December 7, 2024 • 22 mins
With the Boston Celtics playing for the sixth time in nine nights, it was the Memphis Grizzlies were the more physical team throughout a win at TD Garden. Ja Morant (34 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (27 points) were the stars for Memphis, while Payton Pritchard excelled for the Celtics and still gave them a chance at a win in crunch time. We’re sounding off on how it all went down, on Boston’s missed free throws, and on whether or not the Memphis Grizzlies are a true title contender. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Sound off with me folks on John Morant and the
Memphis Grizzlies coming into ted Garden and looking like a
legit title contender while the Celtics on the other side
of the ball maybe suffered what some.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Of us like to call a schedule loss.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Listen, this was another game for the second time in
as many nights that the Boston Celtics went down to
the wire with a great team that came to Ted
Garden riding on a high wave, and the Celtics went
down to the wire nearly went two for two in
those games. Friday night, they did it against the Milwaukee Bucks,
who were seven to three in their last ten games.
(00:42):
The Celtics came out on top again went down to
the wire. Now tonight, jam Rant and the Memphis Grizzlies
winners of eight of ten coming into this game. Another
game that goes down to the wire, and I'm actually
surprised that it did go down to the wire. And
we're going to talk a little bit about that as
we get through this episode. So the first half of
(01:02):
this game very different from the second half of this game.
The first half it was all about Memphis. The Grizzlies
were playing with more physicality. They were dictating the pace
of the game, like this game was all about what
they wanted to do. Then the second half comes and
Joe Missoula likely said something at halftime, maybe a player
(01:25):
said something at halftime. The Celtics looked much more inspired,
playing with much more effort and making their physicality be
felt at a much higher level during the second half,
But it still felt like it was an uphill battle
for Boston all night.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It just seemed like they just didn't really have it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
And the Grizzlies did have it from the opening tip,
like they were great tonight, It just seemed like the
Celtics didn't have it. And by the way, on top
of that, of the Celtics just not seeming like they
had their a game during this performance. They were also
excuse me, also without Al Horford second night of a
back to back, he doesn't play both nights of a
back to back. He did play last night against Milwaukee,
(02:08):
he was out tonight resting, and then on top of that,
the Boston Celtics also lost Sam Houser during this game.
He was ruled doubtful to return to an adductor tightness
that he was feeling. He did not return to the game,
so the Celtics were down two of their top eight
players for most of this game, almost the entire game.
(02:29):
Howser did not play much. I think he only played
nine minutes. So the Celtics were without two of their
top eight for basically this entire game. And that on
top of them just not really having their a game
on this night. It was tough sledding. It was an
uphill battle for them all night. Now, why did they
(02:49):
not have their a game on this night? Well, let's
all remember what the schedule has been for this team.
I'm telling you right now, I just cover the team.
I'm feeling it right now. Okay, this is the sixth
game in nine nights that the Celtics have had, the
fifth game in the last seven nights as well. Now
four of them were at home. But this has been
(03:11):
a very difficult stretch. They played against some really good
teams the last two nights. We already talked about that
the Bucks were hot, high level talent, the Grizzlies were hot,
high level talent. The Celtics also played against the Calves
earlier during this stretch, Like, this has been a very
difficult stretch, and I would say if you went around
(03:32):
the league and looked at all thirty calendars of the
regular season, every team has a tough stretch. But I
think you'd be hard pressed to find a stretch it's
going to be much more difficult than what the Celtics
just faced, given how well the teams were playing that
they played during the six games in nine days stretch,
and also just the travel was in there. They had
(03:55):
to travel a little bit, they had back to backs
like this was very, very difficult for them. And like
I said, I just think if you looked around the
league at all thirty schedules, you might not find a
more difficult six games in nine days stretch in terms
of who the Celtics were playing, and then when they
were playing them, like tonight, you're playing the Memphis Grizzlies,
(04:17):
one of the fastest, most athletic teams in the league,
on the second night of a back to back and
on the sixth night, in six game in nine nights.
So I do think that there was a little bit
of a schedule loss built in here. Now that's not
to say that the Celtics couldn't win this game, because
as we've talked about, this did go down to the wire.
So let's get into it. The second half resurgence. It
(04:40):
was all about, in my opinion, when the Celtics went
double Biggs, and part of that was because Sam Houser
wasn't available. Joe Mizulu wound up deciding, I'm gonna throw
Christas Porzingis out there along with them as Cada, two
seven footers out on the court for them, and let's
give to MIAs Cada a lot of love what he
brought to the table during this game. Okay, he wound
(05:03):
up playing seventeen and a half minutes. No huge numbers
right like five points, seven rebounds, only one block shot
during that time period, But it was his impact, Like,
he was very impactful on this game. And the thing
that really impressed me when he was out there in
these double big lineups and you're playing against a super
athletic team in the Memphis Grizzlies. He was defending guards
(05:27):
at times, wings at times, sometimes Biggs as well, but
he was isolated on the perimeter time and time again,
and he stayed in front of the guy who had
the ball in his hands. And one of those times
was actually against John Morant, who maybe the most athletic
person and player in the NBA happened to I believe
(05:49):
it was during the third quarter, maybe it was the
start of the fourth quarter. In the left corner, right
in front of Memphis's bench, Moran got the ball, he
pulled it back out, he waived all his teammates up.
