Despite being crushed in Finals rematch, thinking these Celtics will dial in when needed – if they can stay healthy
I'll admit it if you will: I wasn't sure we'd see him at this level again after his
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For whatever frustrations there have been with the Celtics this year, they've mostly remained intact. The importance of that is obvious, yes, but worth a reiteration because of how crucial it is.
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They also need to shoot the ball better from long distance, particularly Jaylen Brown (32.7 percent from 3-point territory, below his career average of 36.0 percent) and Jrue Holiday (34.2 percent, below his 36.9 career average, and
well
below his 42.9 percent last year).
I do wonder whether Brown, who might be in the best shape of anyone on this planet and a few others, might have bulked up a little too much. Sure do trust him with those 14-footers in the paint when the game gets tight, though.
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Holiday is a more interesting case. He was better than he has ever been last season from 3-point land, and maybe his struggles this season are just a correction. But even if his shooting inconsistency continues, I'm convinced he's going to level up his overall play, especially on defense, come the playoffs.
Why? Because I believe he's pulling a DJ on us.
Celtics fans who were fortunate to experience the team in the '80s know exactly what I mean. During the long regular season, Dennis Johnson would seem only vaguely interested during, say, a Friday night game in Sacramento that wrapped up a long road trip, and so he might shoot 1 of 3 from the field and be a total non-factor offensively.
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But when the Celtics needed him, come a big regular season game in Philly or Detroit or the biggest games in May and June, he was always at his best, as Larry Bird would be the first to attest.
Dennis Johnson (left) knew when it was go time, like in the waning seconds of Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons.
Globe staff Joanne Rathe
Holiday – after being Mr. Reliable for the Celtics in the postseason last year, and after helping the US win the men's basketball gold at the Olympics – has had an uneven season at age 34.
But after watching him torment the Sixers' Tyrese Maxey – who is on the short list of the quickest guards in the league – in the final minutes of the Celtics' win over the Sixers last Sunday, I'm convinced he'll be the Jrue the Glue again when the stakes are highest and the Celtics need him the most.
The Celtics must stay healthy. Some of them need to shoot better. And yes, go ahead and add to that that their overall effort and attentiveness must become more consistent after watching them
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But I'm not worried about Holiday's effort specifically. He knows how to tap into his intensity when necessary, just as DJ did for the Celtics championship teams so many of us treasure the most.
***
For whatever occasional and mostly minor frustrations Celtics fans have with Tatum and Brown, their preparation, dependability, and habitual professionalism must be lauded. A reminder of that probably wasn't necessary, but we got one this week anyway with the Mavericks' staggering trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers. The Celtics exploited his lack of conditioning and defensive effort in the Finals, and it did not inspire him to work harder, which seems to be one reason he's now an ex-Maverick. (The main reason: general manager Nico Harrison shouldn't be trusted to operate a vending machine, let alone an NBA franchise.) Anyway, go ahead and add the Doncic-era Mavericks to the growing list of teams the Celtics have broken in recent years.
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The Mavericks traded away the face of their franchise guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
***
I'm not sure I've ever liked a Celtic that averaged less than 2 points per game
Jaden Springer changed the game for the Celtics in their overtime win at the Clippers. These three steals all came in on-ball defense. That's hard to pull off period and even harder to do 1-on-1 three times in about a 10-minute span of gametime. Awesome game from Springer.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA)
Chad Finn can be reached at
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