C’s choose rest
Tatum, Horford sit; Celtics unable to clinch the division
Good health is the key, Ime Udoka says after a season when the opposite was often true.
As such, on a night when the Celtics had a chance to clinch the second seed, the coach chose to sit Jayson Tatum (knee) and Al Horford (back). But toss in the ongoing absence of Rob Williams, and the Celtics still pushed the defending champs to the limit on their homecourt.
The Celtics, on the way to burying 21 3-pointers against a Bucks team known for porous 3-point coverage, fell just short in a 127-121 loss. Thus wasting a 22-point, 11rebound, 10-assist triple-double from Jaylen Brown — his second of the season — and a 29-point night from Marcus Smart.
But the congested nature of the top four teams in the East considered, there’s such a thing as paying too much attention to peripherals.
“We’re all aware of what’s going on. I don’t think anybody can not be aware,” said Derrick White. “But I think everybody’s just so close that you don’t really know. One game could change from — we were at first at one point, then next thing you know we were in fourth. So each game’s important. We’ve just gotta stick to keep hooping each game and we’ve got a big one here in Memphis. And wherever we’re at, we’re at.”
But as during a three-point overtime loss in Toronto on March 28, when the Celtics played without Tatum, Brown, Horford and Williams, Udoka views a night like this as a teaching moment for players who expect to go on a deep playoff run.
Players like Sam Hauser (11 points, 3-for-4 3’s), Luke Kornet (five rebounds) and Payton Pritchard (12 points) need this late-season tempering too, said Udoka.
“It has a ton of value for them. Tight, tough situations,” he said. “We saw that in the Toronto game as well. Tight ballgame. Experience going forth to the playoffs if what we’re looking for, where we have to execute. We had our opportunities.
“The offensive rebounds are what stand out,” said the Celtics coach. “More than anything that was it, and the turnovers. But for those guys it’s invaluable, and the thing we’ve learned, or know about ourselves, is that’s how we have to play all year. When we have a full complement of players we’re going to score a little better, defend a little better regardless of who we’re playing that’s what I’m looking for — that effort. That experience going forth in the playoffs.”
Indeed, with the Bucks forcing 15 turnovers for 22 points — as big a sign as any of when the Celtics start to unravel — to go along with 19 fast break points and 14 second chance points, Udoka has a lot to highlight in the next film session.
But with all that’s left between now and the postseason is a season finale in Memphis on Sunday, Udoka also only has one last real game to get his full lineup back on the floor.
“We’ll take a look, but as I mentioned coming into this road trip, three games in 13 days, you’ve got quite a bit of break time there,” he said. “So we still want to get them a run and not have a week-and-ahalf off with no basketball. Obviously we can try to emulate some in practice, but that live action is good.
“But also being cautious,” said Udoka. “We’re still playing for something — seeding, standings. We’ll see what Memphis does being set at two already and we’ll determine that over the next two days.”
The added minutes are certainly benefitting White in his transition from San Antonio to the Celtics, Thursday night with 19 points, including four 3’s, in a team-high 38 minutes.
“I think it’s just been a process since I’ve been here, just learning what they want from me, what they expect from me, how I can help the team and stuff,” he said. “Coach (Will) Hardy says every time, he’s like, ‘Two games until you need to be the most comfortable.’ So that’s what our plan was, and I just feel more and more comfortable in whatever lineups out there and everything.
“I feel good,” said White. “I’ve played some minutes in San Antonio and then here, they are giving me longer stretches than I had back then. So I felt good, it was just an up and down game and highly competitive, so it was fun out there.”
And for now, with home court in the first round secured, and the second within reach as well, that will have to be enough.
“It just shows the progression that we’ve been making as a team,” Smart said of playing well with a reduced cast. “Individually, you’ve got guys stepping up that I’m sure a lot of people one, probably didn’t know, two, never heard of, three wasn’t expecting. So that right there alone just speaks for itself. We played a good team tonight — a really good team — and we didn’t have everybody, and we still gave them a run for their money and almost won it. So that right there speaks to the resilience that this team has individually and together.”