My Thoughts:
1. I knew exactly what was gonna happen on the play when Kemba nailed that last three. We've seen that same play on us a thousand times. CBS plays the percentage and tells Horford not to let him drive, but to contest the three.
2. Connected to the point above, it is not fun watching this team defend during the regular season. CBS is committed to his defensive system, which means when an opposing guard gets into rhythm, he refuses to send help. He puts Brown and Smart on an island. He refuses to allow the rest of the opposing team to get involved in the game. His strategy is simple: if they win with hero ball against Smart, they deserve to win. It's infuriating and ungratifying to watch. It's not a great regular season tactic, but it is a great playoff series tactic. Players can't be heroes for an entire series -- at least not enough to win games. If the opposing team is not involved, then the odds are in your favor.
3. The offense looked better last night. It trended up in the Raptors game also.
4. Jaylen Brown is starting to look like a better version of Andrew Wiggins. I realize his points are not as high, but his usage is also way lower than Wiggins has been throughout his career. He is a tantalizing prospect with uber-defensive potential, but I worry about his determination, or will, to stop opposing offensive players. I wish he would take a few more blocking fouls trying to stop guys getting to the basket. I STILL OWN OODLES OF JAYLEN BROWN STOCK. I'M NOT SELLING YET.
5. Kyrie Irving is really good at basketball. He is still scoring at an amazing level, but he is now figuring out how to distribute and get other guys involved. He is also playing high level defense. I kinda' wanted him to take Kemba last night. I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF THESE EARLY SEASON STRUGGLES FOR THE CELTICS WERE THE REFINING FIRE THAT VAULTED KYRIE TO THE NEXT LEVEL AS A PLAYER.
6. The refs missed a pretty obvious foul on a late three pointer by Kyrie. The Hornets got free throws on an off-ball touch foul on the other side of the court. That was pretty frustrating to watch, but again, seems par for the course this year. That was a 5 point swing that we never came back from.
7. It seems like every time we are about to go on a long run, we make one simple mistake that stops it. Last night, those mistakes were Baynes fouls, Theis overplaying on defense and leaving the drive open, missed open threes, not catching a pass, etc. In some ways, I think this team is very close.
8. Horford and Theis look really smart, but really old. I agree with other posters that Robert Williams may provide some energy and quickness. Hopefully, he can figure out good positioning quickly.
9. Marcus Morris is regressing to the mean. I wish CBS played Brown above him more. I also wish Morris' approach rubbed off on Brown a little.
10. The Cs have not been fun to watch so far. It seems like every game we are about to go on a run and then make some dumb mistakes. Those moments always feel like holding in a sneeze. It seems like every other game, an opposing player is going off against us. We rarely win a game by 30. Every game is a struggle.
11. Finally, it's not how you play at the beginning of the season, but at the end of the season. I'm still hopeful that we pick up momentum in late February and carry it through the playoffs. I'd take struggles in October-December if it meant playing well in April-June.