Jayson Tatum’s late push helps Celtics take down Knicks: 10 takeaways

Celts

The Celtics can get hot quickly.

Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics took on the New York Knicks at TD Garden in Boston on November 13. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Celtics and Knicks tied it for just over three quarters before an offensive explosion in the fourth helped the Celtics claim a 114-98 victory.

Here are the takeaways.

1. We’re witnessing a pretty impressive leap from Jayson Tatum, who is somehow significantly better than last year’s player who made a very creditable All-NBA First Team and became the first Celtics player to average of 30 or more points per match.

On Monday, Tatum started slow from behind the three-point line, but he helped the Celtics stay connected as the Knicks outscored them in the first two quarters. He poured in six runs in the third, but the Celtics built an eight-point lead thanks to their defense and some solid offense from Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown.

However, Tatum took off in the fourth. He scored 17 points and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range, handing baskets to several defenders. One of the surest signs of progress is that defensemen who gave Tatum problems (like Josh Hart) simply don’t do so anymore. no longer appear. By the time the dust cleared, Tatum had 35 points on 23 field goal attempts, as well as six rebounds and seven assists.

Tatum isn’t immune to the occasional shooting slump. However, he is essentially unguarded in the post for smaller players, is very comfortable playing big players 1-on-1, and is more than willing to pass when teams double-team him. It remains to be seen if he’ll put up enough counting stats to enter the MVP conversation, but for the first time in his career, he looks like a candidate with a real shot rather than a polite inclusion.

2. We saw again how valuable Jrue Holiday can be on defense. Holiday again guarded Julius Randle, but he also had to deal with Jalen Brunson and a number of other guards on transitions.

Holiday also scored his 15,000th point in the second half with a 3-pointer from the top of the key – an honor he didn’t know was in store.

“I kind of heard my name, so I thought I did something wrong,” Holiday told reporters afterward.

Holiday admitted the moment was meaningful, but for a player who has won a championship before, individual accolades don’t quite cut it.

“It means I’ve played long enough,” Holiday said. “I’ve been playing for a long time. But it’s cool. I didn’t know it was coming. I should probably tune in a little more. It’s always good to get it when you win.”

3. The Celtics tried a number of trick defenses, including a zone and a full-court press, both of which seemed to throw the Knicks for a loop. Jaylen Brown said he likes to use these defenses to speed up the game.

“It allows us to get out there and run and creates a faster pace and momentum-type game,” Brown said. “I think in the third quarter we sped up the game a little bit and were able to run a little bit more.”

4. Mazzulla had one of the funniest quotes of the night when asked about Sam Hauser’s defense.

“I think he’s a much better defender than people think,” Mazzulla said. “I can’t say why, otherwise I’ll get into trouble.”

Mazzulla then praised Hauser’s technique and tendencies.

“I’m as comfortable with him watching as anyone else,” Mazzulla said. “I’ve said it from day one. I think he is a very good defender who is underrated, and as he continues to improve, our team will improve as well.”

Teams occasionally seem to get carried away with attacking Hauser, to the detriment of their attacking rhythm, for reasons that we – like Mazzulla – will leave undiscovered for the time being.

Meanwhile, Hauser again went 4-for-6 from 3-point range. It’s hard to overstate how dangerous the Celtics’ offense is when it’s in foul trouble.

5. Josh Hart had a bizarre play in the fourth quarter. Hart was trapped in the corner against Holiday and lifted himself up to shoot but was well contested. Instead, Hart opted to throw Holiday’s ball back to himself. The play somehow worked and he buried a three-pointer.

6. Noted Celtics killer Immanuel Quickley finished with just three points and shot 1-for-10 from the field.

7. Derrick White had a strange game: he was +14 with four assists, a block and a steal, but he finished with just three points and went 1-for-7 from the field.

So it could be a testament to the big impact White has on the game when he’s not scoring that Tatum chose Monday’s post-match press conference to criticize ESPN for including White in its annual ranking of the 100 best players in the country. the NBA has belittled.

“D-White is a great basketball player,” Tatum said. “It’s a damn shame that ESPN left him out of the top 100 players. That’s why I never pay attention to such things. D-White is so valuable, we are so lucky to have him and even when he doesn’t shoot the ball well, he makes winning plays, like getting a counter tap, little things like that. Always competes on the defensive and contests shots.

“He’s a great player and we’re happy to have him.”

8. Adam Silver joined the NBC Sports Boston broadcast briefly in the first half to praise legendary play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman for his long and distinguished career with the franchise. Silver also strongly hinted that the NBA will expand following the new TV deal, mentioning Mexico City, Montreal and Vancouver as possible locations.

Our two cents: We’ll be surprised if the NBA doesn’t expand to Seattle and Las Vegas first. We will see.

9. Another cool moment for Tatum: his father, Justin, was named head coach of the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL. Justin Tatum was an assistant with the Hawks, who said goodbye to their coach today.

Tatum said he is “extremely happy” for Justin.

“That’s a big, big step,” Tatum said. “I know he’s trying to build his resume and his coaching career. Won multiple state titles in high school, several teams, and then spent the last four months in Australia and is now the head coach of the Hawks. So I’m excited for him and looking forward to him changing that organization a little bit.”

10. The Celtics travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday for another crack at the East-leading Sixers. That’s the start of a four-game road swing with the Raptors, Grizzlies and Hornets.

When the Celtics return home, they will be greeted with their first showdown of the season against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Bucks.