With the NBA season finally over, I decided to take a look back at what ended up being a crazy regular season for the Boston Celtics after all they endured this year. What I plan on doing in this article is just taking a look back at a few of my favorite wins that the Celtics had this year as we prepare ourselves for the postseason. While I'm sure there are plenty of games I had missed and many of the team's classics this year, these are just a few that I particularly enjoyed.
- The Celtics vs OKC all season:
Let's start with the November 3rd game. At the beginning of the season many people pegged the Thunder to be a threat in the western conference so at the time, this win was huge. The game did not start out the way Celtics fans had wanted by being down 18 at one point and only scoring 18 points in the first quarter and 19 in the second. But they were able to claw their way back and shock the Thunder in Oklahoma too by scoring 30 and 34 in the third and fourth quarters. Kyrie and Al were the leading scorers combining for 45 points with 63/71 percent splits. Little did we know, this was going to be a common theme for the rest of the season but being able to pull off an incredible win to start the year was a great sign for this team.
As for their second matchup against the Thunder on March 21, the Celtics did not have any business winning this game but as the team has done all season, they seem to find a way. With 24.7 seconds left in the 4th, this team seemed to have their odds stacked against them, especially with no Kyrie Irving. They were able to make things interesting when Tatum made a nifty driving layup along with Terry Rozier making a huge 3 pointer to cut the lead down to two. Luckily, Carmelo Anthony forgot how to make free throws and that gave this team a chance. Tatum drove to the hoop and kicked out to Marcus Morris who knocked down the incredibly clutch 3 with only 1 second left. Morris was a man on a mission in March, averaging 18.9 points with 48/46 percent splits along with 83% at the line too. Whenever the Celtics needed clutch buckets or instant offense in March (or any game really), Marcus Morris was the guy and hopefully he can continue this dominance in the playoffs as well.
Celtics vs. Warriors, November 17, 2017:
This was a battle of the two heavyweights who led their conferences at the time and what seemed to be a common theme. The Celtics were down by as many as 17 which made some think the Celtics maybe aren't quite for real yet but they looked good. However, that was a mistake as this team had an incredible 19-0 run in the third quarter along with outscoring the Warriors 50-41 in the second half. This team pulled off yet another impressive comeback. During the 19-0 run, Jaylen Brown would provide the spark here scoring 12 of his 22 points in that game while shooting 7-18 from the field during the game. Jaylen played like a man under a certain spell that night just making clutch baskets and playing smart basketball. That night his longtime friend had passed away and while some thought he wouldn't play, he ended up doing so and having one of his best games in the early part of the season. Another interesting fact from this game at that time, the Celtics held the Warriors to their lowest point total of the season which went to show that the Celtics defense was for real and something teams had to take notice of.
Celtics vs. Houston Rockets, December 28, 2017:
In a game where literally no one thought they'd win (no, seriously, check out the win probability), this team just surprises us yet again. When the Celtics were having the worst half of their entire season, there was Kyrie to at least give some sort of an offensive contribution with 11 points on 5-8 shooting. When it was clear the Celtics would need a massive turnaround in the second half, on both ends to get back into this game. It was Kyrie that helped spark that. What was impressive in the second half for Kyrie besides his 15 points, he had a defensive rating of 69.8 and for Kyrie, that's amazing. Anyone that watches basketball knows Kyrie is a certified scorer but when you see him leading by example taking a stand defensively, it's a contagious feeling and that helped this team spark this incredible comeback. Speaking of great defense, the Celtics held Houston to only 9 made shots with 25/21% splits in the second half. Along with Kyrie having a great game and shut down defense, you could say Marcus Smart was the reason we won this game. Smart ended the night with 13 points on 6-14 shooting and while to some that may not be the greatest number, it shows then you're a box score watcher. This team doesn't quit because guys like Smart don’t know what it’s like to quit. Which is why this team has had multiple comeback wins this season. Some have said Smart flopped and sure you can make that case, but you have to do what you have to do to win and that's exactly what he did. He single-handedly took Harden out of his game mentally, and the Celtics won because of it. This is certainly not the first time Smart has done something like this, make a big play down the stretch to seal a game. And it’s why his market price will be so interesting but that's a story for another day.
