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[Boston Celtics]

Brown drops 50, Celtics beat Clippers for third straight win, 146-115

After back-to-back wins against Utah and Sacramento, the Boston Celtics closed out their west coast road trip with a 146-115 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, who rode into the contest on a six-game win streak. It was a season-high in points for the Celtics, who moved to 22-12 on the season.

Boston was led in scoring by Jaylen Brown with 50 points on 18-of-26 shooting, while LA was led by John Collins and Kawhi Leonard with 22 apiece. Derrick White also added 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Anfernee Simons added 15 off the bench. Jordan Walsh had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown vs Clippers:

50 PTS
6 AST
16-26 FG
6-10 3P

Joins Tatum and Bird as the only Celtics with multiple 50-point games. pic.twitter.com/hCnOr4H0eM

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 4, 2026

Outside of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics had a clean bill of health entering the matchup, while the Clippers saw the return of Ivica Zubac, though their starting lineup featured Brook Lopez at center alongside James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Kris Dunn and John Collins. Boston made its own change to the lineup, putting Sam Hauser in the starting five in place of Jordan Walsh, while the rest remained constant with Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta.

Boston’s starters came out firing on all cylinders in their first stint, shooting 9-of-12 with four 3-pointers and leading 22-15 before the first subs came in. Brown was making an impact all across the floor, hitting his first four shots for an early nine points, while taking a hold of the Leonard assignment on defense.

A star stepback

Vote JB to All-Star at https://t.co/lwoZWC5Nks pic.twitter.com/qu0h8Tr7Tf

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Hauser, in his sixth start of the season, hit his first two shots for five points, burying a corner three and a turnaround jumper.

The Celtics continued to throttle the Clippers in the first quarter, finishing 7-of-14 on 3-pointers and 62.5% from the field for a 42-28 lead. With their bench on the floor, they got an immediate lift from Anfernee Simons, who knocked down a pair of transition threes, and from Luka Garza, whose defense on Zubac earned the Celtics a stop and another fast break opportunity that ended in a walk-up White three for a 37-23 lead with just over a minute remaining.

Boston’s fiery shooting continued on in the second quarter behind a scorching start from White, who crossed the 20-point barrier with more than four minutes to spare in the half. The Clippers kept pace thanks to a magnet ball performance from Collins, who hit his first eight shots for 20 first-half points. Collins’ first miss was because of a Jordan Walsh block, which led to an open corner three for Hauser.

Both teams shot over 50% from the floor in the first half, but Boston’s edge on free throws and 3-pointers helped them take a 71-63 lead into the break. White and Brown both scored in double figures by the end of the first quarter, and by halftime, Brown had 20 points while White finished with 23.

He's MONEY right now pic.twitter.com/fdJwhwxi9b

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Brown was unstoppable in the third, hitting shots from all over to cross 30 points halfway through the quarter. Brown hit the 31-point mark with a stepback three, and followed that up with another pull-up three and a hockey assist kick-out that forced a Clippers rotation before a Simons triple. Along with his elite shot-making, Brown’s playmaking also shined bright, and a dime to a rolling Garza for free throws along with an assist to a cutting Walsh helped push Boston’s lead back into double figures.

Has a shot for every spot pic.twitter.com/PEjA2tShSW

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Simons also provided a solid scoring compliment to Brown, hitting on all three of his third quarter 3-point attempts for nine points.

In the fourth, Pritchard scored his first two baskets of the night in the first two minutes, extending the lead to 117-101. Brown, meanwhile, continued to dominate, hitting bucket after bucket to cross the 40-point mark with less than 9 minutes to go. He didn’t stop there, burying a stepback three from the corner, a layup and a mid-range jumper in quick succession. When the Clippers showed a double, he kicked it out to an open Walsh, whose three continued an onslaught that pushed Boston up 131-107.

With four minutes left, Brown hit 50 points with a contested floater, capping off a career-night for the Celtics star. Pritchard hit a three to push the lead to 30 with less than three minutes to go, and the Celtics were able to cruise to their third straight win on the road.

