Game I - Celtics hit the Hardwood for the first time.

I don't know about you, but I have been jonesing for some Celtic basketball ever since the game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Red Sox and their 107 wins thus far have done a good job placating me.  But I am focusing on Banner 18, and it's time to get to work.

Here we are at the beginning of the fall season and the original five we be playing their first game since October 17th of 2017. So, how did they and the rest of this championship contending team look in their first public exhibition game of the 2018-19 season against the Charlotte Hornets.

I won't lie, I spent the better part of the first quarter watching Gordon Hayward's ankles and hoping he landed safely after every shot, jump pass or block attempt. He seemed comfortable in the offense in the respect he knows where to be. However, minus the follow up of Jayson Tatum's missed layup, he showed the normal rust you would suspect after being out for a year, but still managed a quiet 10-points in 23 minutes.

Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and Tatum looked they are ready to play right now. Although, it bothered me early when Tatum had another hard layup, one of the things I wanted him to work on, which I wrote about in July.

It is going to be interesting to see how the offense will transform with Al Horford and Hayward on the court with Irving, Brown and Tatum. Horford and Hayward seemed to play identically (top of the key) but I have confidence that they will be one smooth unit come opening night. It wasn't as if the Celtics had difficulty scoring. They had 60-points at the half.

One thing I noticed was the lack of pick and roll played with the first team, for any unit for that matter. I hope we see some of that in the second pre-season game.

The Bench

The second unit of Aron Baynes, Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, Semi Ojeleye and Guerschon Yabusele who played no doubt in place of Marcus Smart who was away from the team due to personal reasons, played well. 

I did like Yabusele using his big body in the paint. Actually, I think a lot of the guys looked like they put some muscle on, notably Jayson Tatum. 

I can definitely embrace Morris' self titled second unit moniker B.W.A (Bench with Attitude). Replace the Dancing Bear with Marcus and you got a ferocious second unit. Depth, barring injury will definitely be an asset with this team.

We also saw a number of other guys such as Daniel Theis, Robert Williams, Walter Lemon, P.J. Dozier, and Brad Wanamaker.

Theis is coming off injury so I imagine it will take him some time to get comfortable. I was encouraged with what I saw from Williams. He has quick feet and hands for a big guy noted by his steal in the fourth quarter. There is no doubting his athleticism and paint presence. 

Overall Thoughts and Observations

Did anyone notice that Morris' jersey read Morris Sr.?

Although it is pre-season, it bothered me once again that a Celtics huge lead was overcome. This was something that plagued them last year. Either they gave up a huge lead and made their workload harder then it needed to be or the would build up a lead and slowly watch it erode. I hope they can be more consistent. 

Four turnovers and 60-points in a half will spell a lot of W's if they can play a total 4 quarters.

The Celtics have a plethora of ball handlers that can bring the ball up encouraging transition basketball.

I will be watching closely who will fill the spot, which I believe will left open, by Jabari Bird. I think this may be between Lemon and Wanamaker. 

Next game is tomorrow, Sunday, September 30th, against the Hornets. Deja Vu.

Did the Celtics Advance too Far?

When Gordon Hayward went down mere seconds into the season, the Celtics title shot took a serious hit. Sure, you still had Kyrie Irving and the kid Tatum as improvements over the team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. But, was that going to be enough? It certainly wasn’t going to be as easy as it should have been. 

Then the season went along, and things started to look pretty good. Tatum advanced faster than anyone not name Ainge could have expected. You had to wonder if having Hayward on the team might have actually hurt his development. Things were pretty exciting.

Then, just when you started to think this team might actually be OK, Kyrie went down for the season. That settled it. The team would now be lucky to make a series out of the first round.

But, things went even better. Tatum, it turns out, is someone who can carry a team. He started drawing comparisons to a young Magic Johnson putting a team on his back in the playoffs. And, he almost did it. He brought the Celtics to a game seven in the Eastern Conference Finals before the team finally faltered.

