[EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Celtics Town contributors Thomas King (@celticstown) and Jordan Higgs (@EreJordan) have woken up from their Boston Celtics blogging hibernation and will now be contributing to Red’s Army on a weekly basis. In the first edition of ‘Two Guys, One Column’ the pair will take a look back at the Boston Celtics 109-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers Thursday night, discussing some key takeaways from the win and what it means for the Celtics moving forward.]
Jordan Higgs: Alright Tommy, the Celtics won their fourth in a row last night and it’s time we answer a question I’m sure many folks have: which uniforms are worse–the Indiana Pacers Hoosier Throwbacks or the Boston Celtics Grey Pajamas?
Thomas King: Both uniforms are epically ugly, but I’m giving the Pacers a pass for two reasons: 1) throwback jerseys are supposed to be kind of ugly–that’s part of their charm. 2) Anytime the Pacers rep Jimmy Chitwood and the Milan Miracle, and one of my all-time favorite sports movies, I’m all for it. I’m just glad Bobby Plump wasn’t on the other side with any late-game heroics and the Celtics were able to pull this game out down the stretch–their second road victory in a row against a probable playoff team.
I guess it’s not quite a surprise, but after all that nonsensical ‘do the Celtics move the ball better without Isaiah Thomas’ talk, it was great to see him take over the game in the fourth quarter, wasn’t it?
JH: I have a confession to make: I’ve never seen Hoosiers. That said I’m with you on this one–there’s no excuse for the grey pajamas, though I may be slightly biased because I find it impossible to shoot in sleeves myself.
Hideous fashion show aside, it’s been great to see Isaiah dominating fourth quarters since his return. According to NBA.com, among qualifying players, Isaiah Thomas is actually second in clutch PPG (behind Russell Westbrook) and the Celtics are 11-5 in close games where he’s taking over. It does sometimes FEEL like the Celtics move the ball better without Thomas but I think that’s due to what a dedicated creator Marcus Smart can be with the ball in his hands. In the end, you can’t argue with results (or stats)– anyone who thinks the Celtics are better without Thomas is a lunatic.
TK: When you have a great point guard like Thomas, the ball is–rightfully– going to be in his hands a lot, so there might not be the same number of passes when he’s on the court, but the ball is always finding the open man on this team and that’s the most important thing. There just happens to be a lot more open guys when IT is out there because, you know, nobody can stay in front of the jitterbug.
And that’s exactly the kind of player you need in the playoffs when opposing teams have that scout on you and can take away your pet plays and your first and second option. You need a guy like Isaiah who can create something out of nothing. Over the past two games, when it’s close in the fourth quarter, the Celtics have gone to a steady diet of Thomas and Horford pick-and-rolls and first Memphis–one of the best defense in the NBA– and then Indiana had no idea how to defend it. Thomas had poor Myles Turner looking like the goofy kid who can’t tie his shoes but got picked for the team just because he was 6 inches taller than everybody.
Are the Celtics starting to discover a fourth quarter identity now that they are finally getting healthy?
JH: A big part of it is health–we always knew that the Celtics were going to pick-and-roll everyone to death with the Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford combo and both those guys have missed significant time this year. That said, I’m still not too keen on the ‘IT&D’ lineup Celtics coach Brad Stevens keeps trotting out there. The Avery Bradley- Marcus Smart-Thomas lineup is -4.5 per 100 possessions, which isn’t dreadful, but it isn’t great either. I understand Brad wants to play his five best players to close games, but I think in this case the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Even last night that lineup only outscored the Pacers by two in the fourth… maybe this is a start of a new trend but I doubt it.
TK: Look, I think most Celtics fans can see what Brad Stevens is trying to do with that lineup. Like you said, Jordan, he’s trying to get his five best players on the floor, as any good coach should. Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out thus far. Even against the Pacers, who play as much small ball as anybody, the results were uneven. 6-foot-6 C.J. Miles played most of the fourth quarter at power forward, and he scored 19 points in the frame!
