Well, the Boston Celtics are back. I’m not sure what to think of the opening game against the Philadelphia 76ers. On one hand, I’m proud of the performance for three of the four quarters. On the other hand, the Celtics, like in previous seasons, found a way to lose a game they should have wrapped up.
Before I critique Boston, I have to praise Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. They were both outstanding for the Sixers and, honestly, their performance didn’t merit a loss.
Coming into the game, I had a feeling Boston would lose just because I think Philadelphia will be a top-three team in the Eastern Conference, especially once Paul George, Jared McCain and Joel Embiid are fully healthy. However, the way Boston looked in that third quarter made me believe we could win that game. It was a great stretch — outscoring Philly 35-19 behind Derrick White, who scored 13 of his 25 points in the quarter.
The Celtics went on one of those typical runs where they try to put a team to bed. However, Maxey kept the Sixers afloat, and Boston didn’t have anyone who could stay in front of him.
Boston led by 13 points in the fourth quarter. Thirteen points isn’t a lot in the modern NBA. The rate at which players can shoot and hit three-pointers means a 13-point lead can easily turn into a one-point game within a minute. I knew the Sixers had a run left in them — I just expected the Celtics to be able to work the clock and hunt mismatches. Unfortunately, after every quick basket the Sixers scored, it seemed like Boston felt as if it were trailing and had to answer immediately.
I rate Joe Mazzulla highly among active coaches. However, I think he deserves some blame for this loss. It’s hard to “time waste” with three or four minutes left, but I wasn’t a fan of the shot selection the Celtics took. Too many contested looks or shots taken with 16 seconds still on the shot clock.
We’re going to be without Jayson Tatum for the majority, if not all, of the season. I don’t necessarily believe Jaylen Brown is as clutch of a playmaker than Tatum, but I would still like to see the ball in his hands late in games. White and Brown need to be Boston’s leaders in those situations, and the fact that neither got a shot off in the final 10 seconds isn’t good.
I like Payton Pritchard a lot, but he’s maybe the third or fourth option I want taking a late-game shot — especially if Brown or White are on the floor. One of them needed to take the final attempt.
I questioned Boston’s big-man options coming into the season, but I really liked what Neemias Queta did. Queta delivered in his first start of the season, scoring 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds before fouling out. Boston is going to need his scoring and rebounding if it wants to stay competitive, especially against the likes of Nikola Jokic, Embiid and Victor Wembanyama.
Xavier Tillman Sr., Luka Garza and Chris Boucher also played well, giving a boost to Boston’s frontcourt.
It’s an early lesson for Boston — and maybe for us as fans — that it’s going to be a more difficult year without its best player. Still, the Celtics showed potential, which is good to see.
Maybe it’s time to right a wrong when Boston plays the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening.