He's like, I got this seven footter defending me, Like,
he's not gonna be able to keep me under wraps. Well,
Nimias Kida wound up forcing a turnover. He stayed in
(06:11):
front of Morant, Moran wound up dribbling right into him
along the baseline, stepped out of bounds, and it was
a turnover. So Nimias Cada was very impressive, not perfect,
but very impressive during this game of being able to
contribute defensively when he was switched onto other guards wings,
(06:33):
not just the times when he was defending a center.
So great job from him during this game. He was
actually a plus three during this contest, one of only
a few players on the entire Celtics roster who was
a positive in the plus minus category.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
So Joe Mizula goes double biggs. Most of the time.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
It was with Nimias Kida and Christas Porzingis, but then
there was a very brief stretch where it wound up
being Cada and Luke Cornett who are out on the
court together. Now that one didn't work quite as well.
You're a little bit more limited offensively. You don't have
that stretch ability of Christaps Porzingis being able to be
out on the three point line. You also don't have
his post up game, so a little bit more limited offensively. Defensively,
(07:15):
they did okay, but certainly I think that the first
double big lineup with Porzingis and Cata was certainly much better.
But that is what got the Celtics back into this game.
They were down by as many as fourteen points during
this game, and I believe that was during the second half.
So they made a nice run to get back into
this game behind that double big lineup and a couple
(07:36):
guys stepping up. Peyton Pritchard play well, Chris Tops played
well additionally, and then Jalen Brown had a little resurgence
during the fourth quarter as well. He wound up with
twenty two points and most of them were during the
fourth court.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I don't know the exact numbers. I can look them
up right now.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
But fourteen of those points were scored during the fourth
So right when the Celtics came out of the locker
room up their physicality, went to that double big lineup
and then got some of their offensive players catching a
little bit of a rhythm. They got back into this game,
and they actually held a four point lead on multiple occasions.
But then the Grizzlies answered back. They made big shot
(08:16):
after big shot, and it all came down to not
being able to get the key stops down the stretch
during this game. It's the opposite of what happened Friday night.
Boston got key stops time and time again during that
tight game against the Milwaukee Bucks. During this game, they
just couldn't get those stops. Now, they still had a
shot during the final twenty seconds or so. Okay, they're
(08:38):
down by four, they force a jump ball. That's the
second best thing you can do in that time period. Okay,
they're down by four, less than twenty seconds left and
Memphis had possession. There's three things that can happen. One
is a turnover. That's the best thing that you can
hope for. Two is a jump ball, that's the second
best thing. Three is you foul send them to the
(09:01):
line and see what happens. So the Celtics got the
second best thing that could have possibly happened in that
moment to occur. That was with seventeen point six seconds left.
It's Porzingis jump ball against Jaron Jackson junior. So the
two guys who opened the game at the center of
the court, they wound up jumping it up at the
free throw line down at Memphis's end.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Now Celtics down by four.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
If they get possession and score at that point, you've
got a game, especially if you score quickly. Two point game,
ten to fifteen seconds left, like, you've got some things
you can do. There a timeout or two still in
the holster for Joe Mazouli. You can advance the ball.
There's a lot that can happen during that short amount
of time. So Porzingis rises up, he wins the tip
(09:47):
and tips it forward toward mid court. However, it wound
up and I think they ruled that the ball touched
Derek White on the way out of bounds. Originally it
was ruled Celtics ball, okay, So they would have had
the ball side out at mid court with about sixteen
to seventeen seconds left a chance to cut it down
to a two possibly a one point game. Well, Memphis
(10:11):
called for a time out. They wound up challenging and
they overruled it. The ball did wind up touching Derek White,
is what they said when the ball went out of bound.
So it was Memphis's ball and that pretty much put
the kebash on Boston's possible comeback bid during the final seconds.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
But this was a great game. It was physical.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
I'm actually impressed that the Celtics were able to take
this down to the wire while missing two of their
top eight and while playing for the sixth time in
nine nights. Sorry if you don't like glass half full,
that's what I do here. That's what I'm taking away
from this game. Celtics still played well enough to possibly
win this game, and that's why they really didn't bring
their a game to the table. So glass half full,
(10:52):
that's what I'm out of this one. All right, let's
dive into some fan comments. We've got three of them
to take tonight. First, We've got Acs eighty six er
with a comment on the Celtics versus Jaron Jackson Junior tonight.
