4 Reasons to be THANKFUL after Celtics BIG win over Pistons | You Got Boston w/ Noa Dalzell

4 Reasons to be THANKFUL after Celtics BIG win over Pistons | You Got Boston w/ Noa Dalzell

What’s up everyone? This is Noah Dalzelle and I’m here at TD Garden after the Celtics 1171 114 win over the Detroit Pistons. A win that I would consider the best game of the season, best crowd of the season for sure here at TD Garden on Thanksgiving Eve. So much to discuss, so much to like, so much to be grateful for if you’re a Celtics fan. We’ll have all that coming in just a moment. Brown with the flush. The drive tum [Applause] it is 18. The mission commanded is accomplished. So going into this game, who knew what to expect with Namish Kada sidelined indefinitely. Joe Missoula said he was dayto-day pregame after spraining his ankle on Sunday night. And Celtics now are facing, you know, Jaylen Duran, uh, Isaiah Stewart. Like, this is a really just formidable front court. not a front court that you want to come into with short-handed front court options, which the Celtics team already from the jump, even fully healthy, they already have limited options in the front court. Now, here they are without their primary guy, their starting center. Um, and who knew what kind of where this was going to go. And the biggest thing that I took away from this game, and I’ll talk about a couple of specific individual standout performances, but the biggest thing I took away is that this team has a winning DNA still, and they’re continuing to find ways to win even when it seems really unlikely. So Amari Williams, who was drafted in the second round by the Celtics this season. He’s been in the G- League all year and he’s been solid, but he has not been coming down to Boston. Like he has been in Maine first and foremost, he comes in and gives them 15 minutes and he battles in those 15 minutes. I asked Jaylen Brown about Amari and he was super excited about the effort that they he gave them. You mentioned Amari. He obviously has not been with you guys for the last few weeks playing in the G- League and he comes in tonight and gives you those 15 minutes. Before the game, are you like talking to him at all? Like what’s the adjustment period? Is it just of this team? That was impressive from Amari. I’m not going to lie. He hasn’t been with us. Um, you know, a lot of pressure, high profile game to come in and make an impact. You know, that credit to him. Um, but he he did did well for us. You know, Amari has talent. He can pass the ball. He’s a big guy. He knows the game. But, uh, that was a big time performance for him. And so, you look at Amari Williams’ performance. You know, he gives them 15 minutes against one of the top front court players in the league. And then you look at the fact that a lot of this game they went small, Josh Minos playing the five. At one point they had Jaylen Brown guarding Jaylen Duran. And so they overcame the adversity of having Kada sideline and we’ve talked a lot this season about what is this team going to look like when they deal with injuries. And obviously the big one is Jason Tatum who was sidelined indefinitely for most if not all of the season. But outside of that to begin this year they’ve been really healthy. And so Kada goes down and it’s not like a seasonal altering injury in the sense that I think he’ll be back relatively soon, but he might miss a couple games here. And honestly, I was looking at the lineup of like Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and you start to wonder like maybe these are losses because maybe they’re just not going to be able to overcome that. So, first and foremost, the fact that they battled through this game and the fact that they were able to find ways to mitigate the front court challenge and find ways to crash the glass and be physical and they were outrebounded, which was expected, but they made it hard, right? It wasn’t like a layup and and whoever whether it was them going small or whether it was Lucar giving them what they could in his 10 minutes or Amari Williams, who I I spoke to after the game and he literally said like, “I did not know this was coming.” Um, all of that was a very encouraging sign because there is inevitably going to be times where the back court is injured and there are injuries there. Guys are limited, guys are missing time, guys are struggling. And to be able to overcome that adversity is the hallmark of a team that can compete and we’re not sure. You know, we’ve been going back and forth all year about whether this team is a competitive team, whether this is a playoff team. Right now, they’re on pace for 45 and a half wins. I had them winning 45 games this season. That’s exactly the pace that they’re on through 18 games. And so big picture before I get into individual performances, I think it’s a really good sign that they were able to snap a Pistons win streak of 13 games. The Pistons came into this game looking to make history. They were going to set a franchise record. In win streak, 14 games was going to be the franchise record and they they are not able to pull through and they played really well. Honestly, Kade Cunningham is incredible. Watching him in live in person, that’s an MVP caliber player. Like that’s how good he is. Um and they threw different looks at him. Jordan Walsh got some opportunities. Baylor Shyman. Um, but Cade, Cade was Cade and he was awesome and he was scoring kind of at will for much of this game and it didn’t matter