Things suddenly started to swirl in your mind. Somewhere between disappointment and excitement. Clearly, if this team still had Kyrie and Hayward, they would have been better than the Cavs. Heck, obviously just one of them probably would have been enough. (You know Kyrie would have drained a few threes in game seven, right?) Next year, with both of them, this really will be a cake walk.

Unless the role players have advanced too far?

I always thought the sheer genius of the 2008 Celtics was the way they all fit together. The team already had Paul Pierce. So, I always felt that adding a star like, say, Kobe Bryant would have been disastrous. Two guys who can create their own shot, who can drive the lane, who can control the ball, may have created some issues. Only one can shoot, after all. But the Celts didn’t do that. They brought in KG, who was happy to just clog the lane and let Paul do his thing. They also brought in Ray Allen. Yes, he needed to give up some of the luster on his star, but as the most lethal three pointer in history, he was the perfect complement to a guy who could drive the lane and kick back out behind the arc. It was beautiful.

So, what happens next year? The starting line-up will be something like Kyrie-Tatum- Brown-Hayward-Horford, right? So, where does Tatum now fit in? Is his role diminished? Is he too good for that to happen? Can Hayward step back a bit compared to what he’s used to? Will Kyrie shed some of the points for Tatum to collect? Because Tatum knows he can be the man, now. It’s going to be hard for him to look to feed the other guys like he might have this year. What about Brown? Does he go from second banana to fifth option? Sixth? 

Sure, it could all work out. Maybe Kyrie figures out how to divvy up the ball to keep everyone happy. Maybe everyone finds a role, whether it’s down on the box, or floating around the arc. 

But I can’t help but wonder if it would have been easier if the kids didn’t know just how good they are.

Celtics Make Gordon Hayward Official!

I have no idea what took so long. But, it didn't really matter. Once Hayward put out that website post, he wasn't going to change his mind. It was just a matter of putting ink to paper....if that's what they were waiting for.

Now that he's here, what does that mean for the team? Wow is that hard to say.

No, Hayward is not a franchise changing type player. He's not Kevin Durant. But, he's a key piece to any team. How key really depends on the team.

One thing that was always so impressive about the most recent Big Three is that they all complimented each other so well. If Ainge had brought in, say, Kobe Bryant instead I'm not sure how well it would have worked. He and Pierce would be very similar players. Slashing 2/3s who can create their own shot and handle the ball. I'm not sure there would have been enough balls to satisfy each of them. That wasn't the case when he added KG and Allen. Allen was a pure shooter. He could come off a pick and nail a three. He could take a kick out and nail a three. He wasn't driving the lane right next to Pierce. He was waiting to bail him out. It was the perfect compliment. Then, there was KG. He had practically no interest in scoring. He was happy to simply rebound, and get it back out to the other two. He was there for the defense. He was one of the best, waiting there for people who got by Pierce and Allen. It really couldn't have been drawn up any better.

So, how will this new Celtics team work? Probably pretty well. I'm not sure the Celtics have a player exactly like Hayward. He can help spread the floor. He can make a shot. He can create a shot. He'll stop other teams from double teaming IT. He'll give Horford more room. It'll be interesting to see how it all works together.

Unlike baseball, for instance, a basketball team really does play off each other. You can't double team everyone. Having that additional option is something that can't be directly measured on paper. It's the sort of addition that makes everyone else on the court better. Another player that teams need to respect. No more leaving Marcus Smart open and daring him to beat you. The Celtics have another weapon. He can beat you. He can make the team better.

How much better remains to be seen. We probably won't know until after a few actual games, when the back and forth shows up. When they all play off each other. When the floor gets spread out. When people get there shots. 

I can't wait to see it in action.