Jackson was outstanding during this game. Next up, we've got
Jim Anderson on what was Boston's achilles heel during this contest.
(11:14):
I avoided talking about that upfront, We're going to talk
about it here. And then lastly, we've got nor jask
on what he's thinking or she about the Grizzlies after
this game. All right, so let's dive in. Here's the
first one coming up from ACS eighty six er. All right,
ACS eighty six er says Jackson wouldn't have gone off
(11:37):
on Horford. All right, as we spoke about already, El
Horford did not play in this game.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
It was the second night of a back to back.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
The Celtics chose to play him on the first night
of a back to back against Giannisan Tetakoupo, and by
the way, that mattered, the Celtics would not have won
that game without Al Horford out on the court. Now,
some might argue that they would have won this game
if they did have Al Horford out on the court,
and I would be one of those people who would
agree with that, just as ACS eighty six er is
(12:07):
saying right here, why why? Because Jaron Jackson Junior had
himself a hell of a night okay, finishes this game
with twenty seven points, also grabs nine rebounds, blocks four shots.
He was great, like incredibly impactful. By the way, he
also had three steals, Like he was everywhere great, top
to bottom, every which way that you could ask from him,
(12:29):
and in particular during the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, he's not
exactly their number one option offensive offensively, but he's the
guy who carried them on offense during the fourth quarter
fourteen points on six of nine shooting. It was like
they just spread the court out and let Jaron Jackson
Junior go to work.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Off the dribble.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
He was flicking these things up off the backboard, dropping
him in some very tough shots. Also got to the
free throw line. It was only for two free throws
during the fourth quarter, but that buoyed him throughout the
first three quarters getting to the free throw line. But yeah,
he was driving to the basket, laying the ball up,
making some very difficult shots off the glass, and I
(13:12):
think and I think ACS eighty six or things that
al Horford would have been the perfect remedy for that. Like,
al Horford is the perfect defender to put in there.
He's smart, he's strong, he is strong as a bull,
as you've been able to see when he's defending someone
like Gianna Sante Tokupo, who can move Jason Tatum and
(13:33):
other players on the team around like they're not even there.
And those guys are strong, like Jason Tatum is strong, well,
he's not able to move al Horford like he's not
even there. Okay, So I personally think that the agility
and the strength and the smarts that al Horford would
have brought to the table during this game really would
(13:54):
have made a significant impact. So not having him out
there really open the door for Jaron Jackson Junior to
drive to the basket, to make these plays, to get
into the paint, and to finish around the basket against
players who like there were times when Jalen Brown was
defending Jaron Jackson Junior. Jaron Jackson Junior is a center.
He might not be seven foot three, but he's a center.
(14:16):
He is a big body, similar to bam Adebayo, but
even bigger. So when you've got Jalen Brown trying to
defend a big body like that, like, it's usually not
gonna work out well, especially if that offensive player is
in a rhythm and finishing around the rim.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So yeah, truly, I very much agree.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
If Al Horford was able to play in this game,
I think that would have made a significant difference, particularly
at the defensive end against Jaron Jackson Junior twenty seven points,
fourteen of them during the fourth quarter. He's the guy
who led them to the win in the clutch, and
I don't think that would have happened if our guy
big Al was out on the court during this game.
(14:57):
All right, Next up, we've got Jim Anderson also touching
on Jaron Jackson Junior in this comment, but we've got
a lot more here as well. Jim Anderson says, Geez,
Memphis was downhill all night. Adjustments should have been made
on Jackson in the fourth who carried them to the win.
After all that they the Celtics missed too many free
(15:17):
throws to close the gap. So let's start out with
Memphis was downhill all night? Yes, indeed they were, Like
from the very start of this game, they asserted themselves,
you were feeling it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
The Celtics were feeling it.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Boston was on its heels for the first half of
that game, make no mistake about it. And by the way,
that's not a bad thing like that happens in the NBA.
You're gonna be put on your heels. There's a lot
of talent in this league. So Memphis came out, you
gotta give them credit, and they just made them so
they made the Celtics feel them and Boston was on
its heels during the first half. Adjustments should have been
(15:55):
made on Jackson, Like, I don't know what else the
Celtics could have done. They didn't exactly have another Al
Horford on the bench who was active that they could
throw out there. Like, there's only so many options that
you've got when you're missing two of your top eight,
and one of them is probably the perfect defender to
throw against Jared Jackson Junior. So I'm just not sure
what else they could have done in that situation. I
(16:17):
thought they did all they that they could. And then lastly,
after all that, they missed too many free throws. Oh
my gosh, it was deflating to see all these misfree
throws in this game. This is a Celtics team that
can really shoot the ball at a high level, pretty
good from the free throw line. Not tonight, Not tonight.
