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.
“You can go through every defensive box that you can make,” Brad Stevens began after the game, “transition defense, rebounding, pick-and-roll defense, down screens, go through them all, and we have to improve on all of them. That was clear tonight, and it’s been clear before tonight.”
The Celtics surrendered 34 points in the paint in the 1st half. Charlotte finished with 18 2nd chance points. Both stats are horrific.
Exhibit A: Worst case scenario
🏀🏀🏀🏀 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀
🏀 🏀 🏀
🏀🏀🏀🏀 🏀
🏀 🏀
🏀 🏀 🏀
🏀 🏀🏀🏀 pic.twitter.com/8smHQL30jK— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) October 6, 2019
Exhibit B: Some improvement, but still bad
Great ball movement 👏👏👏@cody_martin15 | #AllFly pic.twitter.com/vYHY2mzYur
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) October 6, 2019
There are two ways to look at this.
1) It’s not the end of the world because there’s plenty of time for Stevens to address the communications issues or
2) We’re doomed because Charlotte is awful.
I’ll let you decide.
Related link – 5 quick thoughts following Celtics preseason win over Charlotte
On Page 2, Gordon Hayward gets dinged up.
Hayward doesn’t remember getting hit on his elbow in the first half but said the soreness lingered. He was seen talking with team trainers on the sideline in the third quarter before having ice applied. Hayward downplayed long-term concern but admitted he’ll get treatment moving forward in hopes of combating the soreness.
“It happened in the first half, it’s hard to bend it or straighten it all the way,” said Hayward. “Then, in the second [half], I thought it would loosen up, it didn’t really loosen up. Something happened in the first half but we’ll work on it.
Before the elbow injury, Hayward put together some tremendously encouraging stretches, including a series of explosive moves in the first half. He threw an alley-oop lob to Robert Williams for a dunk on the game’s first play, had a nice drive to the basket through traffic for a reverse layup, and knocked down a 3-pointer off a pretty feed from new teammate Kemba Walker all in the first 3 ½ minutes.
If you read my Dump yesterday, you know that I have zero expectations for Gordon and thus am 100% most definitely not excited about what I saw last night.
And finally, Bismack Biyombo is all of us.
📸 Bismack Biyombo's reaction when Tacko Fall checked in #Celtics Hornets #WBZ @tackofall99 pic.twitter.com/zLiJB2fQab
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) October 7, 2019
The rest of the links
Globe – 12 observations from Celtics preseason win | Tacko debuts as Celtic, much to crowds delight
Herald – Celtics beat Charlotte, 107-106
NBC Boston – Tackomania runs wild | Weird fact about Javonte Green’s debut | Rozier: Boston is home for me
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