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Celtics Beat Bucks 117-113 in Eastern Conference Showdown

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Kyrie Irving had a team-high 28 points and the Celtics drilled a franchise record 24 threes to hand the Bucks their first loss of the season on Thursday night. A few quick thoughts on last night’s wild win coming up right after I stop smiling like a doofus at this video…

Gordon Hayward Heating Up

The Celtics are still being careful with Hayward, with good reason. The star forward has been understandably inconsistent in his first 7 games, as he shakes off rust and continues to make his way back from last season’s gruesome injury. However, last night he showed flashes of why he was such a highly sought after free agent two summers ago. Hayward scored a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and added 4 rebounds and 5 assists. He drilled three triples as well, and is shooting 40.7% from downtown so far this year.

Hayward’s most encouraging moment came early in the 1st quarter:

That play is a microcosm of what a healthy Hayward brings to the table. Smart defense (and the athleticism to execute), the ability to go coast to coast, and finish strong in traffic. Hayward has now attempted double-digit shots in three straight games, a sure sign that his game is beginning to round into form.

Greek Freak: Definitively Good

Milwaukee’s MVP candidate was lights out again last night. Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in a 33-11-2 game, and added three steals to boot. He was also out there traversing time and space like William S. Preston Esq. and Theodore Logan:

I mean COME ON. He’s doing up-and-unders now?

The Celtics still have as good a chance as anyone to make the Finals this year. But they’ll likely have to go through Giannis and Kawhi Leonard to do it, making things a taller task than expected a couple of months ago.

Get ‘Em Mook!

Marcus Morris has been huge this season. With Gordon Hayward working his way back to form, the C’s have needed one of their top role players to step up. He’s done that, and more. After last night’s 17 point, 5 rebound performance, Morris is averaging 14.8 points and 7.1 boards in only 25.3 minutes per game. It helps that he’s been on fire from beyond the arc. He’s drilling threes at a 51.3% clip, including a 5-for-8 performance from downtown on Thursday.

There was some question entering the season whether or not Morris would have a defined role with the return of Hayward and the continued progression of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. As fate would have it, he’s been more important than ever.

Shot Selection Struggles

On one hand, last night was an improvement in this area. 55 attempted three pointers is better than the bevy of long twos we had seen through the first 7 games. It also helps when you make 24 of those shots.

Yet, despite nearly setting an NBA record with made threes, the Celtics nearly coughed this one away late. They’ll continue to find themselves in that position as long as they remain allergic to attacking the rim and getting in the paint. Boston is dead last in field goals attempted within 8 feet. They’re also only 13th in field goal percentage within that range. For comparison’s sake, Golden State has attempted the second fewest shots inside 8 feet, but is 1st in field goal percentage. It’s really difficult to build a championship level offense around that combination of lack of volume and middle of the road efficiency, especially when you aren’t getting to the line either (C’s are 26th in free throws attempted per game). The numbers bear that out: the Celtics currently rank 27th in ORtg.

Simply making more threes like they did against Milwaukee will be helpful towards rectifying things. But not being able to get easy buckets late was an issue last night. The Celtics missed their last 6 field goal attempts (4 threes and 2 mid-range jumpers). That gave the Bucks an opening which they couldn’t take advantage of. It’s absolutely something to keep an eye on going forward.

Don’t look now, but after a sluggish 2-2 start the C’s are 6-2 (a 61.5 win pace). They’ll take their 4 game winning streak on the road for the next 5 games, starting on Saturday night in Indiana vs. the Pacers.

Kyrie is Becoming a True Celtic

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TRUE CELTICS

True Celtics are hard-nosed, team-oriented, all-around gritty players who are willing to do things other players won’t. Diving for loose balls, taking charges, and doing whatever it takes to win. True Celtics don’t care about their individual accomplishments as much as the team goal. They are able to put their ego aside for the greater good of the team. Kyrie Irving has always been known to be somewhat of a ball hog, who just wants to get buckets. He has been critiqued for having a big ego in the past. Whether these criticisms are justified or not, he is making it clear that he can be much, much more than how he is framed by the media.

WHERE WILL KYRIE TAKE HIS GAME NOW?

The start of this season has been crazy for the Celtics. Losing Gordon Hayward on opening night was a tough pill to swallow. It seemed like Kyrie was trying to take it all on himself. The next night against the Bucks, he went 7-25, and took some downright awful shots with wide open shooters to kick to. He seemed on a solo mission at times, not yet willing to fully trust his teammates. As we know, this is not how the Celtics operate.

Thankfully, they got to settle in after opening up on a back-to-back, all while dealing with the Hayward injury. He was obviously in the game plan in the opener, and probably still was the next night against the Bucks. Understandably, the game plan on the fly was to just get our best player the ball. More importantly, he has shown progress in building trust and chemistry on the court with his new teammates.

LEARNING AS HE GOES

Since those first few games, with possessions here and there, Kyrie has been great. He has looked much more comfortable within the offense, getting guys open shots with ease, making crisp passes, taking his shots off screens rather than in isolation, and moving well without the ball. Oh, and if you didn’t know, his ability to finish at the rim is as good as anyone in the league. He hasn’t been averaging 30 points like Isaiah did last year, but I think he will start to score more as he continues to build chemistry with his new teammates.

Right now he is more concerned with making the right basketball play, and just playing the right way. We hear Brad Stevens say this all the time. It seems crazy for him to simplify such a complex game this way, but it really is that simple for him. The play of the Celtics echoes their coaches comments, and it hasn’t taken Irving long to catch on. He is doing a good job of finding everyone else, and making sure they are staying involved. When the games start to matter more, he should start to have some big games scoring the ball. Kyrie is made for the big moment, and he will step up when the time comes.

PARADIGM SHIFT

This is a big step for Kyrie. It shows he is serious about taking on this new challenge full steam ahead, and changing his game to fit what Brad Stevens, and the Celtics, want. He is already cutting out a lot of mistakes he made early. The chemistry he and Al Horford have shown has been a real treat. They are already running the pick-and-roll (or pop) close to perfection. Horford has had plenty of lobs and open threes because of this.

Perhaps even more important is the leadership he is showing for the young players. Most of the Celtics, at some point this season, have commented that Kyrie is constantly in their ear, always sharing words of encouragement and making sure everybody knows what they need to do to improve. Even better, he is putting in the work, and leading by example.

Feeling like the guy next to you has your back goes a long way for teams in any sport. This has always been the DNA of the Celtics, and Kyrie is showing that he has his teammates’ backs. When it comes to helping them improve their games on a day-to-day basis, playing unselfishly and getting everyone involved on the court, or even going after it defensively, Kyrie has been bringing it. Even on the defensive end. He is currently leading the NBA in steals with 20. He is showing his ability to sacrifice for the better of the group. Kyrie Irving is becoming a true Celtic.