Overreacting to the ebbs and flows of a grueling NBA regular season can be a frustrating and somewhat fruitless endeavor.
The reality is that yes, the games matter, but no, they don’t decide anything long term — not even the In-Season Tournament games.
There are, however, a few particularly telling and pivotal moments along the way that can illuminate a team’s long-term potential. I believe the Celtics’ 144-119 triumph over the Kings on Wednesday may go down as one of those milestones.
Boston didn’t let its circumstances define the outcome, en route to one of its most impressive showings to date.
“We had the right mindset coming into the game,” Derrick White told NBC Boston’s Abby Chin. “We came out the right way and got a good road win.”
Fresh off a glorious five-game home stand, the vibes were immaculate as the Celtics ventured to the West Coast for a four-game road trip. Then they ran into a Warriors team that tends to rise to the occasion when the stakes are magnified.
Jayson Tatum injured his ankle, Steph Curry did Steph Curry things and Golden State prevailed in overtime.
The Celtics then made the trip to Sacramento, where they faced a formidable Kings team that excels at home, can score in bunches and punishes opponents that lack focus. No Tatum. No Al Horford. No Luke Kornet. Second night of a back-to-back coming off an OT loss. None of that mattered.
With Tatum out, Jaylen Brown smoothly assumed his role as the go-to option and poured in a cool 28 points to finish plus-22. He also added six assists, five rebounds and no turnovers. Let that stat line sink in for a second. It speaks volumes. Brown let the game come to him and asserted himself at the right moments.
He also had plenty of help, as White (28 points, 7 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (24 points, 6 blocks), Jrue Holiday (21 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds) and Payton Pritchard (20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) all contributed.
Tonight was the 5th time in Celtics history that 5 players scored 20+ points in the same game (Brown, White, Porzingis, Holiday, Pritchard).
It’s the first such instance since 1/13/87 (Johnson, Parish, Ainge, Bird, McHale).
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) December 21, 2023
The balance was on full display, as ten players scored and Boston shot 55.4 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from 3-point range. After a dreadful performance from distance against the Warriors, the Celtics trusted their habits, and the law of averages worked in their favor and then some.
With Tatum out, it was clear everyone else shifted their role slightly to compensate. Brown took his attack mode to a new level, Holiday orchestrated the offense, White and Pritchard sizzled from 3 and Porzingis dominated down low.
They displayed poise, togetherness and mental toughness the entire way. No one tried to do too much. Everyone simply embraced the added responsibility and took it in stride. They’ve talked repeatedly about gladly sacrificing stats for the betterment of the team, and Wednesday’s game illustrated that point.
“Our team is built on sacrifice, and sometimes to see the lesser of one guy for another guy to be better,” coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters. “What we’re learning is that everybody has to be a lesser version of ourselves to be a better team.”
Porzingis could average 24 a night. Holiday could have 10 assists more often than he does. Brown could be the No. 1 option on a playoff team. But they all want a ring, and they don’t care who gets the glory. That’s what makes a good team great.
From one Celtics watcher to another, I strongly advise you to hop off the regular-season rollercoaster and simply enjoy the games for what they are. At the same time, make sure to savor the sweetness along the way.
This was one of those games that when we look back months from now, it may highlight what makes this team sparkle even more than it does now.