50 POINTS FOR JAYLEN BROWN

HE TIES HIS CAREER-HIGH IN POINTS. pic.twitter.com/9u7bBOPuSM

— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2026

Next up for the Celtics is a return to the Garden for a game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, January 5. That game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...-beat-clippers-for-third-straight-win-146-115

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 1/4/26

Herald Celtics’ Jaylen Brown drops 50 points to crush Clippers after snub

Globe Jaylen Brown torches Clippers for 50 points in Saturday night blowout

Jaylen Brown believes he’s the ‘best two-way player in the world,’ and he tried to prove it against the Clippers

Finding the right fit at starting wing position is a work in progress for the Celtics

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side – Clippers 1/3/26

CelticsBlog 10 takeaways from the Celtics winning the isolation battle against the Clippers

Jaylen Brown’s text to Joe Mazzulla foreshadowed career night

“We’re just hungry”: how Derrick White’s impact vs. Clippers embodied the Celtics

Brown drops 50, Celtics beat Clippers for third straight win, 146-115

Celtics .com Keys to the Game: Celtics 146, Clippers 115

Jaylen Brown Drops 50, Earns ‘MVP’ Chants in LA

NBC Sports Boston Celtics-Clippers recap: Jaylen Brown drops 50-piece as C’s cruise to win

How Garza’s resurgence is bolstering Celtics’ bench in several ways

NESN Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Gives Funny Explanation For 50-Point Game

Kevin O’Connor Explains Clearly Why Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Deserves In MVP Conversation

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Doubles Down On Claim About His Standing Among NBA’s Best Players

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh Makes Stance Clear On Being Removed From Starting Lineup

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh In Awe of Jaylen Brown’s “Wild” Performance

Joe Mazzulla Explains Jaylen Brown’s Request That Set Tone vs Clippers

Jaylen Brown Makes Celtics History With 50-Point Explosion Vs. Clippers

Jaylen Brown Drops 50 Points As Celtics Obliterate Clippers

Mass Live Celtics road trip solves trade deadline conundrum for Brad Stevens

Celtics star makes eye-opening declaration after historic night vs. Clippers

Boston Celtics make history in Clippers win behind Jaylen Brown

Celtics wing has career night after losing starting spot in Clippers win

Jaylen Brown is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Saturday’s win over Clippers

4 takeaways as Celtics crush Clippers as Jaylen Brown erupts for career night

Celtics Wire Brown questions narratives around off-court interests after 50-pt game vs. Clips

Celtics jersey history No. 52 – Norm Cook (1976-77)

Today in Boston Celtics history: Red’s jersey retired; Parish 2k block; Jefferson, Kreklow, Kleine born

Jaylen Brown matches career-high with 50 points in win vs. Clippers

Will the Celtics be buyers or sellers at the 2026 NBA trade deadline?

The Athletic ‘I believe I’m the best two-way player in the world’: Jaylen Brown goes off

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh believes he must do more to regain rotation spot

Boston Sports Journal Karalis: Jaylen Brown’s 50-point masterpiece may be the most on-brand performance you’ll ever see

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 146, Clippers 115 – Jaylen Brown’s career night leads hot-shooting C’s to third straight win

Hardwood Houdini Celtics getting Jordan Walsh reminder from obvious Mazzulla decision

Mazzulla’s stunning Jaylen Brown statement will have Celtics fans buzzing

Derrick White is giving Celtics gift only a few NBA players are capable of

Jaylen Brown delivers painfully clear response to NBA’s latest mistake

Celtics are finally granting Anfernee Simons’ longtime wish

CLNS Media/YouTube Garden Report: Celtics vs Clippers Postgame Show on CLNS – Jaylen Brown DROPS 50 in LA

Noa Dalzell: Jaylen Brown for MVP | You Got Boston: a Celtics Podcast

Joe Mazzulla: Jaylen Brown Asked to Guard Kawhi Leonard Before 50-Point Game

Jaylen Brown on 50 PTS: “I’m the Best 2 Way Player in the World.” | FULL Celtics Postgame Interview

Jordan Walsh on Losing Starting Spot, Wanting to Guard Kawhi & Harden | Celtics Postgame 1-3

Derrick White on Jaylen Brown 50 Piece, Player of Month SNUB | Celtics Clippers Postgame 1-3

Rotowire Amari Williams News: Erupts for 30 points in G League

GLeague Salt Lake City Stars Acquire Returning Rights to Kavion Pippen

Hoops Rumors Celtics Notes: Brown, Bench, Walsh, Roster Opening

Orange County Register Clippers’ winning streak ends against Jaylen Brown, Celtics

Audacy Why this Celtics’ season is ‘rare’

HITC Jaylen Brown doing something with Boston Celtics that Jayson Tatum never did after 50-point game

SI .com This Is No Gap Year—Jaylen Brown’s Celtics Are Ready to Prove You Wrong

Dunking with Wolves Former Timberwolves forward is suddenly out of the rotation with his new team