(16:39):
What were the final numbers nineteen of twenty eight from
the free throw line. That is tough. It's tough to
win in the NBA when you're playing against a really
good team and you leave nine points on the board.
Three of those points were during the fourth quarter that
the Celtics miss fourth quarter free throw. So it is
(17:02):
just like when the other team is playing at a
high level. They're talented and they're rested. You're not rested
and you're not playing at your top level. You've got
to make your free throws, and the Celtics just didn't
do that tonight. Okay, we can go down the list
and mention some of the difficulties in this game. Everyone
(17:27):
missed a free throw everyone that took one. Jaylen Brown
missed one, Jason Tatum missed one, Christasporzingis missed two. Derek White,
I apologize, you are not a part of that group.
You went two for two, but everyone else missed one.
Jew Holliday missed one. Peyton Pritchard missed two. Shockingly, guys
a ninety percent shooter from the free throw line, so
(17:49):
is jew Holliday. Nimias Kaida missed one, and Luke Cornett
missed one. So everyone who went to the free throw
line for the Celtics outside of Derrek White, who shot
two for two. Mister free throw that's tough. That's tough.
It's tough to win a game against a really good
team that's rested. When you're not playing well, you're not
(18:10):
rested and you don't make your free throws. So that
came back to bite the Celtics tonight. Doesn't happen often
for the Celtics. It's a good team from the free
throw line, but tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
That was tough.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Nineteen of twenty eight. That's a tough one to overcome.
All right, here we go. Last comment of the night
coming in from nor Jask and again I hope I'm
saying that correctly. They say, feels like Grizz has been
pretty underrated this season. I thought this might happen after
five and seven days. Well you say five and seven,
(18:45):
don't forget this was six and nine. Okay, that's even
worse when you add that in. Five and seven is tough,
but six and nine even more difficult. So yeah, feels
like the Grizz have been pretty underrated. Like I'm telling you, man,
I was sitting there in press row and I'm watching
this game, and I'm like that team is dangerous. That
(19:06):
team has everything you could want or need to compete
for a championship.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Mark my words.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Right now, I'm not saying they're gonna win the West.
That team can win the West. That team absolutely can
get to the NBA Finals. They've got one of the
most dynamic, fastest, quickest players in the game in John Morant, who,
by the way, tonight, he was also excellent. We haven't
even said his name much tonight. Thirty two points tonight,
(19:35):
nine assists, nine rebounds, two steals in thirty four minutes,
four of six from distance eleven to twenty from the field.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
So you've got that guy leading your team. You've got
other three point shooters Desmond Bain al Dama can shoot
it from three, Like, I mean, what did they shoot
tonight as a team? Forty six percent from three point range?
They basically had a fifty to forty eighty shoot as
a team. So they've got Morant, they've got the three
point shooting and shooting in general as a skill. Jaren
(20:07):
Jackson Junior, who can score around the basket like. They've
got the defense. He had four blocks and three steals tonight.
He's a defensive Player of the Year. I just feel like,
I mean, Jay Huff came off the bait. He surprised
me tonight. Another seven footer who can shoot it from distance,
spread the floor, defend a little bit of around the rim.
(20:28):
They've just got a lot that they can bring to
the table. It seems like they've got what you would
need to have an answer for everything in a series.
And again, I'm not predicting that they're gonna win the West,
but I'm telling you right now they absolutely can. They
can beat any team out West in seven games. I'm
(20:50):
telling you that team is incredibly talented. They played at
a very high level tonight, and they've got everything you
would need to take a trip to the NBA Finals. Now,
that necessarily cannot be said about Boston's next opponent. They
just saw them Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons. Now they
(21:10):
get to see them again next Thursday night. Okay, So
the Celtics finally a little bit of a break in
the calendar. Okay, as we've talked about ad nauseum throughout
this episode, six games and nine nights, Well now they
don't have one for the next four. They get four
days off. Everyone gets to rest and recover. Hopefully that
means that Sam Houser will be back out there. As
(21:32):
we said, he had ad doctor titaness tonight. He did
not play. After his first nine minutes, he was ruled
as doubtful to return. He did not wind up returning,
so let's hope that this time off can get him
back to one hundred percent, can get the entire team
back and rested. They did look a little bit drained tonight,
and then they're gonna be back on the floor this
coming Thursday night when they host the Detroit Pistons yet
(21:54):
again for the second time in eight days. This game
is scheduled because Boston did not qualify for the quarterfinals
of the NBA Cup, So they've got this game and
then they've got another one coming up. I believe it's
on the seventeenth against the Washington Wizards DC. So those
are the next two games. Not a lot of Celtics
basketball over the next week and a half or so,
(22:15):
so kick back, rest up, just like the players will.
They might have a practice or two in here before
the next game. But I will see you. We're gonna
have a little break. I will see you next time.
