The Boston Celtics have gone an ideal 3-0 to start their preseason and with two exhibitions left, the reigning champions have gone proper again to work, virtually as if they’d by no means gained the NBA Finals and captured their 18th Larry O’Brien Trophy.
That’s the way in which to go, proper?
Placing apart the belated season debut of Kristaps Porzingis, the new-look Jap Convention rosters and the Olympic taking pictures woes of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have one issue that inherently plagues most championship groups: themselves. Falling content material after reaching the mountaintop as soon as is a practical and relevant fear that’s stored Boston on its toes to maintain the title defenders from falling by itself sword — even when it means treating each preseason exhibition like an in-season battle for the highest seed.
Boston hosted the Sixers on Saturday night time, with out Paul George, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry amongst others, and gave Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse hell for 48 minutes. In actual fact, by the point the primary 12 minutes had come and gone, the Celtics tallied 40 factors on the scoreboard and adopted that thunderous first quarter with a 70-point first half to finish the night time lengthy earlier than the ultimate buzzer sounded.
“One of many strengths of this staff is no matter who’s in or nor, we execute at a excessive degree, we play effort and I feel that’s the way in which that we attempt to maintain one another accountable to that,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla advised reporters after the 139-89 Celtics win, as seen on NBC Sports activities Boston’s postgame protection. “I get pleasure from teaching them and so they work arduous so I feel it’s key to attempt to preserve that.”
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Regardless that Mazzulla launched the starters on the Sixers, alternatives had been in place for Boston’s reserves and newcomers to additionally make an affect.
Offseason signee Lonnie Walker IV performed a team-high 25 minutes and scored 9 factors on 4-of-7 taking pictures from the sector 4 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block, ending the night time a plus-27. It was Walker’s first likelihood to capitalize on prolonged minutes, but the 25-year-old adjusted Boston’s playbook comparatively simply and made a notable stride amid the continued battle to grab a roster spot earlier than Opening Evening.
“I’m actually glad that I acquired some motion at the moment. I acquired my toes moist,” Walker advised reporters, per CLNS Media. “… Made some good reads, did stable on the defensive finish — I feel I gotta decide that up as properly and rebound. So far as simply what I gotta present for the staff is simply different methods to affect profitable. It’s not simply scoring. I feel everybody is aware of I can rating so it’s extra of all the opposite little issues and type of bumping that to an entire different notch.”
Mazzulla’s affect and locker room belief have grown tremendously ever because the 35-year-old’s interim tag was eliminated midway by way of debuting as head coach. Now, underneath new circumstances and because the staff with the most important goal on its again, Mazzulla’s message, too, has readjusted fairly a bit. Boston continues to be treating the upcoming marketing campaign just like the 29 groups that didn’t win the Finals. The chase isn’t any totally different simply because the Celtics are the one staff that’ll open their season by elevating a banner or being offered with a championship ring. Boston is treating the yr as in the event that they by no means gained, getting a head begin to the mid-season type by treating the meaningless preseason like there’s one thing at stake. Though when you ask Mazzulla, there completely is.
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“I feel there’s an ordinary that’s been set by the individuals which were right here for a very long time — the gamers,” Mazzulla mentioned, per NBC Sports activities Boston. “After which we attempt to carry guys in that wanna uphold that. So it’s a credit score to the locker room for setting that one for a very long time and it’s a credit score to the fellows coming in that work to be part of that.”
Boston’s closing two preseason contests will come in opposition to the Toronto Raptors.