Heavy “Was It the Salsa Lesson?” Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Reacts to 50-Point Explosion

Jaylen Brown Sent Special Text to Celtics HC Before Career Night

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh Has Strong Response to Benching in Win

The Score Celtics’ Brown: ‘I’m the best 2-way player in the game’

NBA/YouTube CELTICS at CLIPPERS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | January 3, 2026

Player of the Night – Jaylen Brown – Jan. 3

Basketball Sphere Hugo Gonzalez shines for Boston Celtics – on track to join Tim Duncan and Chet Holmgren in elite rookie company

The Sports Hub Jaylen Brown drops career-high 50 points in Celtics win over Clippers

TalkBasket Joe Mazzulla praises Brown’s 50-point performance in Celtics’ rout of Clippers

Clutch Points Celtics’ Jaylen Brown matches career-high with Player of the Month 50-point revenge game

Real GM Jan 3, 2026 – Capital City Go-Go 109 at Maine Celtics 112 – RealGM G League Box Score- Amari Williams monster game

Basketball Network “I’m happy he’s disappointed” – Joe Mazzulla reacts to Jaylen Brown’s viral NBA award rant

Bleacher Report Jaylen Brown Credits Salsa Dancing for Helping Score Historic 50 Points in Celtics Win

Maine Celtics/YouTube Amari Williams – NEW CAREER HIGH 33 Points, 16 rebounds!

Jan. 3 Amari Williams Postgame Press Conference (33 pts, 16 reb, 4 ast)

The Sports Rush “Happy He’s Disappointed”: Joe Mazzulla’s Take On Jaylen Brown Missing Out On Player Of The Month

Essentially Sports Jaylen Brown Made Personal Kawhi Leonard Demand Hours Before Celtics vs Clippers, Joe Mazzulla Reveals

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/128327/boston-celtics-daily-links-1-4-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Parquet Plays: How less playing time fueled Jordan Walsh

This Boston Celtics team is a reminder that the NBA season is waves.

Josh Minott opened the year as a consistent presence in the starting lineup, starting nine consecutive games, yet he hasn’t logged meaningful rotational minutes since December 12.

Conversely, Luka Garza endured a 15-day stretch without seeing the floor, only to emerge as a key contributor in the rotation over the past week.

The latest to have their role shift in their favor though is Forward Jordan Walsh.

Walsh opened the season with limited opportunities, logging just five minutes and 18 seconds across the first six games. Following a conversation between Jaylen Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla, Walsh’s role expanded significantly, as he went on to start 16 consecutive games.

His momentum was briefly slowed after he logged just 12 minutes in Toronto and then missed the following game due to an illness. Although he returned the game after, his role and impact did not immediately resemble what it had been before. Over the next four games, he failed to eclipse the 20-minute mark and ultimately lost his starting spot against the Clippers.

But instead of sulking, Walsh turned in his best performance of some time with a 13-point 13-rebound double-double. Mazzulla saw the effort during the game and rewarded Walsh with 29 minutes.

“To me, Joe was challenging me to come in and try to be the guy that I was,” Walsh said after the game.

Asked Jordan Walsh about his response tonight to reduced minutes as of late:

“I felt like Joe, to me — Joe was challenging me to come in and try and be the guy that I was, whatever, a month ago.”

“I definitely took that on as a challenge.”

He had 13 points, 13 rebounds https://t.co/riUef9YJZJ pic.twitter.com/XGQaRWwdgS

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 4, 2026

Walsh said his lack of play time lately is “definitely fuel” but reiterated that impacting winning is the main priority. “Starting [or] bench it don’t matter. If I have a chance to come in and make an impact, that’s all that really matters,” he explained.

His play certainly resembled that vs the Clippers.

Walsh got back to the defender we had come to know him to be in this game playing solid defense on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. He showed that relentless energy and gave multiple efforts which are required on this defense predicated on flying to the ball.

You see some of that here as he begins cutting off the passing lane to Leonard. Ball ends up finding Leonard and he does a nice job fighting over the screen showing high hands. With Leonard at halfcourt, he slides all the way down to the free throw line to help on the drive. He slips but is still able to recover and keep a body on Leonard and force a pass. He ends the possession with a rebound.

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Along with the defense, Walsh had an absurd stretch of shooting the ball. At one point he hit 19 of 21 shots. I’m certainly not expecting him to get that hot again, but his shooting splits have dropped to 45/33/85 over his last six games which aren’t necessarily abysmal.

