Jayson Tatum didn’t disguise his frustration after the Celtics misplaced to the Pacers within the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament, which pressured them to go dwelling to Boston as a substitute of a free journey to Las Vegas for the semifinals.
“I wanted to (expletive) go to Vegas,” Tatum advised reporters in Indiana, flashing a light smirk. “I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go to Vegas, so yeah I’m mad. Next year, I guess.”
Added Jaylen Brown: “It’s unfortunate for us that we’re not going to Vegas, but I guess we’ll have to settle for Encore in Boston.”
Certainly, there must be some disappointment for the Celtics as their hopes of claiming the primary in-season event championship got here to an finish. It actually doesn’t change the last word purpose of an NBA championship, however the IST proved as one thing of a playoff simulator. It was a chance for progress for a gaggle that’s determining tips on how to recover from the hump. Not to say the incentives of a visit to Vegas and a big money reward.
But it’s additionally not the top of the world that the Celtics didn’t advance. And there could possibly be some advantages to it.
The Celtics, by not advancing, is not going to be taking part in an 83rd recreation they’d get in the event that they made the in-season event championship. A semifinal matchup on Thursday would have been their 82nd recreation on the schedule, however the IST championship wouldn’t have counted in the direction of the common season standings. It would have been an additional recreation that might have carried danger of damage, even when the rewards had been vital. Instead, the Celtics obtain a house recreation at TD Garden, the place they’re 9-0 this season.
Getting eradicated from the event additionally offers Kristaps Porzingis some additional time to get better from his calf pressure that has now pressured him to overlook 4 video games. With the Celtics’ subsequent recreation coming Friday, it buys Porzingis an additional day to return for an vital matchup towards an Eastern Conference matchup.
It additionally offers the remainder of his Celtics teammates some additional relaxation that’s uncommon within the midst of a sometimes packed 82-game schedule. They’ll have three days of relaxation earlier than Friday’s dwelling recreation, then one other three days of relaxation earlier than returning to motion subsequent Tuesday towards the Cavaliers. That offers the C’s some welcomed day without work earlier than they hit a busy stretch of their schedule that features six video games in 9 days and a West Coast journey that begins on Dec. 19.
What’s the difficulty?
The Celtics appear to have a 3rd quarter downside.
After main by seven at halftime, the Celtics had been overwhelmed by the Pacers out of the locker room on Monday night time. The C’s trailed by as many as 11 within the third quarter and had been outscored, 37-23.
It’s grow to be a troubling theme for the Celtics. Among different video games, they had been outscored by the Magic 29-18 within the third – which included a 17-0 run – of their loss on Nov. 24.
The Celtics have been woeful within the third quarter. They rank final within the NBA with 25.3 factors per recreation and 42.3 p.c area purpose proportion within the interval. All 5 of their losses this season have come after they lose the third quarter.
How can they repair their points?
“We have to do something to come out of this locker room better and play 48 minutes,” Derrick White advised reporters in Indiana. “It starts with us starters and we gotta be better.”
Not sufficient credit score?
Tatum earned his third profession Eastern Conference Player of the Month for video games performed in October and November after he averaged 27.7 factors, 8.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per recreation to steer the Celtics to a 14-4 document. The award made Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla replicate on Tatum’s place within the league and the way he will get talked about amongst different stars.
“For him, maybe underappreciated, maybe doesn’t get looked at in the same light as other guys that are up for Players of the Month or Most Valuable Player because of the type of team that he plays on and because of how much of a team player that he is and how much he’s willing to let his teammates strive for us to be a great team,” Mazzulla advised reporters. “And so that you see guys in different conditions the place type of your entire roster and full workforce is ready up for his or her particular person success, whereas he does an amazing job of balancing each the place he can get you 28, 8 and 5 and he may also be a workforce participant.
“I think that’s really hard to do. I don’t think he gets enough credit for balancing both sides of that coin. His mindset, that’s one of the reasons we have a chance to win year in and year out. He’s one of the best players on the best team year in and year out, and I think he should be more in the conversation throughout the entire season for Most Valuable Player because the value that he brings by being a superstar and at the same time being a great teammate, I think is something that’s really hard to balance and he does great at it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com