Even When They Win, The Celtics Continue To Find Ways To Take Years Off Your Life By Playing Braindead Basketball

Juan Ocampo. Getty Images.

The second we all learned that essentially the entire Clippers roster was sitting this game out given they had a B2B which instantly made the Celts double digit favorites, we ALL knew what that meant

You'll never believe this, but guess who took the bait?

Now, I am a firm believe in you never, ever, ever apologize for winning. Winning by blowout, winning ugly, winning by a comfortable margin with no real drama, winning games you had no business winning, winning games despite actively trying to kill your entire fanbase, the goal is to win and to get that win by any means necessary. It's not about style points, it's about stacking Ws. 

At the same time

It should be possible for the Celts to find ways to win without putting us all through absolute hell for 2.5 hours. It should be possible to beat undermanned teams without finding yourself in a dogfight on the front end of a back to back. It should be possible to execute end of game situations where it's basically physically impossible for you to screw it up as long as you just hold onto the damn ball. These are not unrealistic expectations, this is the bare minimum.

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Having said that, there is also something to be said about being in all types of situations during a regular season. Reps are reps. Experiencing tense moments and high leverage situations can be valuable. Sure it's annoying as hell to watch and pretty inexcusable for anyone who has even played pick up basketball before, but I can almost guarantee you there will be situations in the postseason where things aren't going the Celts' way, their collective brains have all been taken over by extreme CTE, and despite all of that they will have to find a way to do enough to win. 

As I said at the top of the blog, the fact that this was the type of game we got shouldn't really surprise you. This is pretty much what always happens whenever the Celts find themselves being double digit favorites. Not only do they have long stretches of brain-dead basketball, but it always seems like their opponent goes on these fake as shit outbursts of extremely efficient shooting. I mean, 3 separate Clippers had 20+ on nearly 60% shooting, all from players who are most certainly not efficient shooters. That's just what tends to happen. The Celts were contesting things fine, and they still had to overcome another magnet ball game. This isn't the first time this exact type of game has happened and I assure you it will not be the last. 

But remember, a win is a win is a win. They don't get 0.5 wins for their performance last night, they get a full win. A green W goes on the schedule regardless of how badly they fumbled the end of the game and how infuriating it was to watch. 

The good news is they're back at it again tonight, but before we focus on the Lakers we need to talk about what the hell that was last night

The Good

- If you told me I would be starting a blog off with the performance of Jaden Springer and it wasn't an end of the season game in mid April when all the starters were resting for the playoffs, there's no way I'd believe you. If you told me that game was coming in mid January when the Celts are desperate for wins and that his play would be the thing that changed the entire game and essentially propelled the Celtics to victory, I'd think you were high off your own supply.

And yet…..

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It's not being hyperbolic to say that Jaden Springer's performance once Joe decided to insert him into the game is essentially what changed everything. His ball pressure was exactly what the team needed considering everyone else who found themselves on the floor provided absolutely zero resistance to any Clippers ball handler. How many times did we see player after player attack from the perimeter, get into the paint, and knock down a jumper? They faced no pressure, they dictated where they wanted to go and the Celts' defense was reactionary. At no point did we really see anyone impose their physicality defensively until Springer came in. That's probably not great, but also shoutout to Springer for being ready for his moment. 

Insert Jaden Springer and it was as if Joe iunleashed vintage Avery Bradley into the game. The second any Clipper ball handler had the rock, Springer was in that dude's asshole. A fantastic job of moving his feet without fouling once they put the ball on the floor, all of a sudden those open middies were contested. All of a sudden Springer was finding pockets to poke the ball free and cause turnovers. Everything about the game changed. Then on the other end, the Basketball Gods rewarded him with two GIGANTIC corner 3PM. One late in the 4th quarter and the other late in OT to seal it. 

There are definitely still things to work on in terms of his offense, but it's hard to see the impact that was made on the defensive end by Springer and at least not have a second of pause. I know that in order for the Celts to do anything of substance at the deadline they probably need his $4M salary, but at the same time, I kind of want this skillset on the roster. Especially with an aging PG in Jrue. If Springer can find ways to give you these short spurts of elite defense, having that available to throw on a shifty offensive minded PG in a playoff series might not be a bad idea if you're at the point where you need to break the glass in case of emergency on that end. 

The point is, he's still available of course, but the price has gone up. The deal needs to without a doubt make the Celts better. What I thought might just end up being a salary dump in a few weeks might have just played his way out of that. Celts had an 80 DRTG with Springer on the floor last night and a 123 DFRTG when he was off. Small sample sure, but I'd say that matches the eye test. 

- I'm not declaring him officially "back", but I will say that since his 0-7 (0-5) performance in the loss to the Raptors, after last night's 5-7 (5-7) showing from Sam Hauser, he's not 8-15 from deep over his last two games (both wins). In fact, it's an interesting trend that when you look at how the Celts have played in 2025, in games we see Hauser made more than 1 3PM pretty much always leads to wins. 