This coming Thursday night, after the Celtics look to get
back into the win column as they host the Detroit
Pistons again for the second time in eight days. Appreciate
you listening. Thank you for sending in your comments. We'll
(22:37):
see you Thursday night.
Sound off with me folks on John Morant and the
Memphis Grizzlies coming into ted Garden and looking like a
legit title contender while the Celtics on the other side
of the ball maybe suffered what some.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Of us like to call a schedule loss.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Listen, this was another game for the second time in
as many nights that the Boston Celtics went down to
the wire with a great team that came to Ted
Garden riding on a high wave, and the Celtics went
down to the wire nearly went two for two in
those games. Friday night, they did it against the Milwaukee Bucks,
who were seven to three in their last ten games.
(00:42):
The Celtics came out on top again went down to
the wire. Now tonight, jam Rant and the Memphis Grizzlies
winners of eight of ten coming into this game. Another
game that goes down to the wire, and I'm actually
surprised that it did go down to the wire. And
we're going to talk a little bit about that as
we get through this episode. So the first half of
(01:02):
this game very different from the second half of this game.
The first half it was all about Memphis. The Grizzlies
were playing with more physicality. They were dictating the pace
of the game, like this game was all about what
they wanted to do. Then the second half comes and
Joe Missoula likely said something at halftime, maybe a player
(01:25):
said something at halftime. The Celtics looked much more inspired,
playing with much more effort and making their physicality be
felt at a much higher level during the second half,
But it still felt like it was an uphill battle
for Boston all night.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It just seemed like they just didn't really have it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
And the Grizzlies did have it from the opening tip,
like they were great tonight, It just seemed like the
Celtics didn't have it. And by the way, on top
of that, of the Celtics just not seeming like they
had their a game during this performance. They were also
excuse me, also without Al Horford second night of a
back to back, he doesn't play both nights of a
back to back. He did play last night against Milwaukee,
(02:08):
he was out tonight resting, and then on top of that,
the Boston Celtics also lost Sam Houser during this game.
He was ruled doubtful to return to an adductor tightness
that he was feeling. He did not return to the game,
so the Celtics were down two of their top eight
players for most of this game, almost the entire game.
(02:29):
Howser did not play much. I think he only played
nine minutes. So the Celtics were without two of their
top eight for basically this entire game. And that on
top of them just not really having their a game
on this night. It was tough sledding. It was an
uphill battle for them all night. Now, why did they
(02:49):
not have their a game on this night? Well, let's
all remember what the schedule has been for this team.
I'm telling you right now, I just cover the team.
I'm feeling it right now. Okay, this is the sixth
game in nine nights that the Celtics have had, the
fifth game in the last seven nights as well. Now
four of them were at home. But this has been
(03:11):
a very difficult stretch. They played against some really good
teams the last two nights. We already talked about that
the Bucks were hot, high level talent, the Grizzlies were hot,
high level talent. The Celtics also played against the Calves
earlier during this stretch, Like, this has been a very
difficult stretch, and I would say if you went around
(03:32):
the league and looked at all thirty calendars of the
regular season, every team has a tough stretch. But I
think you'd be hard pressed to find a stretch it's
going to be much more difficult than what the Celtics
just faced, given how well the teams were playing that
they played during the six games in nine days stretch,
and also just the travel was in there. They had
(03:55):
to travel a little bit, they had back to backs
like this was very, very difficult for them. And like
I said, I just think if you looked around the
league at all thirty schedules, you might not find a
more difficult six games in nine days stretch in terms
of who the Celtics were playing, and then when they
were playing them, like tonight, you're playing the Memphis Grizzlies,
(04:17):
one of the fastest, most athletic teams in the league,
on the second night of a back to back and
on the sixth night, in six game in nine nights.
So I do think that there was a little bit
of a schedule loss built in here. Now that's not
to say that the Celtics couldn't win this game, because
as we've talked about, this did go down to the wire.
So let's get into it. The second half resurgence. It
(04:40):
was all about, in my opinion, when the Celtics went
double Biggs, and part of that was because Sam Houser
wasn't available. Joe Mizulu wound up deciding, I'm gonna throw
Christas Porzingis out there along with them as Cada, two
seven footers out on the court for them, and let's
give to MIAs Cada a lot of love what he
brought to the table during this game. Okay, he wound
(05:03):
up playing seventeen and a half minutes. No huge numbers
right like five points, seven rebounds, only one block shot
during that time period, But it was his impact, Like,
he was very impactful on this game. And the thing
that really impressed me when he was out there in
these double big lineups and you're playing against a super
athletic team in the Memphis Grizzlies. He was defending guards
(05:27):
at times, wings at times, sometimes Biggs as well, but
he was isolated on the perimeter time and time again,
and he stayed in front of the guy who had
the ball in his hands. And one of those times
was actually against John Morant, who maybe the most athletic
person and player in the NBA happened to I believe
(05:49):
it was during the third quarter, maybe it was the
start of the fourth quarter. In the left corner, right
in front of Memphis's bench, Moran got the ball, he
pulled it back out, he waived all his teammates up.