because the Celtics team found ways to battle and found ways to compete. Um, and so I thought it was really impressive that a guy who has played basically no NBA minutes was able to come in in such a prime time game and give them energy and and size and he had two blocks in those 15 minutes. Thought he could have had a third but it was ruled a goalend. Um, and so he didn’t do anything crazy especially on the offensive end. He was kind of a passive part of the offense, but to eat those minutes was massive in and of itself. Um, and it was it was pretty cool to see the trust there and the synergy. I talk a lot about the main Celtics. I go up there, I know it’s kind of a joke sometimes when we talk about it so much, but you look at it, Jordan Walsh, Nish Kada, like Sam Hower, Luke Cornett at this point, like there is such a track record of Maine actually being relevant to the Boston Celtics. And I don’t know if Amari Williams is the next guy in line. like I’m I’m really kind of getting to know his game still. But the fact that they trusted him and showed that he was able to play tonight, that was a really good sign just from an organizational standpoint. The big hero in this game as far as kind of from picking one guy, it’s Derk White. Derek White, everybody knows it’s no secret that he’s had a tough start to the season. He scores 27 points in this game. He hits all three of his three-point attempts in the fourth quarter. He has 11 in the final period. And it’s just been a tough season for Derek. He’s talked about the shooting struggles, but they’re not just threes. It’s been mid-ranges. It’s been around the basket. He’s just struggling from everywhere and he’s the other day at practice, yesterday practice, he just said like I just got to play better. Like it’s not even really about what kind of looks is he getting? Are they catch and shoot? Are they off the dribble? Like he just has to play better and that’s how he feels. And Joe Misoula said after the game tonight that he likes when Dererick struggles because he knows that something better is coming. He knows that he’s going to snap out of it and be a better player. And tonight he had the defensive moments that make Derrick White Derek White. The I think he had three steals and two blocks in this one. just made so many things happen causing commotion which that’s Derek White’s bread and butter right like he’s a good offensive player but the bread and butter is the havoc that he’s able to cause on the defensive end and so it’s kind of like what came first I don’t know I honestly think the defense came first tonight um but just a quintessential Derek White performance and literally a week ago we were talking about like what’s wrong with Derek White and you know he’s going to have his highs and lows it’s not going to always be nights like tonight but the more nights like tonight he can shrink together the more Derek Whiteesque the season is going to be and again like I came into this year thinking this guy could be an all-star and he’s probably out of the running for that after such a bad shooting start to the season, but all of his advance numbers were still good despite the shooting struggles. I saw some people talking about that online today, but like he’s shooting below 50% from true shooting. And then at the same time, he his his advanced analytics were still really good because he just makes winning plays. He makes winning happen. He’s a connective piece on offense. He’s a great defender. And so he found ways to be impactful for this team throughout the first 18 games. But tonight, everything came together and he hits the big threes. He looks like himself. He has that swag, that confidence. And can that carry over now? Can he start stringing these games together? He certainly hope so. And the Celtics team certainly hope so because ultimately like they will go as he goes. And he, you know, it’s not just him, it’s him, Hayden Pritchard, other guys. But Derek White was the one guy that a lot of people thought, okay, Tatum goes down, they lose a lot of talent, they lose a lot of scoring. Can he come in and like up his usage and efficiency? And so far, that hasn’t been the case. Tonight, you see the vision for what like a high usage feeling at Derek White could look like. Uh, so big shout out to him. They do not get this win without him. Derek’s not the only guy who was a pivotal in this victory. Um, I’m gonna give a big shout out to Baylor Shyman who has kind of quietly been a fixture of this rotation. You know, there’s been a lot of guys in and out. Josh, Ugo, Baylor, Sam, they, you know, they give you a lot of the same things. Jordan, and each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some guys are better shooters, some guys are better rebounders, some guys are better passers. and Baylor was finding ways to be a part of that rotation, you know, whether it’s getting 10 minutes or six minutes or 15 minutes, but he’s consistently been one of the names that Joe Mazula calls upon. And I started thinking like, what is it like cuz he’s not the most athletic guy, right? Like Jordan can give you size and length that Baylor just can’t give you. He’s not like this catch and shoot pure shooter that Sam Hower is, but so far he has found a way to be on the floor. And I think tonight you saw the very best of his game all kind of come together. So, he finishes with 13 points, the majority of which he scored in the first half. And now he’s shooting above 50% from three on the