It sounds a little crazy to put so much stock into the production of a reserve shooter, but I truly feel like the Hauser shooting rut was one of the most impactful when it comes to the ceiling of his team. Both Pritchard and Hauser's ability to consistently make 3s (especially the open ones), is such a huge piece of the puzzle. When they do, the Celts tend to win. When they struggle, they tend to lose. With KP/Al/Jrue all out last night, it was another one of those games where the Celts desperately ended their reserve shooters to come through. 

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What made Hauser's struggles recently so inexplicable was the fact that I'd say 95% of his 3PA all come on wide open C&S opportunities. Once he saw a few go down to start this game we then saw him make all the types of threes you get when Hauser is locked in. C&S, coming off screens, pull ups, the works. 

Defensively, it wasn't the best we've ever seen Sam perform. In fact, I'd call it pretty poor. But I can live with that if you're going to give me 5-7 from deep in your spot start. 

- Of all the players on the roster, I'm not sure anyone needed to see their BIG TIME late game 3PM go in more than Derrick White. Another guy who is in a disaster shooting rut, sometimes a game like this can be what helps you break through and get back to normal

It wasn't just his 20/6/4 overall, White led all players from either team with 10 huge points on 4-7 (2-4) in the 4th quarter while playing all 12 minutes. In OT, he kept it going with a big 3PM to get things started. Sure there were some beyond frustrating brain farts when it came to his late-game decision-making in terms of passing the ball, but I know Derrick is smart. I know he can pass. What we need is for him to gain his confidence back as a shooter. 

The one thing I'll never question about Derrick White is his ability to make big time shots in big time moments. He's shown us since he first arrived in Boston that he very clearly possesses the clutch gene. If it's a big moment and Derrick finds himself with space, I want him to act exactly how he did in this game. You shoot that shit with confidence and you do not hesitate even for a moment. Teams are going to send all the attention late to Tatum/Brown, and they are good enough passers to where there will be opportunities for players like Derrick to make the defense pay. 

- It's weird, outside of the 1st quarter, I didn't exactly hate the Celtics defense. The Clippers were shooting at an insane clip but things were mostly contested, and they only allowed one 30 point quarter. In the 4th, they locked in and held the Clippers to 19 points. From the 3rd-OT, LAC scored just 54 points. The Celts forced 22 TOs and held them to 32% from deep while only allowing 13 FTA. 

Sort of like the ATL loss, things look even better if they don't fuck around in the final 30 seconds. Another team held to right around 100 points. For a team that has really needed to get back to their defensive roots, the Celts own the 3rd best defense in the NBA (105.3) over their last 5 games and opponents are only scoring around 104 points a night, which is also 3rd in the NBA over that timeframe. 

The point is, whether you are at home or on the road and facing a good team, bad team, injured team, whatever, the defense HAS to remain consistent. It's the backbone to everything this team does and it is the key to their repeat chances. When this team locks in and defends to an acceptable standard, it's not even funny how different they look. They look like the team we all know and love. Causing TOs, getting out on the break, good individual defense, that is the way.

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The Bad

- Tough night for Pritchard off the bench, who not only couldn't make a 3PM to save his life (1-7), but also had another game with 3 TOs. This is now the 2nd time in his last 4 games he's finished with at least 3 (had 4 vs ORL), and I can deal with the shooting stuff. It's Payton Pritchard, we know he can shoot. The turnovers are what's more concerning to me. If he's going to be on the floor he has the following responsibilities

1. Make 3s

2. Take care of the basketball

3. Create for others

We didn't really get any of those things in his 28 minutes last night. Somehow they were still able to survive the non-Tatum minutes despite this type of production from really their only rotation scorer off the bench, and while there's no need to be concerned since Payton is one of the more consistent players on the roster, I'd say the version we got last night wasn't exactly all that great. 

I know some people don't like the shooting and the decisions to bomb it from 35ft, but that's a nothing burger to me. I care way more about the turnover issue that seems to be creeping in whenever the Celts play aggressive defenses with length on the perimeter.

- I don't know what to make of Queta's night. Offensively he was pretty clutch and had some great moments as a roller. Defensively, he was mostly a disaster in space and a big time negative for certain stretches. Maybe it's being too harsh, but we saw the issues Luke has staying in front of guys in space, Queta was having some rough stretches, and Tillman was a DNP-CD. I found that interesting considering Tillman's whole thing is he's supposed to be good in switches. How bad can he truly be where even on a night where KP/Al sit and guys are struggling that he still can't get run?

If he's not playable, then you probably should give the roster spot to someone who is right? Very bizarre situation.

