Made 'Em Your Pritch

The Boston Celtics, led by Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown took the Los Angeles Lakers to school on Sunday night.

Yesterday morning, my wife and daughter indulged me in a trip to the cinema to watch GOAT. Originally, we were planning to watch a mid-afternoon showing. When we checked online, we saw that seats were booking up fast. I called an audible, booking our spots for the first showing of the morning.

My daughter was livid. She had 40 minutes to get herself ready. A death-knell for a 15-year-old girl heading into the outside world. In protest, she sought out her Lakers sweatshirt. That’s her protest jumper. She wears it when she wants to get at me. It’s a running joke in our household.

I had the last laugh, though, doing my best Ric Flair rendition as I walked around the house at 6:30 AM this morning.

This team, man. This frecking team. What. A. Win.

And with that win, the Celtics moved to 37 - 19 on the season. If they can win three more on the bounce, they will hit the coveted 40-20 mark.

I’m not sure going 41-21 — or something similar — would make much difference. Not with how this Celtics team is playing. Not with the attitude they show each and every night.

40-20 rule be damned. We’re all believers here.

🔬 The Lab

Starter. Sixth Man. It doesn’t matter. Payton Pritchard is a hooper’s hooper. Against a Los Angeles Lakers team that boasts the super-duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Pritchard stepped into the limelight.

There’s something poetic about how the smallest guy on the roster often has his biggest performances when the lights are shining brightest. But that’s exactly what Pritchard does. In a lot of ways, he’s like the GOAT from yesterday’s movie.

A connector. A competitor. A true lover of the game. And most importantly, a threat that has to be taken seriously.

“Payton has been playing at an All-Star level,” Brown said during his postgame news conference. “And I’m happy to see it. Nobody happier to see it than me.”

Pritchard and the Sixth Man role fit together like sunlight and blue skies. They just make sense. Since moving back to the bench, he’s averaging 22.5 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 boards per night, shooting 42.9% from deep and 60.8% from 2-point range.

From the outside looking in, a bench role gives him a different level of confidence. There’s more swagger. More braggadocio.

Whether it’s a buzzer-beating trey or a turnaround jumper in the fourth quarter, Pritchard’s array of scoring skills has steadily improved over the past few years. He’s learned how to manipulate his changes of pace, how to generate gaps and driving lanes courtesy of his ball-handling and eye manipulation and most importantly, how to knock down shots across all three levels.

Without Jayson Tatum on the court, the Celtics have needed a secondary scorer to emerge in every game they’ve played. You’ve got to tip your hat, too, because different guys have risen to the occasion throughout the season.

But, against the Lakers, on their home floor, with Jaylen Brown continuing to shine on both sides of the ball, it was Pritchard who rose as the lead protagonist. The unlikely hero, sharing a court with three All-NBA talents, two of whom are in the MVP conversation this season.

May I remind you, this is the same Pritchard who’s earning $7.2 million this season. The same Pritchard who is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.

“[There’s] another step I can get to,” Pritchard said, per Noa Dalzell. “So, just gonna keep working — and I’m gonna get to it.”

And while Pritchard provided the sunlight, it was Neemias Queta who brought the shade. The ever-improving big man was phenomenal on both sides of the ball. He controlled the glass, worked his screening angles and protected the rim against all challengers.

Queta ended the night with 12 rebounds, 10 points and 3 blocks. Four of his boards came on the offensive glass, a game high.

Adding Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics rotation at the Feb. 5 trade deadline appears to have pushed Queta to a new level. Ironically, it’s also the same move that repositioned Pritchard back with the bench rotation.

One trade changed the entire construction, and with it, a balance has been found that could carry this team deep into the postseason.

Between Pritchard’s unstoppable offense, Brown’s ability to lead the line on both sides of the floor, Derrick White’s connective tissue and Queta’s rim protection, the Celtics had a cast-iron spine. At times, it bent, but it never broke. It twisted, it contorted, but it always reverted back to its strongest shape.

A team is at its best when it doesn’t stray too far from its identity.

Now let’s explore some of the numbers that emerged from this game.

📂 The Dossier

“I think Joe is — there's a handful of coaches that I think are doing a tier-one job this year,” JJ Redick said during his pre-game news conference. “And Joe's in that group of coaches, he's really doing a phenomenal job.”

When I think of an elite coach, I often ask myself if the team on the floor reflects the coach’s personality, or at least the basketball principles they often share during press conferences.

Last night, in the decimation of the Lakers, we saw Mazzulla’s personality shining through the team’s style of play. Really, we were watching a basketball rendition of Inception.

Think about it.

Gritty ✅

Physical ✅

Joyful ✅

And relentless ✅

That’s before we hit on seeking out 2-on-1 matchups, taking a sizeable amount of threes, and fighting for every ball.

It’s those traits that allowed the Celtics to maximize their possessions despite losing the possession battle, at least in terms of shot volume, 83-87. A huge part of that success came from playing as a unit and trusting that every moving cog played a part.

With 29 assists on 40 made buckets, Boston’s movement, precision and growth were on full display. Credit to Pritchard, White and Brown, too; that trio accounted for 23 of Boston’s assists on the night.

There’s a sharpness to the rotation at the minute. Even transition defense, which was a clear concern earlier in the season, is now looking somewhat like a strength. Last night, despite giving up multiple pilfers, the Celtics limited the Lakers to just 6 points off turnovers.

They gave up 9 fast-break points.

Mazzulla’s team is getting back early. But, most importantly, they’re making enough of their shots that the defense is being afforded the luxury of getting back and setting up — rather than a pickleball-style of back-and-forth.

Oh, and for anyone who is still on the ‘they shoot too many threes’ train (we’re all on there sometimes), the Celtics outscored the Lakers in the paint, 48-42.

In a game where the Lakers were trying to win in front of their home crowd, the Celtics made their possessions count more.

Those green googles fit nice and snug this morning, wouldn’t you say?

⚖️ The Verdict

In an 82-game season, you’re going to experience highs and lows. It’s inevitable.

Yet, on a warm Los Angeles evening, while Boston was being battered by a snowstorm, the Celtics sent some metaphorical rays of sunshine back home. They’ve now won their first two games of their four-game West Coast road swing. Even without Tatum, they look playoff-ready.

Not working towards being ready.

I mean, they look ready right now.

I pinpointed Pritchard for “the lab” because Brown has been the subject of so much praise this season. Still, that doesn’t remove his importance to last night’s win, or the Celtics’ chances of success.

Getting one over the Lakers is always, and I do mean always, a good time. Rivalries are a wonderful thing when you’re on the winning side. In fact, the only win that would feel nearly as good as this one would be a playoff series win over the New York Knicks. They’re owed that.

For now, though, it’s mission accomplished for the Celtics. Two games played since returning from the All-Star break, and two wins in the books. Next up is the Phoenix Suns.

There are no easy games. Another win isn’t guaranteed.

Yet, if the ball keeps moving the way it has been, and the shot quality remains at a mind-boggling height, Boston could be staring down the barrel of a potential unbeaten road trip.

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though.

No.

Let’s live in this moment.

That’s what beating the Lakers deserves.

We can worry about the Suns, the standings and Tatum’s potential comeback tomorrow.

Oh, and shout-out to Hugo Gonzalez. He had some great defensive possessions. I’m still super high on him.