BOSTON — With 13 seconds left on the game clock and the Boston Celtics up 120-117 on the New Orleans Pelicans, Jayson Tatum stepped to the free-throw line.
The last four minutes of the fourth quarter saw Tatum score six of Boston’s eight points, highlighted by a monster dunk over Dejounte Murray, who had been staring down the Celtics’ bench earlier in the game.
Fresh off a loss to the Sacramento Kings, headlines were set to tout Tatum’s impressive finish. The Celtics’ ability to grind out a win in the clutch after shooting poorly from three all night. A well-earned victory over a deceivingly talented Pelicans team.
But he missed both free throws.
Wins are wins, and that's what Celtics got vs. Pelicans
Tatum, who had done a tremendous job of using his physicality in a game where his long-range jumpers weren’t going down, missed his two biggest shots of the game. From the same charity stripe where he had shot 8-for-8 up to that point in the evening.
From there, the game turned to chaos. A Trey Murphy III missed three turned into a Dejounte Murray tip-shot layup. That led to a controversial Boston five-second violation, and CJ McCollum nearly won the game with a layup. But he didn’t.
The same TD Garden crowd that audibly gasped when Tatum’s second free throw rolled off the rim erupted in applause at the horn.
On paper, it was an awkward, messy, no-good, very bad win. But it was still a win.
“Listen, it's been, it's been a challenging month,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “And so, when you're in a challenging month, you need situations like this to be able to work through it.”
Boston is 12-8 since the start of December and 7-6 in their last 13 games. They’ve shot 32.8% from three, while their opponents have shot 41.2%. It’s been a brutal stretch of basketball by their lofty standards.
“Just a funky stretch,” said Tatum. “It's impossible to think that every game is going to go exactly how you want. It’s just not the way it goes. But what I am happy about is how we responded tonight.
“Through the missed free throws, through the turnovers, fouling guys, just plays that we normally don't make. I think we did a really good job tonight of not letting it snowball effect and just figuring out a way to win the game. I think that's most important.
For last year’s Celtics, perhaps Sunday’s performance would be met with poor reviews, but in their current state, it was a welcomed sight.
That’s because this isn’t last year’s Celtics team.
“Just because we were this last year, you can't take for granted the details, habit, execution, togetherness, trust- all that stuff has to be rebuilt,” said Mazzulla. “And I think sometimes, when you have the same team, we have this expectation that we're just going to pick up there. And it's different. Different year, people, and different spaces.
“And so, we have to reestablish that, you have to work that, and it just takes time. So, this is the space that we're in.”
New year, new Celtics, new competition
All year, fans have been desperate for a peek through the window into the Celtics’ world. But their motives have shifted. Athe start of the season, they had their hands cupped around their eyes, hoping for a better view. Now, they are pounding their fists on the glass.
Though Boston still sits in second place in the East, there are new standards of excellence being set. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are having historic seasons. That, combined with the Celtics’ success last year, has the city thirsty for more.
“There are two great teams in the league that are having historic seasons, so they become the reference point of like, 'Oh, you're not as good because you're not them.'” Mazzulla said. “And they're great, great teams having historical years, and we're on our own path that we have to be able to work through.”
The Celtics have squared off with both of those teams this year. They took down the Cavs in the two sides’ first meeting but lost the second. And in OKC, a terrible shooting night spearheaded a gut-wrenching loss.
Throw in a sprinkle of unsightly losses to the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers, and the Boston sky has been falling.
High standards are what the Celtics are built on
Nobody’s panicking, but the room for improvement is clear as day (despite the Celtics’ impressive record).
“Being 28-11 and feeling like there’s so much more room for improvement,” Tatum said. “[Room for us to be] so much better. I mean, we can play so much better. So like, maybe you don't want to be playing your best basketball again in January. We've been through this before. We still got a lot of time to get back to our identity.
“It's not supposed to be easy. We get everybody's best shot. Shoutout to the Pelicans. They played really well tonight. I don't think they play like that all the time. But it’s just a good test for us every single night [that] we’re getting everybody’s best shot. And that's just how it's gonna be.”
Few cities have higher expectations than Boston, and winning a championship last year only raised the bar.
It may not be fair, but it’s Boston. Suiting up in Celtics green, Patriots blue, Red Sox red, or Bruins yellow means “fair” is thrown out the window. The nickname “Titletown” doesn’t get handed out haphazardly.
Anything below a championship level is met with disgrace. Even a mid-January loss to the Kings was enough to draw boos from the TD Garden crowd.
It’s that same harshness that fuels the Celtics’ fire.
“I would say the ultimate compliment is that we're 28-11, and these are the types of conversations that we're having,” Mazzulla said regarding recent criticism. “So, it's a beautiful place to be in. I'm serious. I think it's great. It's a great standard and a great expectation to have, and we have to deliver. And so, we all know that. That's the process towards it.
“But when you're, what are we, the third[-best] team in the league right now? Which isn't great, but look at [the press room]. It sounds like a morgue in here. And that's how it should be because of where we're trying to get to. So, it's the ultimate compliment, and we’ll just continue to work through it.”
Every boo is another goal pitched into the furnace. But the Celtics aren’t afraid of getting burnt. They’re numb to the sensation.
“I love the fact that we're not happy,” said Mazzulla. “It's the best place to be in, and we'll figure it the hell out.”