Celtics lacking intangible quality that's on full display in conference finals

There was an odd moment in the closing minutes of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, but not a completely unfamiliar one. Mitch Johnson called off the dogs, realizing the Spurs were going to lose. And as Victor Wembanyama went to the bench, he seemed to relay a message to a couple of his deep backups, Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo.

We may never know exactly what was said, if anything, but moments later, each of Plumlee and Biyombo committed hard fouls against the Thunder, seeming to send a message. I’m certainly not condoning dirty play, but this is playoff basketball, and sometimes you need your enforcers to come in and make a statement.

That kind of toughness is still important in the league, and you have to be able to set a tone and inspire some fear and intimidation in your opponent. It’s not something that usually comes from star players, but throughout the years, stars have had guys on the roster who sort of look out for them. Not quite goons, but the NBA’s version, at least.

It was right there in front of us from the Spurs, but we’ve seen plenty of grit and toughness from the other teams left standing as well. The Thunder have guys like Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, and others who will be quick to hop into the fray. The Knicks get their edge from Josh Hart, Mitch Robinson, and Jose Alvarado. We saw the Pacers carry James Johnson for this exact reason all the way to the Finals last year.

Celtics need to find their next enforcer

We’ve seen a version of this on the Celtics forever, often coming from Marcus Smart, then Jrue Holiday, but what about now? The Celtics player most likely to get into a dust-up and stick his nose into somebody else’s business is probably Jaylen Brown, and that’s a problem.

Your tough guy enforcer can’t be one of your stars. Great teams need a dirt dog who can come in and mix it up, sticking up for his players and pushing the limits of what’s legal when necessary. Boston doesn’t have that. They’ve got plenty of dogs on the bench, but Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Luka Garza seem like a jolly bunch of pals who wouldn’t harm a fly. They’re definitely not soft by any means, but they’re not striking fear into the hearts of anyone either.

The Celtics need to add talent this summer. They need to add to their coaching staff. And they need to generally change some things around. But they also need to get tougher, and that’s not coming from anyone on the current roster. If the Jays are getting pushed around, the Celtics need someone to come in and push back. Right now, it’s not clear who exactly that player is (is it just Joe Mazzulla?), and that needs to change before opening night.

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