C’s sew up second seed
Await play-in game for opponent after rout in finale
Jayson Tatum squeezed off a deep 3-pointer while drawing a foul and hitting the floor with 34 seconds left in the second quarter. It was one of three 3’s hit by the Celtics star in a 2:12 stretch, but even for him this one was a surprise.
Before picking himself up off the floor to hit the free throw and complete the four-point play, Tatum mouthed a big, “Wow.”
That describes where the Celtics found themselves following Sunday’s 139-110 win over a lineup of Grizzlies bench players. Coupled with Milwaukee’s starless loss to Cleveland earlier in the day, the win earned the Celtics the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and the winner of the Brooklyn/Cleveland (7/8) play-in game.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s about us this time of year,” Al Horford said of the good chance the Celtics will open against the very Nets team that eliminated them in five games in the first round last season. “It’s how we’ve been playing, it’s the things we need to do, our identity defensively, on offense, playing at our pace, how we want. So it’s about us.”
On a day when a number of teams appeared to be avoiding certain opponents -- the Nets seem to strike terror in the rest of the conference -- the Celtics simply went for it.
“We’re not trying to dodge anybody, we believe in ourselves,” said Payton Pritchard. “Go in and whoever we play, we’re going to be ready.”
For a team that was a game under .500 (23-24) following a loss to Portland on Jan. 21, the difference couldn’t be more striking.
“Just exciting, man. I don’t know if mid-January we could have predicted this was a possibility, so we would have settled for like, ‘Man, we’ve just got to make sure we get to 6, 5’ type thing,” said Horford. “And to be in this position, it’s a testament to our group really locking in, understanding how we needed to play to get to this point, and playing in Boston, it’s big. And we know that, and that’s why I’m excited about it.”
Horford could feel the surge as he stepped off the team flight from Chicago on Saturday. His second time around with the Celtics has been a whirlwind, with the 35-year-old veteran now the one drawing inspiration from Tatum, now an MVP candidate, Jaylen Brown, one of the most improved young stars in the game, and Marcus Smart, who has a good chance to become the first non-big man since Gary Payton in 1996 to win Defensive Player of the Year.
“Just very grateful to be back here,” said Horford. “To be back in this position. To be back playing with our team. And with this group of guys. It’s been pretty cool for me this year to almost sit back and see how much Jayson has grown, Jaylen, Marcus – and really reflect on it. Getting off the plane yesterday, I was screaming to the guys. I was like, ‘Game 82.’ Like, ‘Yo, Game 82.’ Just excited. It’s exciting, man. We made it through the season. We’re at the point that we want to be. And that was just perspective for me. Like, Game 82, I’m here, we’re doing this, it’s going how we want. And I’m just very grateful.”
Tatum sat after three quarters of efficient work, with 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including 6-for-8 from downtown, nine rebounds, and a resounding plus-29. Jaylen Brown had 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
And those were all the numbers the Celtics needed after weeks of watching the standings change with each new game. Those meaningless deciferings, for the most part, are now a thing of the past.
The Celtics most recently beat Brooklyn, 126-120, on March 6, and have a 3-1 series edge, with wins in their last three meetings. On the other hand the Celtics haven’t played Cleveland since Dec. 21, with the Cavaliers holding a 2-1 series edge.
News of Milwaukee’s loss earlier in the day gave the Celtics some clarity. Now they only have to prepare for two teams.
“It kind of decided what we did. Milwaukee losing, we knew if we won we would get two,” said Ime Udoka. “Then Philly won, and didn’t affect what we were doing either way. So we were worried about ourselves, getting our guys some reps, and now we’ll dig into Cleveland and Brooklyn. Haven’t seen Cleveland in a while, and Brooklyn we’ve played recently, so it will be good to have some clarity and focus on two teams.
“We knew earlier today about Milwaukee, and Brooklyn could have got knocked to nine but they beat Indiana, so you could see every score during every part of the game. I didn’t need anybody to tell me.”