Hardwood Houdini
Fansided

3 conclusions drawn from the Boston Celtics triumph over the Lakers

By Andrew Hughes

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dunks over LeBron James #23 and Danny Green #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden on January 20, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Lakers 139-107. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 20: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dunks over LeBron James #23 and Danny Green #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden on January 20, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeat the Lakers 139-107. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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On Martin Luther King day, the Boston Celtics rose to the occasion of the prime-time television slot to send a message to the entire NBA.

As the game got going last night, it seemed like it would be a long night for the Boston Celtics. After winning the opening tip, LeBron James threw an alley-oop pass to JaVale McGee, and followed that up with a near half-court pass right into Anthony Davis‘ hands for an easy dunk at the rim.

The big-man problem seemed to be rearing its ugly head, and the Celtics’ first score came via a Gordon Hayward 35-foot 3-pointer.

Then it all turned around. Hayward got to the rim for an and-one. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown started getting easy looks at the rim against the second unit. James and co. never regained their rhythm, while the Boston Celtics bench came alive, with the spark coming in the form of dominant play from Enes Kanter.

Boston led the contest by half-time by 14, and ended up winning the contest by 14 points. So much for the big man problem.

Against the massive front-line of the Lakers, the Celtics’ wings were able to dice up the league’s second stingiest defense. Three players scored at least 20 points, with Jayson Tatum scoring 27 points in just 29 minutes of floor-time.

Regular season wins aren’t the end-all, be-all (as Lakers fans are predictably preaching right at this very moment) but proving capable of beating a team that is supposedly a match-up mismatch is a big step towards determining whether or not this has what it takes to go all the way.

The Houdini is overjoyed by last night’s results. Here are three positive conclusions drawn from a victory that should have all Boston Celtics fans giddy:

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