In this game he showed great touch shooting 3-4 from behind the arc. Queta’s roll after his wide pin down for Anfernee Simons made Leonard step to him, leaving Walsh open.

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Here Walsh shows that role player IQ he spent a ton of time in the offseason working on. He sets the Exit screen (screen for someone to cut to the corner) for Sam Hauser and while that’s happening, Queta rolls. These two things occurring together make Nic Batum have to choose between getting to the corner or stopping the roll.

The layup seems like the more immediate danger, so Batum steps up to Queta. This now leaves a 2-on-1 in the corner with Walsh and Hauser, but wea are able to take advantage of this because Walsh smartly cuts making Leonard choose which guy to cover. He goes with Walsh, leaving Hauser open.

Walsh then shows great hustle getting the offensive rebound but does step out of bounds. Mistakes are acceptable when you play this hard.

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Here Walsh does a great job recognizing that his teammate has a height disadvantage. He uses that length to get the block from behind on Collins leading to a Hauser three.

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He shows more of that IQ, making another timely cut. With Brown being as hot as he was, it proved imperative that guys played off of him correctly, and Walsh did all night.

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Good recognition of time and score plus gameplan here by him. He gets switched off of Harden at the end of the quarter, and that’s of course not what the Celtics want. He immediately goes to trap, and it gets the ball out of Harden’s hands. Payton Pritchard does a great job forcing Brook Lopez to pump fake, which gives Walsh the time to come over and get a good contest.

Mazzulla approves.

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The Celtics have struggled to close out possessions throughout the season, but if Walsh can consistently provide this level of aggressive rebounding, brighter days may be ahead.

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Walsh sits in the corner here with his hands shot ready, but Brown does bad all by himself. On the other end though, Walsh uses those freakishly long arms again to force a Leonard airball. Brown comes down the court looking for another score, but the Clippers trap and Walsh again prevails playing off Brown.

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It was so good to see Walsh play at a high level again and respond to the call. He has the ability to impact winning in so many ways and maintaining that consistency will keep him on the floor.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128440/parquet-plays-how-less-playing-time-fueled-jordan-walsh

 

[Boston Celtics]

Chicago Bulls (17-18) at Boston Celtics (22-12) Game #35 1/5/26

Chicago Bulls (17-18) at Boston Celtics (22-12)
Monday, January 5, 2025
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #35, Home Game #16
TV: NBCSB, Chicago Sports Network, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WSCR 670 AM
TD Garden

The Celtics return home from a 4-1 road trip to host the Chicago Bulls. This is the 1st of 3 games between these two teams this season. They will play on January 24th in Chicago and on February 11 in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season. The Bulls haven’t won the season series with the Celtics since 2020-21. The Celtics are 137-110 overall all time against the Bulls and they are 78-40 in games played in Boston.

Unlike the Celtics, who have 8 new players this season, the Bulls haven’t changed their roster all that much since last season. They made one trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. They had signed Ball to a 2 year extension in February but traded him in the off season. The Bulls also drafted noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the draft and they chose Lachlan Olbrich with the 55th pick, and signed him to a 2 way contract.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 3 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 15-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-5 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.

The Bulls are 9th in the East, 9 behind first place Detroit, 2.5 games behind 6th place Orlando, 2 games behind 7th place Miami and 9th place Cleveland. They are 1 game ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 2 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. The Bulls are 13-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 7-9 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Celtics just returned from a 5 game road trip in which they beat Indiana, Utah, Sacramento and the Clippers but lost to Portland. This is their first game back at home after the trip and this game begins a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and end the trip at Detroit.

The Bulls are playing in the first of 2 road games and will play at Detroit before returning home to host miami and Dallas. They then play at Houston, and home against Utah before a home and home series vs Brooklyn. Then they host the Clippers, play at Minnesota and then host Boston and the Lakers before a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Miami twice, Milwaukee, and Toronto.

