Your Morning Dump... Where the Celtics are the next Celtics

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Some dubbed the Celtics the “Baby Hawks” before the start of the 2015-16 season because of their starless-but-on-the-rise roster. Stevens prefers his team develop its own identity rather than try to be another squad, because there’s no other team quite like these Jekyll-and-Hyde Celtics.

ESPN Boston – Unflappable Brad Stevens rescues his Baby Hawks

We’ve seen the comparisons already. The Hawks, the Spurs, the Warriors.

In all that noise, Brad’s got the best perspective. The Celtics need to develop their own identity. They’re not going to be the next Spurs, the next Warriors or even the next Hawks. If things go well, they’re just going to be the next Celtics. The next Celtics team that Celtics fans remember fondly–you know, the way that Celtics fans can remember the starting lineups from 1986 and 2008–but can’t even name five players from the Pitino era that aren’t Chauncey Billups or Paul Pierce.

Last night’s game showed that one of the hallmarks of this Celtics team, even in this pace-and-space era, is defense. Granted, Boston snagged a ton of offensive rebounds (12 more than Atlanta), but they also held Atlanta more than ten points below their season average on eight fewer field goal attempts, with Boston’s perimeter defense holding Atlanta well below their season average for both three point field goal percentage and three point field goal attempts.

Last night’s game also showed another hallmark of this Celtics team: versatility. The last game the Celtics won, the bench scored 50 points of 98 with six players scoring in double figures. Last night, the starters scored 70 of 106, and five players scored in double figures. Yes, Ainge and Stevens would gladly trade some of that flexibility for a superstar. But don’t think they’d be willing to trade a lot of it. The Celtics’ versatility enables Stevens to adapt his lineups to take advantage of any team’s weaknesses. Provided, of course, the players take care of the ball and the ball finds the bottom of the net.

And that’s another takeaway from last night’s game. Yes, this is a star driven league. Yes, players like Paul George can put teams on their backs late in games, but before making too much of Paul George’s play on Wednesday, take another look at the box. Paul George had one steal. Boston had 18 turnovers. Ask yourself what the final score would’ve been if the Celtics had finished that game with 10 turnovers instead of 18. What role did Paul George play in Boston’s abysmal three point shooting on Wednesday? If the Celtics execute their own game better on Wednesday, suddenly the narrative isn’t about how much they need a superstar. The Celtics played their game better last night, and without an obvious all-star on the roster, they beat one of the best teams in the East.

Page 2: It starts with Amir

“It started with Amir,” Stevens said of the strong effort. “I think that was really obvious. And you could see it just kind of up front.”

Mass Live – Boston Celtics notes: Amir Johnson posts ‘best defensive game’ yet, Jared Sullinger’s mindset sparks optimism

In all the talk of continuity from last year to this, some of us have overlooked the learning curve for the two new guys in the front court. David Lee finally looked like a fully functioning member of the Boston Celtics in Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, and tonight was Amir Johson’s turn to look like he’s starting to get it. It’ll be fun to see him continue to develop a role with this team.

CSNNE: Johnson’s night is music to Celtics’ ears