The NBA gave a gift for all fans amid an unprecedented pandemic by giving NBA League Pass access to everyone for free. Here are the three best Boston Celtics games C’s fans can watch in this time of no basketball.
It certainly isn’t a completely suitable replacement, but it is certainly a positive development for the NBA on the fan engagement aspect. That has allowed us all to re-live the great moments of the season–which around these parts are all Boston Celtics memories.
With the NBA season suspended, there’s no better time than the present…to take a look at the past. The C’s are in third place in the Eastern Conference this season and–barring unprecedented world crisis aside–have played as well as anyone could have realistically forecast them to.
Kemba Walker has seamlessly slid into the alpha role Kyrie Irving left behind after his Brooklyn exodus. Jayson Tatum is a star after being named an All-Star and scoring 30 points per game in the month of February.
Beyond their two All-Stars, Jaylen Brown has become a 20-point per game scorer with an All-Star ceiling after being among the notable snubs for this year’s team. Gordon Hayward has returned to his peak 2017 form. Starting center Daniel Theis has become a legitimate stopper on the defensive end and has helped the offense flow through all five players in the first five.
The bench has had some bright spots in the form of Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter. Smart has raised game to a new level, averaging a career-high 13 points and slashing 35 percent from the 3-point line. Kanter has been spotty, but has provided several notable double-doubles in a season of adjustment for the former starter.
With rookies, first-time All-Stars and the integration of a new franchise point guard, the C’s have been able to piece together a season full of promise, victories and excitement. As a result there have been several highly re-watchable games. Here are the three best games to re-watch on NBA League Pass:
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers – February 23rd, 2020
The first time the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers played this season, it was a major blowout in favor of the green and white. After an initial scare where the Lakers front-line seemed to overwhelm the C’s, the tide quickly turned and Boston found itself making everything en route to a 22-point victory.
When the two teams met again, it was a much more even contest. Ultimately, it was a loss, but it showed that the team could compete in a key road game against the league’s second best team without their All-NBA point guard in Kemba Walker.
Of note in this game was how well the starters played. All five were in double digits, with varying degrees of dominance. No player was more dominant than Jayson Tatum, who–after playing in his first All-Star game–was able to put up 41 points when being guarded primarily by Anthony Davis.
Daniel Theis put up 16 points and nine rebounds in what was his standout performances of the season. Jaylen Brown put up 20 points in a season full of 20+ point games and Marcus Smart put up a balanced stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists filling in for Kemba Walker.
Ultimately, this one came down to a Jayson Tatum potential game-tying 3-pointer. Despite his historic February performance, his shot was no good. Even if it had gone, he was ruled out of bounds and the Lakers took home a 114-112 decision. Despite the fact it was a loss, this game is worth a re-watch based on Tatum’s dominance alone.
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers — November 11th, 2019
Now I get it, the Boston Celtics lost in this outing against the Los Angeles Clippers. However, we would be remiss to not include this game on a list of the best games of the year for this franchise.
We were one of the first people to say it: this is was the game of the year!
I mean, how could it not be? It had everything you wanted from an action packed primetime game: grit, grind, ankle breakers, clutch shots/ blocks, etc.
This was the game that was Jayson Tatum’s coming out party in 2019-20. Sure, at the time the Celtics were 11-2 up until this point, proving they were playing like a well oiled machine. However, prior to this outing Tatum, though still having an impressive start to the season, was playing somewhat inconsistently…
Until this game.
On the night, Tatum put up 30 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent shooting from deep, one of said threes came within 20 seconds left in regulation after crossing up perennial All-Star and All-Defensive First Team wing Paul George to tie the game up at 97 a piece.
The game came down to the final shot that ultimately led to the Clippers victory, as Kawhi Leonard managed to block Kemba Walker’s game tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
From the introduction to Tatum’s crossover game to one of the greatest saves you’ll ever see by Marcus Smart, this contest against the Los Angeles Clippers had just about everything… except for a Boston Celtics victory.
Either way, it was a great game and, frankly, a must watch on League Pass.
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat — January 28th, 2020
This game is so special because it proved just how special hot starts can be for this Celtics squad who have struggled to do so throughout the 2019-20 season.
Though Boston managed to keep the lead throughout the majority of the game, the Heat always remained in striking distance, which gave this contest a major dramatic/ playoff feel.
With Jayson Tatum sitting out, the team needed the others amongst their core group — Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart — to step up, and step up they did.
All four of these aforementioned players managed to score in double figures, with Hayward putting forth one of his best outings as a Boston Celtic, putting up 29 points, nine boards and a block on 71 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from deep.
Brown too proved to be efficient from the field, as he scored 25 points while also registering at a 50 percent clip from deep.
Walker was a bit inconsistent from the field — shooting an abysmal 26 percent from the field — but made up for his shortcomings by zoning in on his distribution skills, accumulating eight dimes and a plethora of other hockey assists in his 37 minutes of action.
However, quite possibly the most entertaining player to watch during this game for the Boston Celtics was their night in and night out energizer bunny, Marcus Smart. We all know about the 26 year old’s defensive genius (at just 6-3 he registered 3 blocks on the night) but it was his long range shooting stroke and, surprisingly, his rebounding skills that sealed this win for the C’s.
In the fourth quarter, the Heat refused to quit, and came within five points after going on a little run with under four minutes left in the game. At the 1:50 mark, Smart hit a clutch three from the top of the key to extend Boston’s lead to eight (104-106).
However, Miami refused to relinquish and instilled fear in the hearts of Celtics fans that they still had a chance to come out victorious from this outing by continuing to strike offensively.
With just 38 seconds remaining, after a missed three point attempt by Walker, Smart skied higher than both Adebayo (6-9) and Jimmy Butler (6-8) to tap out the offensive rebound back to Walker, where then Gordon Hayward was fouled, made both his free-throws and, ultimately, came out victorious to the tune of 109-101.
It was just the third loss the Miami Heat had at home — the first also coming against the C’s — this season, and was easily one of the most fun and exciting games to have watched as a Boston Celtics fan in 2019-20.