Some observations following the Boston Celtics’ 126-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day… The Celts are incredibly talented. It was certainly not pretty. By halftime, Boston had given up the majority of its 18-point lead, and the three-point panickers—many of whom were featured on ESPN’s halftime panel—were in full force. The Celtics had only made 7 of their 24 three-point attempts in the first two quarters. But Boston did what Boston does best in the second half, overwhelming the Lakers with a clean (just eight turnovers) and diverse (all five starters scored at least 18 points) offense and enough defense against everyone but Anthony Davis (40 points) to outscore L.A. 68–58 in the second half. For a road trip, how about this? The Western Conference playoff contenders, the Kings, Clippers, and Lakers, were all destroyed by the Celtics following their thrilling overtime loss to Golden State. The Clippers were up against Boston having won nine straight games. 37 points separated the two teams. The Lakers had lost in Oklahoma City a few days earlier. In the second half, Boston outscored them by 68 points. The Celtics are the best top six team in the NBA, have a top-five offense and defense, and everything comes together because of their unselfish mindset. For the first time in his career, Porzingis is converting even half of his shots this season, with a career-high 52.9% rate. Vasquez, Gary A./USA TODAY Sports CAN THIS CRIME BE QUITTED? There are occasions when criticism of three-point shooting is warranted. It wasn’t good going 15 of 47 from three in a loss to Philadelphia early in the season. It was worse, missing forty-one threes against the Warriors last week. However, the Celtics make a lot of threes (37.8%, seventh in the NBA) in addition to taking a league-high 43.3 per game in threes. Actually, no team scores more than the 16.4 points Boston scores. And who stops them if they are making threes? In the first three minutes, Boston scored twelve points without any baskets from the Celtics’ MVP candidate, Jayson Tatum. The starting five had a net rating of almost plus 20 points per 100 possessions going into Monday’s 14-1 match. Kristaps Porzingis remarked, “We have so many weapons that it’s tough to prepare for us.” Among them is Porzingis. The 7’3″ big man has fit into the Celtics’ system like a glove. Porzingis swatted two shots, grabbed 11 rebounds, and scored a team-high 28 points on Monday. Porzingis hauled Anthony Davis to the perimeter when he tried to defend him. Porzingis punished a smaller defender on the inside when the Lakers switched. “We haven’t had a low post presence like that since I’ve been on the Celtics,” Tatum stated. “It causes a great deal of issues. Will you be switching us around? Do you have a drop? Simply put, I’m glad to be on this side of things.” DO THE LAKERS HAVE PROBLEMS? That may be too much trouble, but this isn’t how L.A. anticipated things to begin. The Lakers are 16–15, and while injuries have played a part—Gabe Vincent may be sidelined for two more months after just five games—inconsistency—particularly offensive inconsistency—has been a bigger factor. Jarred Vanderbilt missed time early in the season. The Lakers’ three-point shooting percentage, which is positioned between San Antonio and Charlotte, contributes to their offensive efficiency ranking in the bottom three of the NBA. The Lakers are unable to force their opponents to pay because they are packing the paint against them. According to LeBron James, “We’re still trying to figure out our situation as far as how we want to continue to attack each game.” Last summer, Lakers management placed a high priority on continuity; however, Rob Pelinka and company have six weeks to consider whether to make changes. Zach LaVine is frequently associated with Los Angeles—both he and James are represented by Klutch Sports—and if the team’s offensive problems persist, Pelinka might have to determine whether adding LaVine or a player similar to him is worthwhile. Only the 76ers have a higher net rating than the Celtics, who are now atop the Eastern Conference under Mazzulla’s leadership (+10.3). Vasquez, Gary A./USA TODAY Sports Joe Mazzola is enjoying a fantastic season. Whether it’s about Boston’s shot selection or his hesitation to call timeouts, Mazzulla is a lightning rod for criticism. Nevertheless, Mazzulla has every player on the roster buying into his vision of an elite two-way team. That is stuff fit for a coach of the year. For the next few months, Mazzulla’s challenge will be to keep working on the second unit. Payton Pritchard, who scored 10 points on Monday, has been outstanding in December, making 50% of his three-point attempts. After a scorching start, Sam Hauser has calmed down, but he is still a trustworthy three-point shooter. Neemias Queta played a few early minutes against the Lakers as Mazzulla switched up his big men lineup in an attempt to find a solid backup to Al Horford and Porzingis. I questioned Mazzulla about his confidence in his back half of the rotation prior to the game. Mazzulla stated, “I had faith in them from the beginning of the year.” “Simply because I witness them working every day. They’ve performed admirably. They are even finding methods to influence the game without the ball in some of the games, like the Cleveland and Orlando games. Guys are leaving, and they’re taking their place. So self-assured. Indeed, each and every one of them, considering the effort and perspective they contribute. They approach it with a very polished demeanor.”
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