DENVER — The Celtics have accomplished so many unforgettable issues this yr. However there may be one gap in what they hope will probably be a championship résumé. They haven’t overwhelmed the defending champs.
There’s a easy query about this workforce now: Might it defeat the Nuggets within the NBA Finals?
Thursday night time they confirmed as soon as once more that they will’t work out tips on how to beat Nikola Jokić. The Celtics have rolled via the league making an attempt to outthink the opponent, however they will’t checkmate the NBA’s grandmaster.
“He’s such passer, however typically you assist off the dunker (spot) and Aaron Gordon’s an ideal crasher,” Jayson Tatum mentioned. “There’s no incorrect reply, however the suitable reply might be totally different every possession.”
Whereas Tatum gained momentum within the MVP race after the All-Star break, this recreation probably closes the door on that comeback. Jokić dominated as soon as once more whereas Tatum couldn’t discover consistency on both finish of the ground.
This recreation was a litmus take a look at for his candidacy and the lasting impression of him taking a backseat will probably impression his placement come voting time. It was at all times going to require the Celtics having a stellar document for it to occur, however Jokić seemed so unstoppable and concerned Thursday whereas Tatum simply wasn’t as concerned.
“I say it on a regular basis, we speak about respecting one another’s area and understanding the circulate of the sport,” Tatum mentioned. “So it’s not upon me to love hijack the sport and attempt to make it about me and it’s a nationwide TV recreation. Different guys had it going. So if I’ve to be within the nook, if I’ve to be a facilitator at instances, so be it.”
Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 factors and saved the Celtics inside hanging distance whereas their half-court offense was swallowed by Denver’s protection. However the Celtics had too many errors, together with unhealthy turnovers, fumbling the ball away, lacking defensive assignments and Brown bricking free throws (7 of 14).
“And that, it begins with me,” Brown mentioned. “It begins on the high, begins with Jayson, and we made too many errors and it value us the sport.”
As a lot as this loss was self-inflicted and will boil all the way down to Tatum lacking a wide-open 3 to take the lead within the ultimate minute, Jokić gained this recreation. The Celtics didn’t lose it a lot as the previous MVP dominated from begin to end.
To be truthful, the Celtics tried virtually all the things. They began the sport with a hybrid zone that attempted to maintain Kristaps Porziņģis within the paint with our bodies planted in Jokić’s driving lanes. The Nuggets put that to relaxation shortly by placing our bodies in each dunker spots.
The Celtics tried placing one other participant in a deep drop and serving to off Gordon to cease the ball whereas Porziņģis stayed on Jokić. That didn’t work both.
Then when Porziņģis thought he had Jokić shaded the place he wished him in single protection, the Denver large spun via him like Hakeem Olajuwon.
“Whenever you give (Gordon) the ball, he’s going to dunk it,” Jokić mentioned. “Like I informed the blokes, typically I don’t even have to look as a result of I do know the place he’s. I simply have to throw it on the market and he’s going to get it more often than not. But when he doesn’t get it, it’s my fault.”
If Brown helps early and Tatum rotates down onto Gordon, Jokić finds Michael Porter Jr. for an open 3.
You need to hope Jokić misses. And even when he does, Gordon cleans it up. It’s arduous to beat Jokić as soon as he will get to his spot.
“He was undoubtedly in his bag tonight and he’s simply, he’s simply an unbelievable basketball participant. Some issues I discovered from him immediately really,” Porziņģis mentioned. “He’s simply so good, so artful, so many issues that you simply don’t see that he does on the ground that helps that workforce win. It’s unbelievable. Everytime you over assist him just a bit bit, he’ll discover Gordon, he’ll discover all these guys and it simply speaks of how worthwhile he’s for them and what he does for them. Actually, actually, actually (arduous to cease).”
The Celtics haven’t but discovered the stability of stopping Jokić and enjoying their finest lineup. Shut the sport with Al Horford? Put extra guards on him and do little matchup zones?
“I really feel like I ought to have guarded Jokić a bit bit, a bit extra,” Brown mentioned. “I want I might’ve had these alternatives a bit bit. I may hold him away from the basket and we may’ve took away a few of these layups they acquired. However I really feel like we nonetheless had each likelihood to win this recreation and simply got here up brief.”
Brown has been insisting he takes on the largest defensive challenges every night time. If coach Joe Mazzulla goes to have a take a look at managing his locker room, it’s about who will get the alternatives within the large moments.
Boston’s gamers have been speaking the speak about nonetheless having one other degree and being motivated to succeed in it. However when you could have an enormous lead atop the standings, can you discover that fireside? Nicely, now they know they’ve the Nuggets standing of their manner.
The Celtics have one of the best document within the NBA. However no one will care by the tip of June. You’re not one of the best workforce when you’re not the champs. To date, they will’t beat the champs.
When Porziņģis was requested if the Nuggets had the Celtics’ quantity, he pushed again on the notion.
“I don’t like this, that they’ve our quantity. I don’t like that type of phrase,” Porziņģis mentioned. “They beat us a pair instances. The margins of who wins and who loses is small. They beat us at dwelling. Hats off to them. Then they beat us in their very own dwelling. It’s very small. It may’ve went our manner.”
After years of arising brief on irritating, disjointed groups, Porziņģis has a wry smile after these sorts of video games. That is solely his second shedding streak of the season. Final yr, his workforce was a shedding streak.
“I like that we’ve this loss within the common season. It stings. It has to sting,” Porziņģis mentioned. “And we’ve to be taught and we’ve to enhance and likewise some psychological issues that we may take from this recreation. We had some emotional performs that we can not enable to occur within the playoffs. Some technicals that we don’t want fully. These are issues that we’ll take away from this recreation and bounce again.”
Porziņģis has been a difference-maker and the important thing to taking the Celtics from the higher echelon to its personal aircraft this season. So when Jokić ran via him repeatedly Thursday night time, it was a reminder that an enormous lead within the standings and a generational web ranking turns right into a tiny hole between two profitable groups when you hit the ground.
“Sure, they’re workforce and sure, they mainly have solutions for all the things, matchup clever, protection clever, offense clever,” Jokić mentioned. “They’re a well-built workforce and are enjoying actually good. They’re one of the best workforce within the NBA proper now. It’s actually arduous to play in opposition to a workforce that’s lengthy and tall. It’s a nice workforce.”
The Celtics are nonetheless nice, however the Nuggets might need the higher hand. The Celtics’ speak of hitting one other degree sounds grounded in actuality. They will beat groups by 50 all they need, however everybody is aware of the Nuggets are going to play them lifeless even.
“What I like is that there’s a margin for us to get higher, to play higher, and yeah, it’s doable,” Porziņģis mentioned. “We hope to see them once more.”
(Picture of Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokić: Ron Chenoy/USA In the present day)