He's like, I got this seven footter defending me, Like,
he's not gonna be able to keep me under wraps. Well,
Nimias Kida wound up forcing a turnover. He stayed in
(06:11):
front of Morant, Moran wound up dribbling right into him
along the baseline, stepped out of bounds, and it was
a turnover. So Nimias Cada was very impressive, not perfect,
but very impressive during this game of being able to
contribute defensively when he was switched onto other guards wings,
(06:33):
not just the times when he was defending a center.
So great job from him during this game. He was
actually a plus three during this contest, one of only
a few players on the entire Celtics roster who was
a positive in the plus minus category.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
So Joe Mizula goes double biggs. Most of the time.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
It was with Nimias Kida and Christas Porzingis, but then
there was a very brief stretch where it wound up
being Cada and Luke Cornett who are out on the
court together. Now that one didn't work quite as well.
You're a little bit more limited offensively. You don't have
that stretch ability of Christaps Porzingis being able to be
out on the three point line. You also don't have
his post up game, so a little bit more limited offensively. Defensively,
(07:15):
they did okay, but certainly I think that the first
double big lineup with Porzingis and Cata was certainly much better.
But that is what got the Celtics back into this game.
They were down by as many as fourteen points during
this game, and I believe that was during the second half.
So they made a nice run to get back into
this game behind that double big lineup and a couple
(07:36):
guys stepping up. Peyton Pritchard play well, Chris Tops played
well additionally, and then Jalen Brown had a little resurgence
during the fourth quarter as well. He wound up with
twenty two points and most of them were during the
fourth court.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
I don't know the exact numbers. I can look them
up right now.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
But fourteen of those points were scored during the fourth
So right when the Celtics came out of the locker
room up their physicality, went to that double big lineup
and then got some of their offensive players catching a
little bit of a rhythm. They got back into this game,
and they actually held a four point lead on multiple occasions.
But then the Grizzlies answered back. They made big shot
(08:16):
after big shot, and it all came down to not
being able to get the key stops down the stretch
during this game. It's the opposite of what happened Friday night.
Boston got key stops time and time again during that
tight game against the Milwaukee Bucks. During this game, they
just couldn't get those stops. Now, they still had a
shot during the final twenty seconds or so. Okay, they're
(08:38):
down by four, they force a jump ball. That's the
second best thing you can do in that time period. Okay,
they're down by four, less than twenty seconds left and
Memphis had possession. There's three things that can happen. One
is a turnover. That's the best thing that you can
hope for. Two is a jump ball, that's the second
best thing. Three is you foul send them to the
(09:01):
line and see what happens. So the Celtics got the
second best thing that could have possibly happened in that
moment to occur. That was with seventeen point six seconds left.
It's Porzingis jump ball against Jaron Jackson junior. So the
two guys who opened the game at the center of
the court, they wound up jumping it up at the
free throw line down at Memphis's end.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Now Celtics down by four.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
If they get possession and score at that point, you've
got a game, especially if you score quickly. Two point game,
ten to fifteen seconds left, like, you've got some things
you can do. There a timeout or two still in
the holster for Joe Mazouli. You can advance the ball.
There's a lot that can happen during that short amount
of time. So Porzingis rises up, he wins the tip
(09:47):
and tips it forward toward mid court. However, it wound
up and I think they ruled that the ball touched
Derek White on the way out of bounds. Originally it
was ruled Celtics ball, okay, So they would have had
the ball side out at mid court with about sixteen
to seventeen seconds left a chance to cut it down
to a two possibly a one point game. Well, Memphis
(10:11):
called for a time out. They wound up challenging and
they overruled it. The ball did wind up touching Derek White,
is what they said when the ball went out of bound.
So it was Memphis's ball and that pretty much put
the kebash on Boston's possible comeback bid during the final seconds.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
But this was a great game. It was physical.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
I'm actually impressed that the Celtics were able to take
this down to the wire while missing two of their
top eight and while playing for the sixth time in
nine nights. Sorry if you don't like glass half full,
that's what I do here. That's what I'm taking away
from this game. Celtics still played well enough to possibly
win this game, and that's why they really didn't bring
their a game to the table. So glass half full,
(10:52):
that's what I'm out of this one. All right, let's
dive into some fan comments. We've got three of them
to take tonight. First, We've got Acs eighty six er
with a comment on the Celtics versus Jaron Jackson Junior tonight.
Jackson was outstanding during this game. Next up, we've got
Jim Anderson on what was Boston's achilles heel during this contest.