Joshua Berube Visits Section 36

Section 36 Celtics has its very first visitor! You may remember Joshua Berube from his excellent first visit to discuss the Red Sox over on Section 36. Since then, he's branched out on his own. You can see his writings on the Celtics at Everything Celtics. With the Celtics starting their season tonight, I thought it would be nice to have him visit to discuss the team and their upcoming season. So, without wasting any more time, let's see what happens when Joshua Berube visits Section 36!

What does the Al Horford signing mean for the Celtics?

The signing of Al Horford for the Celtics was big in a number of ways. What does it mean for the Celtics? It means that Celtics have upgraded their post play, defense (believe it or not, knowing they were 4th last year in defensive rating) and offense. They finally have a legitimate center and low post presence with the addition of the 4-time All-star. He is excellent in the pick and roll, makes smart decisions with the ball and is consistent. I have been especially impressed with how quickly he has assimilated to the Celtics system. It has been as he has been here for years.

Here at Section 36, we’re big fans of Marcus Smart. What will we see out of him this season?

Marcus Smart has been appropriately named the bulldog. He isn't afraid of contact and has one speed, all out. I am a little worried that he rolled his ankle in the last pre-season game. With Olynyk just recently cleared the other day for full contact in practice, that is 2/5th's of the second team unavailable for the first week at least. I definitely foresee improvement out of Marcus starting only his third year in the NBA. He definitely needs to improve on his woeful 3-point shooting from last year’s 25.3% preventing him from being one-dimensional offensively. I would also like to see less flopping from Marcus. As of a matter fact, I think it takes away from his game and could hurt him late in the game from getting a call. Here's an example: 

However, I am excited to see more of the three-headed monster on the defensive end with Smart, Bradley and Crowder this year. 

How will the 16-17 season end for the Celtics?

Last year, I picked the Celtics to win 50 games and had them finishing third in the Eastern Conference. This year Vegas have them with the fifth best odds of winning Banner 18. I am in line with the Celtics finishing 2nd in the Eastern Conference, winning 52 games this season. 

Will the Celtics be a defensive or offensive team this season?

I believe the Celtics will be the most balanced they have been in 6 years. However, defense will be their calling card but their offense not necessarily predicated by defense. Al Horford will give them post play they have severely been lacking, enhancing the in/out game they love to play.

As a fan, which will be the “can’t miss” game of the season?

Can't miss game: Friday, November 18^th, against the Golden State Warriors in Boston. Not only did the Celtics have two fantastic games against the Warriors, a 2-OT thriller in Boston, which ended in a loss but also a huge win in Golden State in April, where it got distinction of: One of “The five teams that 'really' beat the Golden State Warriors.” In addition, the Celtics courted Kevin Durant hard this off-season only to lose out to, you guessed it, the Warriors. Jae Crowder was not impressed with Durant's choice, calling it a slap in the face. I just believe the atmosphere is going to be electric.

Which player is poised to make the jump this season?

I am super intrigued in what Jaylen Brown, the Celtics 1st and 3rd Overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft does. I think he is going to be a special player. However, I think the player poised to make the jump this year is Terry Rozier. When the Celtics lost Evan Turner to free agency to the Portland Trail Blazers, I watched all summer for them to fill that void of a dependable ball handler for the 2nd unit and nothing really materialized. I think Rozier has a chance to be that guy and gain huge minutes and a lot more responsibility.

Does Isaiah Thomas make the all-star team this season?

As you may know, I have been hard on Isaiah ever since he has come to the Celtics and I did not believe he was an All-Star last year. While I think his ceiling is high, he has a lot of deficiencies in his game, specifically defense and the propensity to always drive to the left. However, we all know the All-star game is not about having a complete game and its more about showmanship. I do believe he will make it as a reserve. 

Let's bring home Banner 18!

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I can get behind that! 

As always, a huge thank you to Joshua for answering some questions for us. It's always great to hear other people's views, and Joshua did a great job giving his. 

If you want to hear more of what Joshua has to say, check out his writing at Everything Celtics. And, of course, give him a follow on Twitter for even more great insight.

Thanks again Joshua!