2022 - 2023 POST GAME LA LAKERS - AWAY

Celtics Wrap: Boston Avoids Disaster, Survives OT Scare From Lakers
Boston showed championship DNA in the OT effort


NESN by Keagan Stiefel

The Boston Celtics survived disaster Tuesday night, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, 116-110, in overtime at Crypto.com Arena.

The Celtics improved to 22-7 on the year, while the Lakers dropped to 11-16.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics looked like their season was going to hit a new low Tuesday. Then, they completely turned things around and reminded everyone why they have the NBA’s best record.

After holding an 84-65 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Boston gave up a 31-5 Los Angeles run, allowing one of the worst teams in the NBA to completely flip the script and put them in a 106-93 hole with four minutes remaining. Then they started chipping away.

Grant Williams would hit a three. Jayson Tatum went to the line and converted an and-one. Tatum and Marcus Smart combined to nail a couple of shots from beyond the arc. Then, came the shot of the game from Tatum.

Down two with under 30 seconds remaining, Tatum went one-on-one with LeBron James, backing him into the paint and hitting a beautiful turnaround jumper to send the game to overtime.

In OT, the Celtics’ young duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown took over to put the game away. A 29-10 run by Boston essentially ended the game, as Los Angeles’ veterans were gassed. A tough win for a team trying to prove they have championship DNA, though it never should have been close.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum was as clutch as could be for Boston, hitting the huge shot to force OT and lead the Celtics to victory. He finished with 44 points, nine rebounds and six assists.


— James can still turn the dial up to 11 when he needs to. The all-time great put together one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing with 33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block.

— Anthony Davis recorded yet another double-double, grabbing 12 boards to go along with 37 points. He also recorded a block and a steal.

WAGER WATCH
Brown’s total steals prop is becoming free money for bettors. DraftKings Sportsbook set his steals total at 1.5, giving him -115 odds of surpassing the number. He finished with three, meaning a $100 bet would have netted a total payout of $186.96.

UP NEXT
The Celtics will return home for the first time in two weeks to take on the Orlando Magic on Friday at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

112288

FACE!!

Hi,
The drive is still with the team.
In the 4th quarter they melted but found strength and desire to win. Now, back to home cooking.

AK

POST GAME PROSPERITY:


One mo time-

NESN needs INDEED Or a new talent headhunter.

The score final score was 122-118 not 116-110.

The two games I really wanted to watch this year I missed.  I missed the GSW game because I was flying and I missed the Laker game because I was driving.

Anthony Davis with 15 of LA's 30 ftas.  

I see that the Lakers were down 6 after 3 but stormed back and had a 13 point lead with only 3:52 left in the game, that's when LeBron missed a shot and Jayson got the rebound.  The Staples must have been rockin'!!! And then silent as the Celtics put on a 17 - 4 on those last 3:52 to tie it up at 110 and go into OT.

And in OT the Lakers went up 4-0 early.  Once the Laker faithful thought they had us (and you know, with the season they're having, the only that still matters to them is beating us).  And then we scored 12 straight points before LeBron made a layup with :48 left and the score became 122-116.  It was a 2 possession game with :27 left.

And that must be the real heartbreaker there.  It's one thing when the Lakers lose because AD's out, or LeBron's out, or even because they're disfunctional and are playing like they don't care.  It's another when they're healthy, motivated and very definitely in position to win and don't.  We were down our starting front court, we were down RWill and Al and it didn't matter.  In fact I doubt AD would have had the game he had if we had had either one of those two and without AD's monster game this is a Celtic blow out in regulation.

Just watched this video.  What I like about it is that it is uncut, it's not a highlight film so I get to see the good and the bad.  The Lakers got every break.  They got calls.  They got AD to the line with a 2 point lead and only :28 left and he missed both fritos.  What a frippin' barn burner ending to regulation.



As pointed out we are 11-5 on the road.  The next best road record is Milwaukee's 7-4.  They have to go 4-1 in their next 5 road games just to tie us in this.  This "horrible" road trip we're on, is now complete.  We went 4-2.  6 games in 9 days and we went 4-2, and the Bucks need to do even better than that just to tie us.


