BOSTON – The Boston Celtics go up 3-0 in their first round series against the Brooklyn Nets behind a whole team effort, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, with a score of 109-103.
Even with the stellar performances of Tatum (39 points) and Brown (23 points) who shot a combined 22 for 45 totallying 62 points between the two of them, the lights for the Celtics have been shining bright in many ways.
One of the many ways the light shined for the Celtics was the effort of their players off the bench. Payton Pritchard had a near identical performance to his Game 2 performance, going 4 for 5 from the field with 10 points, however the energy and all-out effort play he provides helped elevate the Celtics on defense early. Grant Williams is also proving to be a valuable difference maker for this team off the bench. Williams in Game 2 had a perfect game, and in Game 3, while his shooting wasn’t as on-point, his hustle on both ends of the ball helped keep the Celtics ahead by bringing down five rebounds and notching seven points.
The defensive effort is another light that has been shining brightly for the Celtics. For a third straight game, the Celtics defense shut down Kevin Durant, holding him to only 16 points. Kyrie Irving was also held in check, also putting up only 16. Throughout the entire series, this defense being led by Marcus Smart has held two of the most prolific scorers in the league to some of their worst performances in recent memory.
The brightest light for the Celtics throughout this first round has to be their ball movement. The way that the Celtics have been able to facilitate the ball, find their preferred match-ups, or even give up the “hero ball” act to find the open man with the highest percentage chance for a shot is some of the most selfless basketball that is currently being played.
The chemistry that this team displays day in and day out, constantly talking about how much they trust each other and the faith they have in one another is going to allow for their lights to continue shining bright for a long time. The unrelenting determination that this team leaves out on the court every night is certainly something special and truly speaks to the impressive coaching ability of head coach Ime Udoka.
As long as the Celtics continue to play this newfound brand of basketball they discovered after the All-Star break, they have a real opportunity to make it to the NBA Finals. While the road ahead isn’t an easy one with potential future matchups against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat or Philadelphia 76ers, this team has the potential to hang championship banner 18 in the rafters of the TD Garden.