season. And small sample size for sure. He hasn’t attempted that many. I think he’s attempted like 22 threes or something in that ballpark. But we also criticized and and tore apart his game over summer. Like so many fans were saying, you know, this was this guy’s a bus when he was struggling in summer league. And that was a fivegame sample as well. So, if we’re going to do the small sample thing on the negative side, I think it’s it’s fair to give him his flowers. At this point in the season, Baylor Shyman has been a very positive offensive player. He’s confident when he catches the ball above the break. He’s confident even, you know, off the dribble. He had a nice move tonight where he kind of had a little push off but finished baseline. But Baylor, we know he’s a good passer. That was a big part of his profile when he was first drafted and we’ve seen flashes of that. But he’s just a guy that plays with swag and confidence. And I asked him post game about it because sometimes it feels to me like that is the only way that he knows how to play. Like he can’t really turn it off. And at times it’s tough because when you’re the 15th guy in the rotation and you’re coming in and you hit one three and you’re blowing kisses like it might rub some people the wrong way. But to me that’s Baylor Shyman like take it or leave it. And tonight you saw the the positive side of that of a guy who’s hasn’t done a whole lot in the NBA but in a prime time game when his teammates were all struggling early on. He goes on this like second quarter scoring burst that was critical to them being even at the half. And so they don’t win this game without Baylor. I really believe that. Dererick White said it in postgame like I don’t really know where this would have gone if Baylor hadn’t had the shooting kind of explosion that he had in that second quarter. But it wasn’t just about the scoring because he stays in the game. He plays 30 minutes in this one. He’s guarding Kate Cunningham down the stretch. Joe’s talked extensively about how this is a guy that just knows tendencies that studies the game. Um and so even what he what he lacks in athleticism and size maybe and speed, he makes up for in other ways where he’s just really solid. He’s very solid defensively. And so Cade was not someone that anybody was going to stop tonight, but he did a good job and he earned Joe’s trust to be out there. So again, we talk all the time about these guys and about what they’re able to provide and about Ugo and Jordan and Baylor and like there’s just a lot going on with these guys and it’s sometimes hard to tell like who’s running, who’s ahead of the race. And to me, the way I look at the season is that it’s not about saying, “Okay, this guy’s great and these guys suck or like this guy’s way ahead of these other guys.” To me, it’s about like, can you extract something positive in winning basketball out of all of them and can you keep them all engaged? And I think Joe’s done a really good job of that this season where one night it’s Josh, one night it’s Ugo, one night it’s Baylor. Um, tonight it was Baylor. I think that was the biggest stand out of that crew, but Josh gave them big moments down the stretch. Jordan gave them big defensive stops of the game game- saving steal there at the end. So, a lot to like from all of them. But, I love the swag and the confidence that Baylor plays with. And I know it rubs people the wrong way when it’s like, okay, who’s this rookie that hasn’t done anything? or like who’s this guy that’s been getting DNP he’s coming in and he’s celebrating but you got to let guys like thrive in their comfort zone in the same way that people complain about Tatum and Brown being pretty stoic like that’s who they are let them be let them be the way that they their best and that’s obviously benefited them quite a bit in their career where they don’t get too high or too low. Uh Baylor is a guy that plays with that kind of bounce and that flare and he talked about it. It’s contagious and especially at home like he lights up the garden like he really does. He’s a kind of player that he’s especially impactful at a home game. This was a great crowd, best crowd of the year, I would say. Um, and Baylor had a lot to do with getting that crowd going early on, diving on the floor, making just like effort plays, winning plays. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. It’s the holiday season, the best time of the year for sports. Bowl games, basketball matchups, playoff pushes, it’s all happening at once. And while you and I are out here making decisions every day, what gifts to buy, what to eat, which game to watch, there is one place where it feels good to be right. Prize picks. There have been lots of basketball players playing exceptionally well so far. Obviously Jaylen Brown headlines that list, but we saw another one tonight. Kade Cunningham who’s having an incredible season. Tyrese Max, he’s another player that I’ve had my eye on that you can start winning with, playing with on prize picks. Uh of all the sports mark and markets Prize Picks offers. It’s I think it’s super cool that you can make picks on fantasy score, free throws made, field goal attempted, turnovers even. I know a couple players who really stack up their free throws. Prize Pix now has early early payouts. If your lineup gets off to a hot start, you may now have the option to cash out those winnings before the game even finishes. Is your fantasy season already over? My team is cooked, but with Prize Picks, I don’t have to wait until next year’s draft. Prize Pick lets you play fantasy football every week. Pick your favorite players and win when they hit their projections every week. No draft required. Download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That’s code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. prize picks. It’s good to be right. The last thing I’ll say is Jaylen Brown had a tough shooting night from an efficiency standpoint. I think he finished 12 for 31, but he finds ways he he really found ways in this game to impact winning. 