Bob


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In my opinion, Westbrook played awesome, until late in the 4th quarter and the overtime. Then he started playing me ball.  He killed them, LeBron must have been so ticked off…there is no way they should have lost this game except that, as Eddie House said, the Celtics finally woke up and decided that they wanted to win this game.  He said, “they just seem to get bored when they have big leads”.  Is he right?
In this case, eh???  

I shut down my computer and listened to Grande and Max and watched the end of the game, I could not believe my eyes.  Talk about a tale of two teams.  They were determined no to lose.  A good win, like I say many times, a win is a win is a win.  I just wish they hade kept that 20 point lead and built on it to crush them.  I hope they are learning something from this trip

Phew! The Lakers game fixed some of the depression from the in-person witnessing of the Golden State pummeling of the Celts. To top it off, my wife and sons were merciless during and after the game.

The Celts are really hampered by the current 3rd grade center rotation. Can't wait for Al and TimeLord to be back. If we can attack better from the 5 position, we will be unstoppable.

We are getting closer to that time of the year and in the back of my mind, I keep asking myself what roster moves the Celts will make. TimeLord will take his minutes there by squeezing the Grant Williams and Derrick White roles. Additionally they have Gallinari who will not contribute this year. That is $27.6M in tradable salary. Where to keep insurance and where to upgrade?

Yes, Ros, Westbrook was wonderful during the first 3Q+ and then wonderfully terrible at the end of the 4th Q and in OT - lucky for us.

Everyone is a little Leary of Joe.  It seems to me his coaching style is not that different from Ime. He used to let the guys go, until he got totally ticked off at them and called a timeout.  Joe has to learn that those are there for a reason. Sometimes you have to stop the ball when the other team is on a run.  I laughed at Tatum and Brown not hesitating to tell them in one time out to get their sh… together  I think they finally listened. Those last 3 plus minutes were something else.

I loved that fall away turnaround jumper JT took over LeBron to tie the game. Ice water in his veins at that point. They were tired, you could tell, being on the road for 12 days is tough.  But, they are too good to have lost even one of those games they did.  

Here’s hoping they learned something from this trip

Thrilling game, spoke to Steve earlier, we both thought the game was so over. Never thought the spurt at end, which had me thinking, where was this effort earlier? would be enough to actually tie the game. We got lucky, received a gift from AD and Tatum put up an incredible indescribable was it a double or triple cross over spin move turnaround jumper. The best are doing moves that we’ve never seen at break neck speeds that can actually work in crunch time. That tying move was worth the price of admission and he did it in Lebron’s face. Lakers 3 HoFers had their moments, Lebron still has alot left. AD is still in his prime. Their strengths and faults were on full display as were ours.

Jaylen also had some amazing high level finishes that reminded me of Kobe/MJ, just casually switching hands to his left at super high level speed attacking AD in midair. These guys are so talented/gifted, but neither is a born leader. Only one Bird/Magic, great players like Jordan and Shaq took 9 years before they got the proper cast around them and figured out how to lead. We were so close last year, hopefully J’s can learn from their mistakes and keep adding to their games.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Thrilling game, spoke to Steve earlier, we both thought the game was so over. Never thought the spurt at end, which had me thinking, where was this effort earlier? would be enough to actually tie the game. We got lucky, received a gift from AD and Tatum put up an incredible indescribable was it a double or triple cross over spin move turnaround jumper. The best are doing moves that we’ve never seen at break neck speeds that can actually work in crunch time. That tying move was worth the price of admission and he did it in Lebron’s face. Lakers 3 HoFers had their moments, Lebron still has alot left. AD is still in his prime. Their strengths and faults were on full display as were ours.

Jaylen also had some amazing high level finishes that reminded me of Kobe/MJ, just casually switching hands to his left at super high level speed attacking AD in midair. These guys are so talented/gifted, but neither is a born leader. Only one Bird/Magic, great players like Jordan and Shaq took 9 years before they got the proper cast around them and figured out how to lead. We were so close last year, hopefully J’s can learn from their mistakes and keep adding to their games.

