guard play to replace Marcus Smart’s offensive contributions, Sam Hauser provided the defensive fireworks with this hustle play in the first half.
4. Mike Muscala got a start along with Hauser, Robert Williams, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. You might not be surprised to learn that prior to Wednesday, that group had not been on the floor together this season.
Muscala — who has not been part of the rotation since the Celtics acquired him at the trade deadline — played pretty well, tallying 12 points including 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point range.
“It just felt good to go out and play, honestly,” Muscala said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity tonight to go out and catch the rhythm and just be out there just hooping. Playing 30 minutes just felt fun.”
More good news for Muscala: His contributions to a win on Wednesday probably secured more minutes over the next two games if the Celtics shut players down with the 2-seed locked up.
5. The Celtics’ offense managed just 97 points and scored just 101 points per 100 possessions, which is in the 12th percentile league-wide per Cleaning the Glass. They shot just 60 percent at the rim and 28.9 percent from behind the arc.
The big difference? The Raptors’ offense was equally abysmal. O.G. Anunoby shot 5-for-16. Fred VanVleet was a catastrophic 2-for-14 and 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Pascal Siakam was good (28 points, 10-for-17) but not overwhelming, and as a team, the Raptors shot just 6-for-33 from behind the arc.
As noted by Sean Grande on Twitter, the Celtics were 0-6 this season and had lost 12 consecutive games in which they failed to score 100 points.
6. Jaylen Brown was relatively inefficient (25 points, 12-for-29 shooting, 1-for-9 from 3-point range), but on a night when the Celtics’ offense struggled mightily, he made several timely baskets including a nasty step-back jumper over O.G. Anunoby in the fourth quarter.
Before the game, Brown was given the Celtics’ Red Auerbach Award, given annually to the player who best exemplifies what it means to be a Celtic. Brown said he was “extremely grateful” for the honor.
“I’m grateful to be a part of it, especially when you’re highlighting things that necessarily don’t have to do with stats or analytics — like leadership on and off the floor,” Brown said. “Being able to receive an award for something that doesn’t necessarily you see some type of value for. It doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet. I appreciate stuff like that. I put my everything into this team, I put my everything into this city and this organization since I’ve been here, so to get that award, I’m grateful.”
In a statement, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said Brown has qualities that make the Celtics “stronger as a group.”
“Jaylen has proved that not only can you be a great basketball player, but you can be an important role model in the Boston community and off the court,” Grousbeck said.
7. The Celtics now have some decisions to make. They have two games remaining. With a win (or a Nuggets loss) in one of those two games, the Celtics secure home-court advantage against any Western Conference opponent if they make the Finals, but the team will likely emphasize health, especially for key players like Al Horford and Robert Williams.
Still, Brogdon noted that the Celtics “don’t want to lose these last two games.”
“I think that’s one of the most important things for any of the high-seeded teams, is to go in with momentum,” Brogdon said. “Because we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
The Celtics face the Raptors again on Friday before wrapping up the regular season against the Hawks on Monday.
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