Unapologetically irrational thoughts following Boston’s beatdown of Philly

We typically offer 5 Rational Thoughts following every Celtics game. A collection of measured takes on some of the high and low points of the game.

This is not that post. At all. I’m here to gush and point fingers following the Celtics 116-95 win over the 76ers on Saturday night.

1. Jayson Tatum has my unwavering confidence 

Saturday night’s game vs Philly was HUGE for everyone’s psyche. Without Kemba Walker, the Celtics were underdogs and at serious risk of a season sweep. But JT walked into the building this night, and on a national stage against a huge rival, held us tight to his warm bosom and whispered, “Not on my watch.” The man set the tone early by ripping off 9 consecutive points during the 1st quarter and emphatically punctuated his performance with a thunderous dunk on Al Horford. This is what franchise cornerstone, superstar players do.

Tatum on Horford crime pic.twitter.com/wM5NW7oB6x

— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) February 2, 2020

2. Jaylen Brown has unleashed his new handles

Not so long ago, we openly wondered about JB’s ball-handling. Shooting and ball-handling were the big concerns about his offensive game. Wonder no more. Brown blenderized Philly’s new defensive wunderkind, Matisse Thybulle.

Jaylen Brown with the nasty crossover on Thybulle 🥴
𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 (📲 @MetroByTMobile ) pic.twitter.com/9dv7gFztUD

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 2, 2020

Crossing Thybulle was impressive, but this move by Jaylen Brown was pretty nice too. pic.twitter.com/JbKPiiG7P5

— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) February 2, 2020

For more gushing about Brown’s work ethic and Tatum’s performance, check out the opening portion of the latest Locked On Celtics podcast.

3. The swagger reached the bench

Remember Jayson Tatum’s tone-setting I hyped earlier? Well, here’s immediate proof of its effectiveness. Brad Wannamaker had the balls to taunt Joel Embiid.

Wanamaker with the JAM 🔨 pic.twitter.com/qAc1sF7yYH

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2020

4. Joel Embiid doesn’t look happy or healthy

It’s no secret that Philadelphia, despite championship expectations, is having trouble finding their rhythm. The 76ers remain stuck in 6th place in the Eastern Conference. Rather than call out Embiid myself, I’ll share the words of 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey:

But he really looked out of sorts against the Celtics. Not only was Embiid once again a victim of the Sixers’ poor spacing, he shot the ball poorly. Defensively, he was usually a step slow or out of position. It also appeared that he became overly cautious with his left hand.

5. The fun never stops

Jaylen Brown had the Sixers (and Marcus Smart) dancing 🕺 pic.twitter.com/QxJuvZ9lrv

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 2, 2020

This team loves to compete and have fun. It’s such a refreshing feeling following last year’s doldrums.