(11:14):
I avoided talking about that upfront, We're going to talk
about it here. And then lastly, we've got nor jask
on what he's thinking or she about the Grizzlies after
this game. All right, so let's dive in. Here's the
first one coming up from ACS eighty six er. All right,
ACS eighty six er says Jackson wouldn't have gone off
(11:37):
on Horford. All right, as we spoke about already, El
Horford did not play in this game.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
It was the second night of a back to back.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
The Celtics chose to play him on the first night
of a back to back against Giannisan Tetakoupo, and by
the way, that mattered, the Celtics would not have won
that game without Al Horford out on the court. Now,
some might argue that they would have won this game
if they did have Al Horford out on the court,
and I would be one of those people who would
agree with that, just as ACS eighty six er is
(12:07):
saying right here, why why? Because Jaron Jackson Junior had
himself a hell of a night okay, finishes this game
with twenty seven points, also grabs nine rebounds, blocks four shots.
He was great, like incredibly impactful. By the way, he
also had three steals, Like he was everywhere great, top
to bottom, every which way that you could ask from him,
(12:29):
and in particular during the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, he's not
exactly their number one option offensive offensively, but he's the
guy who carried them on offense during the fourth quarter
fourteen points on six of nine shooting. It was like
they just spread the court out and let Jaron Jackson
Junior go to work.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Off the dribble.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
He was flicking these things up off the backboard, dropping
him in some very tough shots. Also got to the
free throw line. It was only for two free throws
during the fourth quarter, but that buoyed him throughout the
first three quarters getting to the free throw line. But yeah,
he was driving to the basket, laying the ball up,
making some very difficult shots off the glass, and I
(13:12):
think and I think ACS eighty six or things that
al Horford would have been the perfect remedy for that. Like,
al Horford is the perfect defender to put in there.
He's smart, he's strong, he is strong as a bull,
as you've been able to see when he's defending someone
like Gianna Sante Tokupo, who can move Jason Tatum and
(13:33):
other players on the team around like they're not even there.
And those guys are strong, like Jason Tatum is strong, well,
he's not able to move al Horford like he's not
even there. Okay, So I personally think that the agility
and the strength and the smarts that al Horford would
have brought to the table during this game really would
(13:54):
have made a significant impact. So not having him out
there really open the door for Jaron Jackson Junior to
drive to the basket, to make these plays, to get
into the paint, and to finish around the basket against
players who like there were times when Jalen Brown was
defending Jaron Jackson Junior. Jaron Jackson Junior is a center.
He might not be seven foot three, but he's a center.
(14:16):
He is a big body, similar to bam Adebayo, but
even bigger. So when you've got Jalen Brown trying to
defend a big body like that, like, it's usually not
gonna work out well, especially if that offensive player is
in a rhythm and finishing around the rim.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So yeah, truly, I very much agree.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
If Al Horford was able to play in this game,
I think that would have made a significant difference, particularly
at the defensive end against Jaron Jackson Junior twenty seven points,
fourteen of them during the fourth quarter. He's the guy
who led them to the win in the clutch, and
I don't think that would have happened if our guy
big Al was out on the court during this game.
(14:57):
All right, Next up, we've got Jim Anderson also touching
on Jaron Jackson Junior in this comment, but we've got
a lot more here as well. Jim Anderson says, Geez,
Memphis was downhill all night. Adjustments should have been made
on Jackson in the fourth who carried them to the win.
After all that they the Celtics missed too many free
(15:17):
throws to close the gap. So let's start out with
Memphis was downhill all night? Yes, indeed they were, Like
from the very start of this game, they asserted themselves,
you were feeling it.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
The Celtics were feeling it.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Boston was on its heels for the first half of
that game, make no mistake about it. And by the way,
that's not a bad thing like that happens in the NBA.
You're gonna be put on your heels. There's a lot
of talent in this league. So Memphis came out, you
gotta give them credit, and they just made them so
they made the Celtics feel them and Boston was on
its heels during the first half. Adjustments should have been
(15:55):
made on Jackson, Like, I don't know what else the
Celtics could have done. They didn't exactly have another Al
Horford on the bench who was active that they could
throw out there. Like, there's only so many options that
you've got when you're missing two of your top eight,
and one of them is probably the perfect defender to
throw against Jared Jackson Junior. So I'm just not sure
what else they could have done in that situation. I
(16:17):
thought they did all they that they could. And then lastly,
after all that, they missed too many free throws. Oh
my gosh, it was deflating to see all these misfree
throws in this game. This is a Celtics team that
can really shoot the ball at a high level, pretty
good from the free throw line. Not tonight, Not tonight.
(16:39):
What were the final numbers nineteen of twenty eight from
the free throw line. That is tough. It's tough to
win in the NBA when you're playing against a really
good team and you leave nine points on the board.