33 points for him, 10 rebounds, five assists. Uh I think he finished with a bunch of steals and blocks, too. Like he was super engaged on the defensive end. Um and so you look at his game and some nights you just need your superstar to help will you to victory. And whether that was picking up Jaylen During down the stretch when they decided they didn’t want a Mario Williams or Luca Garza out there and now Jay’s taking the center in, you know, the defensive matchup, whether it was boxing out to enable Peyton Pritchard to get the rebound. Like he just made a lot of winning effort plays in this game. And then obviously had some timely baskets as well, a timely three, a timely and one with about a minute and a half to play, which in these kinds of games where they’re so hectic down the stretch, you forget about the big plays that came with 90 seconds to play because there were so many big plays. Um, but that was a critical drive, right? That was a critical drive. Critical free throws that Anthony Simons hit both of his coming cold off the bench. Uh Derrick White hit both of his. So really just an encouraging win. I mean, how could you not have a lot of positive things to say when you’re talking about this beating the hottest team in the league right now? I mean, the Pistons have been on the hottest winning streak, best win streak in franchise history. They’re the best team in the Eastern Conference. And this Celtics team has found ways to win against some of different opponents. You know, the Orlando Magic came in here the other night, but they were short-handed. But like this was a legitimate team that has championship aspirations and right now leads the Eastern Conference. And so big picture, they’re 10 and eight. They’re in pretty good standings. Like this the stretch is going to be really difficult. They have Minnesota Cleveland coming up. Two good teams with big front courts that they’re going to have to figure out how to manage. But to start with a win, like I did not think they were going to win this game. And I usually have a pretty rosy view of what’s possible. And again, obviously anything can happen and that’s the beauty of NBA basketball. But to me, this was a pretty remarkable win to pull off. And you got to look at the top. You got to look at how they were able to withstand Kada’s injury and and trust a guy that’s coming from the G-League to come in and give you real minutes. Uh trust the small ball lineup. Trust Jaylen Brown and Derrick White and these other guys to just play great defense because there wasn’t really a rim protector on the floor for much of this game. Um and then you look at Derrick White and like the joy that he played with tonight and and the clutch shotmaking that’s just become such a hallmark of his basketball. Um and then Jaylen just continues to just be a winner for this group. And I think the way that he’s led, the way that he’s kind of empowered the young guys, the way that he’s been bought in, like I think this has just been the best start that you could hope for for Jaylen Brown season through 18 games. Obviously, he’s been shooting the ball well, but even tonight he didn’t have it. You know, he was missing shots around the basket. He wasn’t getting the fouls that he wanted, he still found a way to like help will the team to victory, and that’s that’s the sign of a really good basketball player. So, big time win 117 114. They almost blew this one because they did foul Kate Cunningham on a a three where it was, you know, they were trying to get the the dead ball foul and get him to the line for two, but they ended up calling it a shooting foul and he front rims the third attempt. So, I felt like that was the basketball gods throwing them a bone after a really, you know, gutsy win, but they almost blew this one. It was almost an overtime game, which that would have been a little scary because Kade was Kade was really starting to feel it. Uh, but they come away with the win. That’s it for them ahead of Thanksgiving. really great way to go into the little holiday break and then they have two road games coming up against Minnesota and Cleveland. So, we’ll see how they could fare there. But overall, I thought this was the win of the season. Most encouraging moment is when that final buzzer sounded. You just saw like people were euphoric. Like it almost felt like a playoff victory. Joe was as happy as I’ve seen him all year. So, uh definitely a lot to draw from this one, a lot to like. Let me know what you thought about this game in the comment section. Were there positive takeaways that I missed? Always like reading your guys’ thoughts. And check out all the postgame press conferences. We heard from Jaylen Brown. We heard from Baylor Shyman, uh Derek White, and Joe Mazula after this one. This was one of the better Joe Mazoula press conferences. So, go check that one out. And thanks as always for watching.

Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell recaps the team’s 117-114 win over the Detroit Pistons — and what was almost for certain the best win of the season. The Celtics continued to demonstrate an ability to win despite adversity, including overcoming the absence of Neemias Queta and relying on 15 minutes of two-way player Amari Williams. Plus, Derrick White played his best game of the season, Baylor Scheierman is showing exactly why the Celtics draftes, and Jaylen Brown continues to impact winning despite an inefficient offensive night. There’s a lot to be grateful for in the biggest win of the season!

00:00 Intro
00:30 The Celtics still have a winning culture
05:15 Derrick White is SO back
07:35 Baylor Scheierman played winning basketball
11:45 PrizePicks
13:00 Jaylen Brown made superstar plays despite shooting struggles

You Got Boston w/ Noa Dalzell on CLNS Media is Powered by:

💰 Prize Picks – Sign up at http://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS & Download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup!

Subscribe to CLNS’ Celtics 🍀 All Access Here:
🔴 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmp3kivpOg3lzoJC7yV7VjQ?sub_confirmations=1 🔴

***************************************************

CLNS Media is Powered by:

💰 Prize Picks – Sign up at http:// prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS use code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup!

Join Our Discord Server: https://clnsmedia.com/discord

The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues.
———————————————————————————

CLNS’ rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) – https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia

Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage – https://clnsmedia.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia
Celtics – https://twitter.com/celticsclns
Patriots – https://twitter.com/patriotsclns
Bruins – https://twitter.com/bruinsclns
Red Sox – https://twitter.com/redsoxclns
Non-Sports – https://twitter.com/northstation
Facebook – http://facebook.com/clnsmedia
INSTA – http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia
INSTA Celtics – http://Instagram.com/celticsclns
INSTA History – http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns