CelticsWeek #16: Heading into the recess

This week’s CelticsWeek is a little different because the team’s final two games before the break are combined to make a massive pre-All-Star Break edition. Now let’s get started.

Boston Celtics: 5-0 overall, +74 difference in Weeks 16 and 17.
Wednesday, February 7: 125-117 victory against Atlanta
February 9th, Friday: W defeats Washington, 133-129
February 11, Sunday: W vs. Miami, 110-106
Tuesday, February 13: 118-110 W @ Brooklyn
Wednesday, February 14: Brooklyn is defeated, 136–86.
Throughout the first four of these games, the Celtics were on thin ice. Even when the squad continues to win, this type of streak causes some anxiety. How in the world are the Nets and the Wizards, two of the weakest basketball teams in the league, pushing the top team in the league so hard? That being said, these are the highs and lows of an 82-game regular season. It is the nature of things. Having the best record in the NBAThe Celtics are under pressure in every game they play, behind by 5.5 games. The fact that they won these games and kept racking up victories is what matters.

Before losing to the Celtics (without Jrue Holiday) on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks had won four of their previous five games, indicating that they were playing rather well basketball-wise. For the majority of the evening, the two teams were well matched, but in the fourth quarter, the Celtics took control and defeated the Hawks. The Wizards game was much worse; the Celtics defense was unable to stop the dismal Washington offense, giving up 81 points in the first half before taking the lead with a 36-16 third quarter.

The Miami Heat have somewhat recovered from their January seven-game losing streak. Before their matchup with the Celtics, they had won four of their previous five games, much like Atlanta, and even without Jimmy Butler.They gave Boston everything they could bear (for private reasons). After taking the lead at the conclusion of the first quarter and maintaining it throughout, the Celtics needed to hold off a late Miami comeback in order to win. They led by as much as 12 points at one point.

Ultimately, the Celtics concluded their pre-break run with a respectable showing. With Jayson Tatum scoring 41 points in the first game of their home-and-home series against the Nets, they easily defeated Brooklyn before completely blowing the doors apart in the second. It must feel wonderful to thrash the Nets by 50 points at TD Garden and to become only the third team in NBA history to win multiple games by more than 50 points in a single season.

Player of the Week: Porzingis Kristaps
4 GP, 28 MPG, 26.3 PPG, 7 REB, 1.5 BLK, +28 (60% FG, 56% 3PT),
It’s been challenging to locate a window in this area to discuss Porzingis. It has been extremely rare to see the enormous big man play every game for the Celtics in a given week, despite the fact that he has played at a consistently high level throughout the season and the team looking especially strong when he steps on the court due to a number of bothersome injuries and the organization’s extremely cautious approach to his health.

Although he missed the road victory against Brooklyn due to his customary back-to-back rest exchange with Horford, the other four games are still worth seeing.

Sufficient to put him over the top. I apologize to Tatum for having yet another fantastic week, but it’s now time to discuss the unicorn in the room.

Porzingis is, all things considered, enjoying his finest season to date, minute by minute. While his scoring average of 20 points per game, seven rebounds, and two swatted baskets are typical for him, his efficiency has reached whole new heights. With a hilarious 60% effective field goal percentage, he is easily surpassing his previous career best of 56.5% from last season, shooting 64% inside the arc and 37% behind it. He’s as good of a deterrent on defense as he’s ever been, averaging 1.9 blocks per game and giving up aAccording to NBA Stats, centers facing at least 15 attempts per game had the greatest defensive field goal percentage (42.5%).

In these games, his hyper-efficiency was evident offensively. With the exception of the Brooklyn blowout, Porzingis made the most of every shooting opportunity he saw during this period, and the Celtics required every point. He scored over 30 points in games against Atlanta and Washington and added 25 against Miami. His weekly averages would have been even more outrageous if he had been needed for longer than the 16 minutes he played against Brooklyn, during which he still scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. In every game, he blocked a shot and made at least two threes. That particular set of abilities might not be as uncommon as itwas in 2015, when Porzingis joined the league, but its importance cannot be understated.