Jayson Tatum (Achilles) remains the only player on the Celtics injury report. For the Bulls, Zach Collins is out with a sprained right toe. Noa Essengue is out for the season after having shoulder surgery. Trentyn Flowers will miss his 5th straight game due to a sprained right knee. Josh Giddey is out due to a left hamstring strain. Jalen Smith is out due to a concussion. Coby White has missed the past 3 games due to a calf injury. He has been upgraded to probable for this game and will likely move back into the starting lineup at shooting guard.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Tre Jones

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Coby White

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Isaac Okoro

PF: Sam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis

C: Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Jordan Walsh

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Bulls Reserves
Jevon Carter
Ayo Dosunmo
Kevin Huerter
Julian Phillips
Dalen Terry
Patrick Williams

2 Way Players
Trentyn Flowers
Emanuel Miller
Lachlan Olbrich

Injuries/Out
Zach Collins (toe) out
Noa Essengue (shoulder) out
Trentyn Flowers (knee) out
Josh Giddey (hamstring) out
Jalen Smith (concussion) out
Coby White (calf) probable

Head Coach
Billy Donovan

Key Matchups
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he has averaged 16.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards, but they also need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter.

Payton Pritchard vs Coby White
White is averaging 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter because, although he is streaky, he can catch fire from out there. He has missed the last 3 games with a calf injury and was originally questionable but has been upgraded to probable for this game.

Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis
Buzelis is averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. With Coby White likely returning to the starting lineup, I’m guessing that Buzelis will start here, but that is speculation on my part.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 15th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.5. The Bulls are 23rd with a defensive rating of 117.2. The Bulls are 21st with an offensive rating of 113.5 while the Celtics are 2nd with an offensive rating of 122.3. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt 38.9 threes per game (9th) and they make 14 threes per game (10th).

Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 43.8 rebounds per game, which is 18th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 45.6 rebounds per game, which is 6th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls.

Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to start the game with energy and have to play harder than the Bullsd from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Bulls are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have been playing very well and the Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort for all 4 quarters. They have to be the more aggressive team, getting off to a fast start and playing hard right up to the final buzzer with no let up. They will get the Bulls best effort and so the Celtics must work harder than the Bulls with no let up.

Three Point Shooting – The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren’t falling. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 43.1 threes per game. The Bulls are 9th, taking 38.9 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.8 threes per game while the Bulls make 14 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots.

X-Factors
Back at Home – The Celtics are at home and will have the crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. This is the first game home after a long road trip and often that is a tough game for teams to win, especially after a big win in their last game on the road trip. The Bulls have all the distractions of playing on the road including travel, staying in hotels, playing in front of a hostile crowd and on an unfamiliar court.

Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...-17-18-at-boston-celtics-22-12-game-35-1-5-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics cap Q&A with former CelticsBlogger and Spotrac’s Keith Smith

I think by now most understand the dangers of the dreaded 2nd apron. However, I’ll sheepishly admit that I may have missed the differences between the 1st apron and the luxury tax lines. Can you help clarify and provide some context to why the Celtics might be motivated to further cut salary this year (or not)?

The Celtics accomplished their first, and primary goal, this offseason when they got under the second apron. That had to happen to begin resetting the penalties from being over the second apron in previous seasons (thawing out the frozen draft pick, not seeing a pick moved to the end of the first round, etc.). Now, the real question is if Boston wants to get out of the tax entirely.

There is no real benefit to getting under the first apron (Celtics are currently about $4M over the apron), minus freeing up a few restrictions that aren’t likely to matter much for the Celtics anyway. And, of course, lowering the luxury tax bill or eliminating it. And therein lies the idea of getting out of the tax entirely. As it stands today, Boston is a tax repeater team. That means that they get dinged at a higher tax rate than just being a regular tax team. Getting under the tax line (Celtics are currently about $12M over the tax threshold) would start the process of no longer being a tax repeater. That probably has some interest to Celtics ownership (and, by extension, the front office). But there are two important things to note:

1. Like the second-apron penalties and restrictions, getting under the luxury tax line for one year isn’t enough to reset everything. To keep things simple: getting under the tax line this year and then again next season, would rest the tax repeater clock.
2. This is the important one: Brad Stevens said there is no mandate from ownership to get under the tax line. That’s huge for this current season’s overachieving group, because it means they don’t need to shed talent simply for tax reasons. That means that any trades the Celtics make ahead of the trade deadline will be about basketball, not bank accounts.

Most people have assumed that the Celtics will be looking to trade Anfernee Simons this year. However, as you’ve pointed out, there’s a real chance that the team simply decides to hang onto him. Can you walk us through a few scenarios that the team might consider this offseason if he isn’t traded (let walk, re-sign, sign-and-trade)?

Anfernee Simons has played really well for Boston. While we’ve gotten all atwitter about Hugo Gonzalez’s ridiculous plus/minus stats, Simons has been nearly as impactful. The veteran combo guard has given the Celtics consistent scoring, ballhandling and playmaking. That’s been huge for Boston’s bench production.

