Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
On Page 1…Where the Cs shoot, shoot and then shoot some more
I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say that no one—not media, not Celtics fans and certainly not Raptors fans—expected the level of diabolical, extinction-level brutality that Boston unleashed on Toronto last night. Yours truly thought a win was definitely possible but didn’t expect a blowout by a damn sight. As it turned out, the key was relentless offense.
[Mass Live]The Celtics showed a little bit of everything on Friday. Defensively, they played somewhat like the Milwaukee Bucks — more focused on guarding the interior than stopping Toronto’s 3-point shooters. The results were excellent. Toronto couldn’t find the range from deep early, and Boston stormed out to a big lead in the first half from which the Raptors never recovered.
Offensively, the Celtics were even better. Every star contributed, every pass was crisp and — until the game was out of reach — Boston’s eight-man rotation was a devastating combination of basketball IQ, athleticism and long-range shooting.
The Celtics, at their peak, are contenders. Friday’s game was the first reminder of that fact since the season resumed.
Boston unleashed relentless offense against the Nets a few nights ago, but otherwise haven’t been able to sustain for full games until this most recent one. Not to mention, that last contest was vs. an injury-ravaged squad whose most prolific scorer was an undrafted rookie named Jeremiah Martin, of whom I’d never heard until a minute ago when I checked the box score. (I joke about lesser-known rotation or bench players being “People Who Exist” all the time, but this time I 100% didn’t have a single clue who this dude was. And still don’t, TBH, aside from him dropping 20 in 15 garbage-time minutes.)
Jaylen Brown threading the needle 👀 pic.twitter.com/Exxv4QzZR9
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 8, 2020
It’s actually normally really bad, but hey it’s definitely gone in tonight. https://t.co/J6kufcy9h1
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) August 8, 2020
(King really, really is not gonna let that bit about the floater go without a fight, is he? I mean, if you’re going to do a bit, you might as well commit, so I guess it’s admirable.)
On Page 2…Where we focus on the architects of the win
[The Celtics] came out of the game with a 12-2 run and didn’t look back for the better part of 48 minutes, leading by as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter on their way to their second straight blowout win.Jaylen Brown had a team-high 20 points for the Celtics, leading seven different players in double figures in what was an incredibly balanced scoring effort for Boston’s regulars. Daniel Theis added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Jayson Tatum added 18 points as the C’s improved to 3-2 in Orlando. […][Boston Sports Journal]The Raptors mustered just 57 points against a relentless C’s defense over the first three quarters before the starters were pulled.
I mentioned this in my recap, but it bears repeating: The significance of what Jaylen Brown has shown during the five games of this season’s strange (but fortunately safe) home stretch cannot be overemphasized. It’s certainly not without precedent, given his success in the primary stretch of the season. His primary averages for 2019-20 thus far, after all, are in sync with last night’s 20-6-2 line: 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists, per Basketball Reference. (His average for the whole bubble period thus far is 22 points and 6 boards, plus 45% from beyond the arc.)
In fairness, he wasn’t alone, given that seven (7) players in green scored in double figures, with the team’s other two leaders, Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, not far behind with 17 and 18 points respectively. Differently but proportionately remarkable was Daniel Theis’s success; he dropped 11, including two triples, and also grabbed 11 boards. Every time people count him out—be they refs waging the War on Theis, opposing centers and power forwards or, most annoyingly, other teams’ fans and even some Celtics fans pontificating about the need for a True Center—he forces his way in with methodical gameplay.
Brad Stevens on Daniel Theis: "He has figured out how to get the most out of everyone around him and that's been his biggest strength all year long."
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) August 8, 2020
And furthermore…where we don’t rest on our laurels
Brad Stevens made a sobering but salient point in his postgame interview:
Brad Stevens said this game will mean “nothing” if the Celtics and Raptors meet in the playoffs.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) August 8, 2020
Indeed. The Raptors shouldn’t be written off for longer than the high of this evening’s win. They’ve had an excellent season both before and during the bubble phase, and will not be anything you could call an easy out. I’d predict that a series against them would almost certainly go seven, regardless of how it ended up.
The rest of the links:
Boston Globe: Celtics hit on all cylinders, and other observations from their rout of the Raptors
Boston Herald: Celtics roll over Toronto, the hottest team in the Orlando bubble
NBCSN Boston: Celtics have entered the elite contender group chat
(No, I have not forgiven them; I assure you of that.)
Mass Live: Boston Celtics Daniel Theis finds new ‘sweet spot’ from 3, ’that’s big for us’
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