Three of those points were during the fourth quarter that
the Celtics miss fourth quarter free throw. So it is
(17:02):
just like when the other team is playing at a
high level. They're talented and they're rested. You're not rested
and you're not playing at your top level. You've got
to make your free throws, and the Celtics just didn't
do that tonight. Okay, we can go down the list
and mention some of the difficulties in this game. Everyone
(17:27):
missed a free throw everyone that took one. Jaylen Brown
missed one, Jason Tatum missed one, Christasporzingis missed two. Derek White,
I apologize, you are not a part of that group.
You went two for two, but everyone else missed one.
Jew Holliday missed one. Peyton Pritchard missed two. Shockingly, guys
a ninety percent shooter from the free throw line, so
(17:49):
is jew Holliday. Nimias Kaida missed one, and Luke Cornett
missed one. So everyone who went to the free throw
line for the Celtics outside of Derrek White, who shot
two for two. Mister free throw that's tough. That's tough.
It's tough to win a game against a really good
team that's rested. When you're not playing well, you're not
(18:10):
rested and you don't make your free throws. So that
came back to bite the Celtics tonight. Doesn't happen often
for the Celtics. It's a good team from the free
throw line, but tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
That was tough.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Nineteen of twenty eight. That's a tough one to overcome.
All right, here we go. Last comment of the night
coming in from nor Jask and again I hope I'm
saying that correctly. They say, feels like Grizz has been
pretty underrated this season. I thought this might happen after
five and seven days. Well you say five and seven,
(18:45):
don't forget this was six and nine. Okay, that's even
worse when you add that in. Five and seven is tough,
but six and nine even more difficult. So yeah, feels
like the Grizz have been pretty underrated. Like I'm telling you, man,
I was sitting there in press row and I'm watching
this game, and I'm like that team is dangerous. That
(19:06):
team has everything you could want or need to compete
for a championship.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Mark my words.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Right now, I'm not saying they're gonna win the West.
That team can win the West. That team absolutely can
get to the NBA Finals. They've got one of the
most dynamic, fastest, quickest players in the game in John Morant, who,
by the way, tonight, he was also excellent. We haven't
even said his name much tonight. Thirty two points tonight,
(19:35):
nine assists, nine rebounds, two steals in thirty four minutes,
four of six from distance eleven to twenty from the field.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
He was awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
So you've got that guy leading your team. You've got
other three point shooters Desmond Bain al Dama can shoot
it from three, Like, I mean, what did they shoot
tonight as a team? Forty six percent from three point range?
They basically had a fifty to forty eighty shoot as
a team. So they've got Morant, they've got the three
point shooting and shooting in general as a skill. Jaren
(20:07):
Jackson Junior, who can score around the basket like. They've
got the defense. He had four blocks and three steals tonight.
He's a defensive Player of the Year. I just feel like,
I mean, Jay Huff came off the bait. He surprised
me tonight. Another seven footer who can shoot it from distance,
spread the floor, defend a little bit of around the rim.
(20:28):
They've just got a lot that they can bring to
the table. It seems like they've got what you would
need to have an answer for everything in a series.
And again, I'm not predicting that they're gonna win the West,
but I'm telling you right now they absolutely can. They
can beat any team out West in seven games. I'm
(20:50):
telling you that team is incredibly talented. They played at
a very high level tonight, and they've got everything you
would need to take a trip to the NBA Finals. Now,
that necessarily cannot be said about Boston's next opponent. They
just saw them Wednesday night, the Detroit Pistons. Now they
(21:10):
get to see them again next Thursday night. Okay, So
the Celtics finally a little bit of a break in
the calendar. Okay, as we've talked about ad nauseum throughout
this episode, six games and nine nights, Well now they
don't have one for the next four. They get four
days off. Everyone gets to rest and recover. Hopefully that
means that Sam Houser will be back out there. As
(21:32):
we said, he had ad doctor titaness tonight. He did
not play. After his first nine minutes, he was ruled
as doubtful to return. He did not wind up returning,
so let's hope that this time off can get him
back to one hundred percent, can get the entire team
back and rested. They did look a little bit drained tonight,
and then they're gonna be back on the floor this
coming Thursday night when they host the Detroit Pistons yet
(21:54):
again for the second time in eight days. This game
is scheduled because Boston did not qualify for the quarterfinals
of the NBA Cup, So they've got this game and
then they've got another one coming up. I believe it's
on the seventeenth against the Washington Wizards DC. So those
are the next two games. Not a lot of Celtics
basketball over the next week and a half or so,
(22:15):
so kick back, rest up, just like the players will.
They might have a practice or two in here before
the next game. But I will see you. We're gonna
have a little break. I will see you next time.
This coming Thursday night, after the Celtics look to get
back into the win column as they host the Detroit
Pistons again for the second time in eight days. Appreciate
you listening. Thank you for sending in your comments. We'll
(22:37):
see you Thursday night.
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