“It's a team issue for them. You can see it in the ball movement,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after Boston's win over Dallas. “They don't care who's shooting.”
It's obvious to the Mavericks coach, it's obvious to the Celtics coach, and it's obvious to anyone watching – this group of Celtics is playing team basketball. The Celtics were led by Derrick White (8 assists), Jrue Holiday (7 assists) and Jaylen Brown (5 assists), finishing with 33 assists to the Mavericks' 20 assists.
Boston defeated the Mavs 138-110, marking a 10-game winning streak. It also provided another data point that the team-oriented approach was working.
Jayson Tatum scored two points in the first quarter, but finished with 32 points on the night. Despite having a hot hand, Holiday attempted just six shots and finished with 11 points on 3-3 from downtown. Kristaps Porzingis has looked like a constant mismatch all year, but he attempted 14 shots and missed the entire fourth quarter.
This has been a prevalent theme throughout the season, but the distribution of talent on this Celtics roster means that making the right reads takes precedence over individual player success.That means Jayson Tatum won't average the same amazing numbers as Luka Doncic, and Derrick White wasn't named an All-Star despite his outstanding play.
But that doesn't matter because the wins keep adding up.
“Our team doesn't require me to dominate the ball, and I don't necessarily have to make every play,” Tatum said after the game. “It's not a bad thing. It's just that our team dynamics don't require it. In a way, it makes life easier sometimes – we won 10 games in a row. There's really nothing to complain about. There's no way around it. We're on the right path.”
Tatum explained that in the first quarter, there were a series of possessions where a correct read meant a pass to one of his teammates. Porzingis had smaller defenders in the post, Jaylen Brown made mismatches and Holiday was in the corner. Meanwhile, Porzingis finished with 13 points, Holiday had 8 points, and Brown had 7 points in the opening half, giving the Celtics a one-point lead by six points.
“If that's the right read and we essentially have to hand the ball over eight possessions in a row, you have to believe that it's going to help us win the game,” Tatum said.
Mazzula dismissed the idea that being down two points in the first quarter meant the MVP candidate got off to a slow start.
“I don't think it's a slow start. I think this is a start for the team,” Joe Mazzula said. “If you go back and look at the shot selection we took, labeling it as a slow start doesn't give the rest of the team the credit they deserve for getting off to such a good start. .”
Mazzula praised Tatum's willingness to defer to others throughout the year and noted that his team approach to basketball has been central to the Celtics' success this season. Last night he echoed that sentiment, saying: “That's a credit to him – his trust, his patience and his understanding.”
Step on the accelerator for the third time
For a moment, it looked like the Celtics would finally be able to close the game, but the Mavericks trailed by just two points midway through the third quarter. However, the outcome was determined by an explosion of scores in four consecutive games. After the Celtics led 81-79 in the first few minutes of the game, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum hit back-to-back 3s to regain control of the ballgame. The Celtics then outscored the Mavericks 57-31 the rest of the way.
“We're just playing our game,” Porzingis said. “I think what's great is we trust each other, and that starts with JB and JT. They find me where I'm at and we make extra passes. Just putting it out there and doing these little things for each other gives us energy.”
Tatum finished the night with 32 points, 16 of which came in the third quarter. During that period, Holiday played 12 minutes and did not take a single shot, as that was not what the game was calling for.
“Every time we have the ball, two or three guys feel like they have an advantage and there's a mismatch, but only one of them can make a shot,” Tatum said. “If I feel like I have a lot of power and KP has a little power, I have to be comfortable trusting and throwing him into the post. They change the way we defend and I can find another way to attack. And, you know, we're winning, so it makes things a lot easier.”
What's been noticeable in recent weeks is that the team hasn't faltered in response to the Celtics' explosive offense. In the game against Philadelphia, the Celtics' lead was cut to two points with nine minutes remaining, but the team went on a 17-0 run led by Tatum. In the previous game against the Knicks, a 20-point lead was cut to nine with nine minutes remaining, and the Celtics scored 10 straight points to break away.
“We're feeling really good. We're off to a good start,” Tatum said. “We took the lead. The team, of course, responds as the best basketball players in the world. Then we take a timeout, we go to halftime, we rebuild the team. And we talk about what we need to do better. Then we go out there and implement it.”
