close
close

Here are 19 thoughts on your NBA champion Celtics

Here are 19 thoughts on your NBA champion Celtics

So what did he do about it? He just went back to the gym and fixed the thing, leaving out that unnecessary, major hiccup and simplifying his release.

Tatum is averaging 4.5 made threes on 41.9 percent so far, and such sharp shooting seems sustainable with a simpler and much more aesthetically pleasing recording.

2. This is another reminder that Tatum – and indeed Jaylen Brown – haven’t gotten enough recognition over the years for how hard he works to improve his game.

Part of the legend of Larry Bird is the way he always worked to add to his repertoire. When Tatum is done here in ten years, that commitment to improvement should be part of his legacy. That should already be the case.

3. Brown’s handle still goes so loose at times that you wonder if he was Adam Brody’s personal basketball consultant on “Nobody Wants This.” But you know what? That’s fine.

Celtics superstar guard Jaylen Brown appears to be an unstoppable force on the offensive end of the court right now.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

4. Through occasional dribbling, Brown has become a nearly unstoppable attacking force, one who can beat bigger players and overpower smaller ones at will. I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged more points per game than Tatum this season.

5. Payton Pritchard has to be the first player in NBA history whose long-range buzzer-beater skills are so well-established that half-court shots rank as a go-to move.

Celtics reserve guard Payton Pritchard (11) is all smiles these days, especially when dialing in from long range. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

6. Pritchard is a career shooter with 39.8 percent from 3-point land in his five-year career. The only players in his draft class with a better percentage who shoot threes regularly are Desmond Bane (41.5 percent, No. 30 overall pick by the Celtics, immediately traded to the Grizzlies) and Patrick Williams (40.7 percent, No. 4 choice of the Bulls).

7. Prediction: Derrick White will make this year’s All-Star team. It’s better that people stop calling him underrated and rightly rate him as one of the best all-around guards in the league.

8. The three most important elements of White’s shot blocking: He has ridiculously fast feet that rarely leave him out of position. He is a fast jumper. And his range apparently extends to 10 feet when he enters the paint.

Thanks to the trust he receives from coach Joe Mazzulla, Celtics guard Derrick White has taken his game to a whole other level. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

9. White and Joe Mazzulla are the perfect match between player and coach. White now plays with so much confidence – the confidence that Mazzulla helped bring to the table by allowing him to be aggressive and not fear mistakes – that it’s easy to forget how hesitant he was when he arrived from the Spurs.

10. I’ve said many times, during his first stint here and now during his second, that Al Horford is the quintessential Celtic, in that you can see exactly how and where he would fit into any great team in franchise history.

11. Well, I’d like to change that, because Horford has company in the He Would Fit On Any Celtics Champion club. White and Jrue Holiday also deserve that designation.

Center Al Horford has become the ultimate Boston Celtic.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

12. The Celtics had a lot of luck heading into Banner 18, which was talked about ad nauseum regarding their playoff run. But their most coincidental break occurred before the season: the Bucks traded Holiday to the Blazers.

13. There’s no way Brad Stevens could have anticipated Holiday becoming available… could he? I sometimes wonder what the full picture of the Celtics’ backcourt would have looked like if that deal hadn’t transpired.

14. Of course, Celtics players are not supposed to look back on the new season. But we can and must do that too. As I tell my kids, never stop enjoying a championship. You will always, always have that, no matter how everything plays out in the years to come.

15. A question: What was your favorite single-in-game moment during the Championship Round? I suspect Pritchard’s halfcourt bomb in Game 5 of the Finals — a shot that essentially declared, “Yes, we’ll win it all tonight” — would be the majority’s first choice.

16. To me, Holiday saving Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers is a steal. It was just something Dennis Johnson did, and DJ was my favorite Celtic growing up, Non-Larry Legend Division.

17. One thing I know about Kristaps Porzingis’ return, whether it comes in December or maybe sooner: it has to happen at home. Porzingis cherishes the atmosphere of this garden in a way that is similar to how Bill Walton felt about the old place when he arrived here in ’86.

18. Nice to see Jordan Walsh getting real minutes – and deserving of it. I’m not sure he’ll shoot more than 30 percent from three, but he’s a live-wire who could be a better version of 2023 Oshae Brissett.

Jordan Walsh has been given minutes to start the season, and it looks like he’s earned them. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

19. I wish there had been a way to keep Lonnie Walker IV on hand. I wish he had decided to go to Maine. But I understand why neither happened. He was too expensive in tax penalties to keep. And he’s way too good for the G League.


Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GlobeChadFinn.