Moving forward, if the Celtics keep Simons though the deadline, they’ve got all kinds of options. They can re-sign Simons, likely for a good amount less than the $27.7 million he makes this season. That will likely be impacted by the growth of the team’s younger players, as well as what things look like rotation-wise when Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup.

Boston could also let Simons walk. That would remove a big chunk of salary from the books and could possibly open up the projected $15.1 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Having the full NTMLE would be a boon to finding a rotation piece to a team that looks poised to be right back in title contender status, assuming they aren’t still there already.

The last viable option would be to move Simons as part of a sign-and-trade. This one is a bit more difficult, as some of the teams who might want Simons could simply sign him outright in free agency using cap space. And acquiring a player via sign-and-trade hard-caps a team at the first apron. So, it’s a bit trickier to make work, but certainly a path Boston could go down, assuming Simons agrees. Let’s not forget that a sign-and-trade involves the “sign” portion first, which means the player still has the control here.

Put on your GM hat and give us your best (legal) trade ideas for the Celtics this season. I’d prefer to find some big man depth, but I’m open to anything that makes us better for the next few years.

We’ve worked together long enough that you know I don’t live in fantasyland when it comes to trade ideas. I tend to be a bit of a wet blanket when people start dreaming about acquiring superstars or three-, four- or more team trades.

That said, I do think Boston will do something. I think the general idea will be to improve the team this year, while adding helpful players (or movable future salary) for upcoming seasons. I don’t think any moves will be rest-of-season additions only, unless they are fairly minor end-of-bench types of transactions.

One of the ideas that has floated in my head all year is to trade Anfernee Simons to the Brooklyn Nets for Terance Mann. The Nets would use some of their $15 million in remaining cap space to bring in Simons, without taking on any long-term salary. Boston would get a ballhandler in Mann to replace Simons, albeit not nearly as good a shooter/scorer. And, crucially, Boston would bring $15.5 million in tradable salary onto the books for next season. Think of that is a pre-agency MLE addition, with the added benefit of being able to flip Mann in a future trade down the line. Do I think that will happen? Probably not. But that’s the kind of trade to be on the lookout for.

If you want frontcourt depth, the Celtics should have the ability to add someone without having to give up too much. Players like Nick Richards, Jalen Smith, Marvin Bagley III, and Drew Eubanks are all acquirable players without tripping back over the second apron. At the beginning of the season, adding a starter-level center would have been a goal, but Neemias Queta has more than held up as a starter. Could the Celtics upgrade over Queta? Sure. Do they desperate need to? Nope.

Are there any pet topics that you would like to help Celtics fans understand this year?

I’ll reiterate that Boston doesn’t have to get under the first apron or even get under the tax this year. That’s been a somewhat common misunderstanding I’ve seen from parts of the Celtics fanbase. If they do so, it’ll be something that happens vs being the primary motivation of a deal.

Boston has a huge $22.5 million TPE that they can use a chunk of at the deadline to make an unbalanced trade. They also have a good-sized $8.2 million TPE too. And then a couple of smaller TPEs too. Could they be used at the deadline? Sure. But I think they’ll probably hold those until the offseason. A reminder on TPEs: They can’t be combined with other TPEs or outgoing salary to bring in more salary than the TPE is worth by itself.

What are you working on next?

I appreciate the opportunity to plug some work I’m doing! Over on Spotrac, I’ve got a piece up about G League players to watch for 10 Day callups (the Celtics do have an open roster spot!) and for two-way movement. I also recently wrote about contracts that become fully guaranteed if the players aren’t waived by January 7. We have the best Trade Machine in the business, which people are using a LOT! As real trades happen, I’ll be writing up reaction pieces for the site. Every deal will be covered from blockbusters to salary-dumps!

In addition, if you like all the stuff we covered here, check out NBA Front Office Show on YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Trevor Lane (yeah, he’s a Lakers guy, but we make it work!) and I cover all the latest news and notes from the NBA with a focus on roster- and transaction-related topics. We have a lot of fun and try to be informative and educational as we break down all the latest around the Association.

Lastly, thanks for the opportunity to come “home” again and contribute to the best Celtics site there is! I wouldn’t be where I am without the time I spent at CelticsBlog, and I’m forever thankful for everyone on the team and the audience on the site. Go Celtics!

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...ormer-celticsblogger-and-spotracs-keith-smith