This game, and I mean this unironically, was one of the most impressive wins for the Celtics through the first quarter of their season -- mind you, they were coming off of a 123-117 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Boston dominated Thursday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards, coasting to a 146-101 win.
There’s been a lot of discourse about the squad’s potential and how much Jaylen Brown’s health factors into it -- rightfully so.
Brown’s been superhuman so far this season with his uptick in scoring, and has felt essential to the team’s 12-9 start.
So, when his absence was confirmed with Thursday’s injury report update, there was reason to believe that this game was losable, even against this putrid Wizards squad.
Like, yes, Washington is bad, but they’ve still got veterans like C.J. McCollum and Khris Middleton on the team. It was still within the realm of possibility for the Celtics to go out onto the Capital One Arena floor and lay an egg.
Their offense has looked stagnant at times this season with Brown on the bench. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White haven’t been consistent enough to feel great about without JB on the floor.
No Jaylen Brown, no problem for the Celtics
Aside from a late scare in the second quarter, that never felt like it was going to be the case. Boston got an efficient increase in production from just about everyone on the roster, putting their depth on full display.
Boston wound up with seven different players in double figures, with White, Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta, Josh Minott, Anfernee Simons, and Hugo Gonzalez eclipsing 10 points in Washington.
They had 109 points through three quarters. Their season average is 115.
Boston finished the night with 146 points, and probably could've scored more.
Like, this was insane to watch live.
Coming into the season, no one would’ve believed that a team without Brown could dominate in this fashion. Like, this felt like watching the Celtics from the past two seasons. Regardless of who was on the floor, they were going to be part of a bigger, dominant basketball machine.
Except, they’re not that team. They’re a team that lost five key rotation players over the summer. They just had the players to afford those losses, or brought in the right players to help pick up the slack.
It’s just one game, against one of the league’s worst teams, who were playing without four rotation players. Regardless, the Celtics took the motor out of their car and still managed to get a speeding ticket. This win was a warning to the rest of the Eastern Conference, and and slap in the face of the doubters.
The Celtics are real, and they're spectacular.