Jazz (45-27) at Celtics (45-28) Game #74 3/23/22

[Goldstar88]

Yeah, so... Rob and Al combined for 7 blocked shots. That’s just ridiculous.

[colincb]

Cs are now second in net points after starting the season 18-21.

[bello_man09]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

[footey]

We have gone from one of the worst 3 point shooting teams, to one of the best.

JT has dramatically improved his 3 point efficiency.

Horford too.

And don't forget our man Payton Pritchard!! yessir.

[footey]

Payton Pritchard is starting to play defense like Chris Paul. Love it!!

[PAOBoston]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

Took him like 7 years to figure it out but glad it is finally happening. Lol.

[Celtics2021]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

Took him like 7 years to figure it out but glad it is finally happening. Lol.

More like it took him half a season as a full-time point guard, but regardless, it’s great to see him become a terrific distributor.

[mr. dee]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

Took him like 7 years to figure it out but glad it is finally happening. Lol.

You need to put him on a proper role to excel. He had to defer to the likes of Rozier, Kyrie, Kemba, IT and Schroeder and was delegated to SG because of them.

[Roy H.]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

Took him like 7 years to figure it out but glad it is finally happening. Lol.

More like it took him half a season as a full-time point guard, but regardless, it’s great to see him become a terrific distributor.

Yeah, I've been a critic of Smart for a couple of years now.  He didn't settle in to being the third option very well, which I don't completely blame on him.  The way he has played in February and March is a revelation.  His defense is as good as ever -- way better than last season -- and his efficiency and passing are a best case scenario.  We aren't seeing a lot of stupid shots or unnecessarily tricky passes. 

His March stats:  13.6 points, 8.0 assists, 40.4% 3PT%

[td450]

Yo Marcus smart - 2-3 and 13 dimes..is this a dream !!!

Took him like 7 years to figure it out but glad it is finally happening. Lol.

More like it took him half a season as a full-time point guard, but regardless, it’s great to see him become a terrific distributor.

I don't agree with that take at all. Almost the opposite.

Smart has made the leap by moving the ball more quickly, by not forcing plays. By being less of a point guard.

The current offense is pretty clearly run through Tatum, and the ball movement takes buy in by everyone. The two players who had to change the most were Smart and Tatum.

This isn't just the team letting him do what he does best. He's stopped pounding the rock, and he's accepted the scheme.

[ozgod]

Well that was authoritative. Perfect example of what is possible when we a) shoot well and b) our defense remains as connected as it has been. That first quarter was as good as we've played all season.

My biggest fear was that they would lose concentration because the lead was 20+ in the 2nd quarter, and there were moments when it looked like they were starting to lapse, most noticeably when Ime called a timeout right after Jaylen took a lazy 3 off a screen with 18 sec on the clock with the lead 20. He missed, the Jazz took it back for a score and Ime called timeout and talked to Jaylen - I'm sure he was saying "keep the focus, don't lose concentration, keep the foot on their throat". They came back after that and moved the ball and got back to getting themselves good looks and their defense was able to repel a lot of Jazz mini-runs.

That's the type of commitment and focus they need, especially when they play as well as this. They were able to get the deep bench on for around 5 mins which was great, and JT and Al sat most of the 4th which was also good. These types of games show you that when we're playing well we have a chance to beat any team. There will be times when we aren't shooting 50% from 3, but if we defend the way we have been, we will still always have a chance.

[trickybilly]

Sheet. I didn't catch the game, but I just got led into watching Payton highlights on YouTube, where he defensively embarrassed that scorer bench dude from Utah.
Admittedly, Clarkson has limited post game, but cheeses,  payton could be a BIG hit.

I was tryna come up with a comp  and late Kidd is the eSiest comp..

[Sophomore]

Well that was authoritative. Perfect example of what is possible when we a) shoot well and b) our defense remains as connected as it has been. That first quarter was as good as we've played all season.

My biggest fear was that they would lose concentration because the lead was 20+ in the 2nd quarter, and there were moments when it looked like they were starting to lapse, most noticeably when Ime called a timeout right after Jaylen took a lazy 3 off a screen with 18 sec on the clock with the lead 20. He missed, the Jazz took it back for a score and Ime called timeout and talked to Jaylen - I'm sure he was saying "keep the focus, don't lose concentration, keep the foot on their throat". They came back after that and moved the ball and got back to getting themselves good looks and their defense was able to repel a lot of Jazz mini-runs.

That's the type of commitment and focus they need, especially when they play as well as this. They were able to get the deep bench on for around 5 mins which was great, and JT and Al sat most of the 4th which was also good. These types of games show you that when we're playing well we have a chance to beat any team. There will be times when we aren't shooting 50% from 3, but if we defend the way we have been, we will still always have a chance.

Saw this same sequence. Been interesting to see how different he is about this kind of thing compared to Brad.  Much quicker to call TO to let the players know they’re losing focus - he’s blunt about and it seems to work very well.

[Atzar]

Well that was authoritative. Perfect example of what is possible when we a) shoot well and b) our defense remains as connected as it has been. That first quarter was as good as we've played all season.

My biggest fear was that they would lose concentration because the lead was 20+ in the 2nd quarter, and there were moments when it looked like they were starting to lapse, most noticeably when Ime called a timeout right after Jaylen took a lazy 3 off a screen with 18 sec on the clock with the lead 20. He missed, the Jazz took it back for a score and Ime called timeout and talked to Jaylen - I'm sure he was saying "keep the focus, don't lose concentration, keep the foot on their throat". They came back after that and moved the ball and got back to getting themselves good looks and their defense was able to repel a lot of Jazz mini-runs.

That's the type of commitment and focus they need, especially when they play as well as this. They were able to get the deep bench on for around 5 mins which was great, and JT and Al sat most of the 4th which was also good. These types of games show you that when we're playing well we have a chance to beat any team. There will be times when we aren't shooting 50% from 3, but if we defend the way we have been, we will still always have a chance.

Saw this same sequence. Been interesting to see how different he is about this kind of thing compared to Brad.  Much quicker to call TO to let the players know they’re losing focus - he’s blunt about and it seems to work very well.

I think that's an important influence for Jaylen in particular.  Brown always quietly struck me as a more emotional player than he appears on the surface, and a series of plays can make him either catch fire or enter a tailspin.  Having a coach who can see the signs and cut some of those tailspins short is necessary for a player like him.