Cow,

Steve likes to call games early. He does it all the time. Most of the time he's right, but that's because most teams can't mount comebacks like we did vs the Lakers.


Bob


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Couple of things to add:

1.  At least we own this time in OT!  Now we're 1-3.  Was beginning to dread OT's.  

2.  With the see-saw game, in the past, we'd lose these kind of games.  Champions do not, no matter who they are playing.  And of course this is Lakers vs. Celtics.  It doesn't matter how good or bad one team or the other is or both are good or bad...It's Celtics vs. Lakers.  No more needs to be said.  One of the greatest rivalries in sports.  I'd have to argue, though, not the best.  Probably Duke vs. Carolina is the truest rivalry.  Ours with the Lakers head-to-head is lopsided.  That's why the Lakers switched the narrative to total championships.  17-17 is a rivalry.  9-3 is bordering on total domination.  

3.  I'm not sure how I would be looking at the Celtics had they lost this one.  I know how everyone else outside this site would been looking at them licking their chops.  A W is a W.  

4.  Winning this game may be a bigger deal than everyone is letting on.  Last game of road trip and a SEGABABA with no Al or RWIII.  Folks, we probably should have lost this game as I had predicted and by a lot.  But there's magic and method in my predictions.  I'm wrong about 90% of the time!!  So when I'm wrong...I'm right!!

5.  There's nothing wrong with CJ looking a lot like Ime.  Ime was a first year coach that got us 2 games from 18.  All CJ has to do this season is figure out those last two games.  I think he's going to have it figured out if not already.  He currently needs to find a way to work around the 3-ball going flat at times.  This is about the 3rd game I recall it happening where everything/everybody goes awry all at the same time with the 3-ball and yet they just keep shooting from out there building shopping malls ala old Marcus Smart.  Now this was just in the 2nd half where things went cold but we've had this reoccurring so something needs to be put in place to remedy.  Maybe it's RWIII.  I described the random number playbook factor before so I won't rehash but our guys load up maybe a little too much on the 3's.  When it's working, it's devastating.  And if the ball is moving and we're open, it's beautiful.  But once opponents like GSW and Clippers figure out that defense ruins our rhythm, then they have an in.  Remember, there's no defense in a track meet.  At least not by our opponent. And the opponent receiving the AW tires massively just like the Lakers did in OT.  This was a SEGABABA and we looked fresher than the Lakers who had days to prepare for this game.  Charles Barkley was right on this.  That's why I'm looking forward to RWIII's return and how our point-spreads will differ.  Looking for 140-90 vs. say, this last game of 122-118.  And if the guys are all off, 120-95. That will tell us RWIII is back.  

OK.  Now the guys have a couple of days off and are coming home.  Please don't over look ORL.  Didn't they give us a game down there already?  Nothing ruins the beginning of a promising homestand leading up the Christmas Day like an unexpected loss.

What I don't want this team to become is the all hat no cattle Mike Bibby SAC Kings of the 90's and oddly, inexplicably bow out of the playoffs in the first or second round.  That team had lots of scoring punch but imploded in the playoffs.  I'm sure with the return of RWIII we're finally going to get to see what this team really has in the tank.  I hate to push all-in on an injury-riddled player, but as for right now, our path to Banner 18 goes through RWIII.  If he comes out there and pulls a GH after all this time off or even sniffs of an injury all the way through this season and into the playoffs, it's over as far as B18.  Giannis will eat our lunches.  It's that simple.  We can't win B18 without a healthy, stable, reliable RWIII.  And that's asking a lot given we haven't seen that version of yet since his arrival in Boston.  But unless Brad does something differently, given the cards we have been dealt, it's all our RWIII chips on the table.

So, will RWIII make an appearance tomorrow?  Anyone? Bueller?   Come in off the bench or start?  I'd be surprised if he started.  But this is CJ's team.        

db

I’m not overlooking Orlando, they have amazing young talent. A player I wish we still had is Bol Bol, he is really coming into his own.