So far, the Porzingis experience in Boston has been positive but not without its challenges. When he’s healthy, the Celtics appear like a completely different team. Despite missing a good number of games, he’s also stayed clear of ailments that might have long-term effects. When the postseason rolls around, they need him on the floor.

The Parquet Play: Jaylen Brown, Boston’s (other) star dunker, could be competing in the Slam Dunk Contest, but let’s give Jayson Tatum credit for his efforts on the rim. His co-star may possess greater physical prowess or artistic flare, but in my opinion, his powerful, two-handed jams are just as rewarding.

Fallout from the trade deadline: Around the League
The trade deadline, which falls on Thursday, February 8, is arguably the most anticipated day of the NBA regular season. 16 deals were completed before the deadline, plus two the day before. While nothing came close to the size of the original Anunoby and Pascal Siakam transactions from earlier in the season, a few competitors saw increases in their margins. Examining the movements that we saw that could be significant is worthwhile.

The day’s big story was perhaps the one that would have the biggest impact on the Celtics: the New York Knicks strengthened their roster by adding Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons. Even if I believe that the pair may be exaggerated on their ownThey should be a net benefit in New York—we’re talking about two guys who are well into their 30s who were part of one of the worst teams ever. Paying for Quentin Grimes, two second-round picks, plus salary filler is hardly a high cost.

These Knicks appear to have depth currently on paper, but we haven’t seen it in action and are unsure how it will translate into success in the postseason. Since adding the Detroit pair, they have dropped their last four games, suffering greatly from Julius Randle and OG Anunoby’s absences. As a result, some of the initial excitement has subsided. The Knicks have access to nine or ten excellent NBA players, depending on your opinion regardingt Precious Achiuwa), but they are still a postseason candidate because of their diminutive lead guard (Jalen Brunson) and their playoffs-struggling forward (Randle). That combination isn’t suggestive historically of a dispute over the title. One of the more intriguing narratives in the Eastern Conference towards the end will be how they put all of these pieces together once they are fully healthy.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, former pal Grant Williams was again on the move in another place. Williams never felt like a perfect fit in Dallas and was dropped from a playoff team’s starting lineup for the second consecutive year. As a result, the Mavericks traded Williams to Charlotte for Seth Curry and a potentially extremely valuable 2027 first round selection (top-two pick).

protected) for forward PJ Washington, a fifth-year player.

This seems like a subpar effort from Dallas. Although it’s unlikely that Williams needed to be given the door, Washington may not be that much of an improvement. Though stylistically he adds a little something that Williams does not in terms of shot creation, overall he is an inexperienced defender at best and an inefficient scorer who has gone worse every season due to Charlotte’s system. Making this exchange by sending out a first rounder with no protection might turn out to be a disastrous decision in the future. Adding center Daniel Gafford by effectively exchanging a 2028 pick swap (via Oklahoma City) increases the danger.

add even more of a factor.

Notable additions include the Thunder’s acquisition of Gordon Hayward from Charlotte, who can slot in as a productive wing if healthy. In an attempt to wait and see if Joel Embiid will be back for the postseason, the 76ers acquired Buddy Hield as part of their cautious strategy for the rest of the season. The Suns and Bucks acquired guard Patrick Beverley and wing Royce O’Neal, respectively, to provide some defense for very little money. Monte Morris, a valuable rotation guard, was acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the continuing Pistons fire sale.

Up Next: Holiday
The Celtics ended a pleasant time of leisure on a high note with their 50-point victory on Wednesday. Other than Tatumadd even more of a factor.
With Brown’s All-Star Break appearances (as well as Brown’s Slam Dunk Contest performance), the Celtics will have a full week off through Thursday, February 22. A well-earned break for the top basketball squad.

Upon their return, they will play two games in a half-week, first going to Chicago on Thursday to play the Bulls and then heading to New York for a fascinating clash against the Knicks in their new uniforms. By then, we’ll definitely be itching for Celtics basketball, so we’ll be back with a fresh edition of CelticsWeek to analyze the team’s comeback to action — maybe with some extra coverage of this weekend’s All-Star festivities.