The Boston Celtics first round against the Chicago Bulls went to six games as many predicted, just in a completely different way than we all thought. Some thought hope was lost after the first two games and the media and fans and even Rajon Rondo was calling out the Celtics for not exactly being who we thought we were. Tom Brady then told them to start winning and the Celtics went 4-0 to close out the first round. Now that it is over, let’s give out some imaginary hardware to celebrate Brad’s first ever playoff series win.
The “Best Player” Award – Al Horford
Let’s get this straight. Al Horford was the best player in the whole series. It wasn’t Isaiah Thomas. It wasn’t Jimmy Butler.
15.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 59.7 FG%, 84 FT%, 52.3 3PT%
Per NBAmath.com, Jimmy Butler, who was no slouch, had 5.59 Total Points Added in the series.
Al Horford’s TPA: 27.58
That’s mental. Worth every single penny.
The “Did His Job” Award – Gerald Green
Gerald Green isn’t that great at basketball. He has stupid freaky talent and would be a God in a Chinese basketball league, but in the NBA you have to play smart or play defense. Green doesn’t do either. When Stevens announced that Green would start game 3, I began to question our coach for the first time. The Celts clearly needed rebounding and Amir Johnson was struggling to do it, so they replace him with Gerald Green? The guy has only played half of the Celtics games this year and not because he was hurt.
Stevens is a genius. Green is a freaky athlete that shoots 3s. Stevens just needed him to provide a spark and shoot at least a decent portion of 3s. Stevens realized that the best way to fix the rebounding problem is just to abandon it and attack the Bulls by spacing. It worked. Green shot 39% from 3 and as Thomas said, he even won them one playoff game. He still isn’t that great and I don’t trust him whatsoever, but he did his job.
The “First Team All-Defense” Award – Avery Bradley
I love this dude. I’m all for paying him when the time comes. Butler is insanely good, but Avery Bradley handled him. The only game that Butler had a positive +/- was game 2, and if you take away Butler’s ridiculous 23 FTA in game 4, his scoring wasn’t near what it usually is. Bradley also took it a bit personally when Butler started to downplay his ability. Bradley then took his offensive game to the next level and shot over 60% from the field the final 2 games scoring 24 and 23, respectively. Game 6 was the only game that Butler shot over .500, but Bradley made play after play on him. It would’ve been a lot worse without Bradley. He’s First Team All-Defense for a reason.
The “Analytic Man Bun” Award – Kelly Olynyk
This man Kelly Olynyk is so good when he puts his hair in a bun. I’m not even kidding. His scoring average doubles during the regular season when it’s in a bun and confident Kelly truly shines. It’s no coincidence that the Celtics went 4-0 when Kelly had his hair in a bun. He also had the 2nd highest PER in the series after Al Horford. If he could just consistently wear his hair in a bun and play at a high level, some team is going to pay him some big money next offseason.
The “Terry Rozier vs Bobby Portis” Award – Terry Rozier
Terry Rozier and Bobby Portis will be forever connected. Portis was indeed the better prospect in the 2015 NBA draft. The Celtics reached for Rozier at 16. After Portis had an excellent Game 1, many started to question Danny Ainge for the pick. In the end, Rozier had a better PER, ORTG, WS/48, and a plethora of other advanced stats. He also was a huge bench boost in the 4 game win streak. In this matchup, Rozier won.
The “About That Life” Award – Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart is my favorite player on the Celtics. I’m on record saying I’d probably go to war for the man. He goes to war every single night, gives it his all, and makes winning play after winning play. Yes, he is a disastrous shooter. I don’t care. His Defensive Box Plus-Minus was 2nd best in the series, and he got in Butler’s head. I have all of the respect in the world for Butler, but read about Marcus’s life. If anyone is, “about that life” it’s Marcus Smart.
The “Hey I Won a Playoff Series So Don’t Question Me” Award – Brad Stevens
Well deserved, my friend.
Next: Boston Celtics top Five Players of First Round
The “Boston Celtic” Award – Isaiah Thomas
The death of Chyna Thomas was an absolutely tragic event. From what we’ve heard, she was a fantastic person and nobody deserves to pass away at that age with so much life left. Thomas was close to her. It hurt him, and people didn’t stress that enough. I can only imagine what he was going through. He wasn’t fully there, and no one should should blame him for that. He played his heart out though. He got criticism from Charles Barkley for being emotional, and criticism from Hoiberg for how he played, yet he played on. He was an inspiration for everyone, as well as the leader of this Boston Celtics team. Isaiah Thomas is a superstar, and we’re lucky to have him.