I think part of the problem is that Jae Crowder, who is essential to Boston’s small lineups, doesn’t look quite healthy. He’s shot well enough from distance (40 percent three-point shooting) to hide it, but he doesn’t look nearly as explosive or physically imposing on the defensive end as he was last season. In a noticeable departure from last season, the Celtics have even tasked Avery Bradley with guarding a lot of the top wing players that Crowder was matched up with last night. In fact, Bradley was matched up against Paul George most of the game last night. After a quick start from George, Bradley did a fantastic job on the All-Star forward, and his play defensively was a big reason for the win…BUT the Celtics need the physical, intimidating Crowder from last season to have a chance to be successful with that lineup. Otherwise, against tougher teams than the Pacers, the Celtics simply won’t be able to get away with that lineup at the end of games, which poses a problem.
Marcus Smart is such a big key to Boston’s success; he helped key a huge 17-0 run in the second quarter last night with his intensity and effort. Can Brad Stevens find a creative way to get him on the court at the end of games, or will he end up being the odd man out in crunch time?
JH: I think Brad has a tough task ahead of him. Smart is essentially useless off ball, but there’s no way you take the ball out of Thomas’ hands during crunch time to give it to the fifth-best player on the floor (and truth be told Bradley and Horford are probably ahead of Smart in the on-ball pecking order as well). I think everyone should be hoping Danny Ainge can work some magic and bring another quality player who fits well in the closing lineup. Getting that player on to the floor isn’t so clear cut though; so much of what Smart brings to the table is intangible and he clearly has the confidence of his coach. Ainge could avoid this conundrum by trading away Smart as part of this process, but I don’t think the Celtics want to do that.
TK: One of those guys who could potentially be on the trade block at the deadline is Paul George, who we got a first hand look at last night. Where do we put PG13 in the NBA hierarchy? Could an IT-PG13-Horford core topple Cleveland or have a chance as a real contender?
JH: I’m gonna beat my homer drum a little bit and say that the Celtics had the two best players on the floor last night. George is a great player, but I don’t think he’s in that superstar tier anymore, or even that second tier where I think players like Horford and Thomas reside. That said he’s still a fantastic top-25, All-Star-caliber player and you can’t teach talent (or height). Sliding George into Smart’s spot in the closing lineup would create a defensive juggernaut and add another creator both on and off the ball. It’s hard to say definitively that a Celtics team with George could topple the Cavaliers–they’d certainly have a puncher’s chance, but it would depend on what the Celtics had to give up. I don’t see how you get George away from the Pacers without giving up key pieces of the Celtics rotation, including probably at least one of Bradley and Crowder. In fact, I’m not sure how you get George away from the Pacers at all.
TK: Oddly enough, I think we both agree on George. He’d be a great second or third fiddle on a contending team, but I don’t think he puts the Celtics over the top, especially since you’re probably going to have to give up some combination of Crowder, Bradley, Smart.
Paul George is really good, but he’s not great. He’s the type of guy that can very easily have a night (like last night) where his jumper doesn’t fall and he shoots 2-9 in the second half and has minimal impact on the game. For someone who has the ball in his hands so much, he’s a guy who doesn’t get to the line very often or pass particularly well, so he’s living and dying by that jumper. Also, as good of an on-ball defender as he is, I don’t love his team defense. He’s basically unable and/or unwilling to guard power forwards, which limits his versatility, and he doesn’t always rotate with precision or force. He gave up two put back layups because he didn’t want to put a body on Horford in rotation.
JH: And I thought I was harsh on George. Yeesh.
TK: As good as George is, if I’m Danny Ainge, I’d much rather take my chances waiting to make a run at Blake Griffin in free agency, or for the ping pong balls to fall Brooklyn’s way and hit a homerun in the draft.
JH: I think the key thing is patience. We know Ainge is exploring all options to put this team over the top, and Celtics fans are going to have to be as patient as he is, waiting for a good opportunity at the right price.
TK: As a Celtics fan heading into the holidays, that’s a good place to be. Ainge has shown to be one of the most patient, forward-thinking GM’s and oh by the way, Boston is now 17-12, sitting firmly in third place in the East, and finally healthy heading into the New Year. Happy holidays!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
