I Boston Celtics they received a surprise reinforcement Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, when Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut much earlier than expected. KP’s return was a triumphal one, as he performed well in his first real game since the NBA Finals and the Celtics smothered the Clippers 126-94, but one little footnote still escaped this team: Al Horford is sat out the second half of the back-to-back, depriving the world of the opportunity to see the full squad for the first time this season. After four days of waiting, the big Dominican returned to the field against the Chicago Bulls and the Celtics fielded the entire rotation expected for the Playoffs: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard e Al Horford. This is the team that played the most minutes in Game 5 of the NBA Finals (counting Pritchard’s minutes), making its collective season debut. So, with all these premises, how did they actually behave?
The answer is a bit mixed. Starting with the positives: Boston’s offense has looked world-dominant all season, and against Chicago it delivered. For the umpteenth time this season, it looked like the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single game by a team was in jeopardy: this time they finished with 23 shots. Tatum scored 35 points with incredible efficiency (12 of 18), Porzingis scored 21 and Payton Pritchard continued his Sixth Man of the Year campaign with 29 points – including 19 in 5 minutes of the fourth quarter – and seven three-pointers. The Celtics can simply beat defenses any way they want, and Porzingis’ return has only amplified that quality. As much as one might complain about their extremely high three-point frequency, the Celtics remain one of the most effective teams at the rim in the league. In the game against the Bulls they shot 67% within three meters of the basket, the sixth best and only one point lower than last year’s 68% (second best). Adding a 7-foot-3 post-walking mismatch into the mix will only increase this percentage. The Latvian has already demonstrated his usual tricks, providing a button the Celtics can press at any time when they need to generate an easy shot inside the arc.
And yes, the Celtics shoot a lot of threes. You can complain all you want, but given how good they are at shooting, it’s hard to argue that they should do anything else. After tying the NBA record for three-pointers made in his season opener against the Knicks (and shamelessly and hilariously failing to break the record in garbage time), any night seems like it could be the one in which they finally break it. Porzingis’ return to the fray only makes this situation more comical. KP’s pick and pop is one of the most effective plays to spam on a basketball court.
If you want to criticize the Celtics team, however, you can start with the defense, where the situation is a little shakier. According to NBA Stats, their defensive rating has dropped from the second-best mark last year (110.6) to eighth place (111). It is an imperceptible slip, less than half a point, but which corresponds to the eye test, with a few more errors than usual. The Bulls scored 129 points in a game that ended in regulation, and while they benefited from some high-level shooting that you just have to take your hat off to, there were times when it felt like the Celtics weren’t putting up enough resistance. Porzingis’ return will help here too, of course. He’s by far the most effective rim protector on this team, and it helps that he takes so many minutes away from the Celtics’ flawed but useful group of reserves. Luke Kornet has been hit, Neemias Queta seems as likely to record a highlight-reel block as he is caught miserably out of position, while Xavier Tillman appears to be more of a situational consideration than a mainstay of the rotation. Boston’s Latvian unicorn solves many problems with his presence alone and, like the Celtics’ close-range shooting percentage, a defensive improvement at the rim is expected with his use in those minutes. It must be said that Pritchard’s increased role also has an effect. He’s been a mainstay on offense and plays hard as a defender, but it’s difficult for a guard his size to really make the leap on defense at the NBA level. The Celtics will always cover him on that side of the court, but their ideal defensive scheme revolves around big guards like Holiday and White who crush opposing teams’ ball-handlers. Pritchard deserves credit for working hard, but physical disadvantages will always make him a target, a risk that will easily prove worthwhile if he continues to score at the “torrid” pace of the first quarter of the season.
The funny thing about this milestone – seeing “the gang” back together for the first time – is that it might not matter. The Boston Celtics are 16-3 on the season so far, and have found a way to win despite Porzingis’ absence and Horford’s limitations. And it’s not even a coincidence that they are losing them: they are second only to the Oklahoma City Thunder in point differential and have put an end to the perfect start to the season of the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-0). We know that the Celtics can win even when the script doesn’t go in their favor and, just like last year, the most important thing is not success in the regular season, but the ability to field their core in the Playoffs. Nonetheless, it was nice to get a glimpse into the future of this team, even if it was just one imperfect performance in late November. The Celtics are still the most talented team in the league and all that talent is finally here. They’ve moved within a half-game of Cleveland for first place in the Eastern Conference, and with Porzingis back, it’s entirely possible they’re about to reclaim their throne and take it. Friday night’s matchup with the Bulls only provided a preview of what is inevitably to come.