- I am beyond over watching every opponent have a magnet ball. Enough already. The Clippers were shooting 60% heading into the 4th quarter. Beyond fake. Somehow, the Celts won a game in which both sides took 90 FGA and the Clippers shot 52% to BOS's 45%.

How?

Oh right, Mazzulla Ball. The 3pt difference was the story (19-9 3PM), but the point is how many more games are we going to have to live through where every opponent simply cannot miss. Good defense, bad defense, none of it makes a difference. I can handle guys having good games, but 60% as a TEAM through 3 quarters? Enough is enough.

- Celts lost the points in the paint, 2nd chance points, fastbreak points, and allowed 22 points off TOs. If you do all those things in an NBA game, I'd say the majority of the time you're getting your ass kicked. Add in 4 missed FTs and I feel confident in saying the Celts were awful around the margins. The rebounding continues to be brutal for long stretches, the live ball turnovers are going to send me to an early grave, just pretty gross attention to detail from everyone involved.

The Ugly

- I know they had 49 points between the two of them, but I didn't think this was all that great of a performance from both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. They had their moments, like the big Tatum baseline jumper late and the big time clutch Jaylen FTs, but I wouldn't exactly say they were "good". Not by their standards at least. Even with Jaylen's efficiency (8-15, 2-2) that didn't outweigh the bad stuff, and with Tatum it was another frustrating night of low percentage shot selection combined with ball security issues.

In some ways, the Celts are lucky Jaden Springer bailed this team out because had they lost this game, you're looking at the two best players for being the biggest culprits in why this game was such a clusterfuck. 

With Jaylen, we simply cannot live in a world where the 2nd best player on the team can't touch the ball late. When it becomes winning time, mental mistakes like this are inexcusable

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This was the ATL game all over again. For the millionth time, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HOLD ONTO THE BALL. THE CLIPPERS HAVE TO FOUL YOU. DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN HOLDING THE BALL IS ASKING FOR SOMETHING BAD TO HAPPEN. WE JUST LIVED THROUGH THIS.

I don't care if Joe called a TO before that 1st turnover. That's not the point. The point is the decision making and the execution is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing. While Jaylen's ball security is inexcusable, I'm also looking at Derrick here. In these moments, the ball should never be put in a situation that changes the leverage of the possession. Here's what I mean by that.

In those spots, the Celts have the advantage. Inbound the ball, wait to be fouled, hit your FTs. Instead, they repeatedly made decisions to make things harder on themselves and opened themselves up to mistakes. The ball should NEVER go to the corner or the sidelines in these moments, because it helps the defense. It causes traps and chaos which lead to mistakes. I don't care if that player was Jaylen or anyone else. It's just not a smart basketball play to put yourself in a position for the advantage to be flipped like that. You are helping the defense.

Not only that, but Jaylen isn't exactly the most reliable late game FT shooter. He came through last night, but this ball needs to be going to the middle of the floor. We just saw Jrue make this same mistake passing to Jaylen on a sideline which he fumbled and the Hawks eventually won because of it. 

The thing is, this happened with Derrick too on a late game inbounds pass (that he may have stepped out of bounds on) in the final seconds of OT. I don't know how much clearer it can be

STOP GOING TO THE SIDELINES AND THE CORNERS IN HIGH LEVERAGE END OF GAME SITUATIONS. 

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with this shit. At no point should a 4 point lead with 30 seconds left be an issue. We should not be sweating those moments. Instead, they've nearly choked away 2 games in that exact scenario, and last night they almost did it TWICE. I feel like that's not even physically possible for an NBA team to do, yet here we are.

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With Tatum, if we already have to worry about the 2nd best player with the ball late, I cannot also worry about the best player having the ball late

Between the 2nd half and OT, Tatum finished 4-11 with 4 TOs. Not exactly the most aggressive approach, and then when he was aggressive he too had ball security issues. Between both Jaylen and Tatum, they finished with a combined 10 TOs. As a team, the Celts had 19 which led to 25 LAC points. That is so unbelievably bad I don't even know what to say.

Add in 3 TOs from Derrick, and 13 of the 19 came from your best players, with both having GIGANTIC late game mental mistakes that resulted in points. 

At this point, it feels like Jaylen is really pressing and sort of freaking out whenever he has the ball late in these close games, and that's something that has to be sorted out. Teams are going to do their best to take Tatum out of the equation, which means whoever has the ball cannot continue to have lapses like this. Then when Tatum is able to create, he can't also turn it over. 

- Two separate turnovers inbounding the basketball under their own basket. Not one, but two. In a real NBA game played by real NBA players. First it was Tatum and then it was Derrick. Make that make sense.

But you know what? The pulled it out. Win is a win is a win, and now we get to turn the page to another Celtics/Lakers showdown and an ability to start this trip off 3-0. This is the fork in the road game where you can decide what type of trip this ends up being. Take care of shit tonight, and a 4-0 trip is on the table.