Hoops Tonight - Warriors-Celtics Reaction: Tatum leads Boston past Steph Curry & Warriors in OT

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Happy Thursday, everybody. We are live on AMP. After that incredible game between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. Kind of a fun game, but a very sloppy game. We're gonna dive into a bunch of different angles from this game. I want to talk a lot about Al Horford and Robert Williams in the way they dominated. I want to spend some time on Jayson Tatum and his very up and down night, mostly down then up at

the end. Um. And then I want to talk a little bit about the Warriors and and something that I think tonight tells us a lot about what their strategy should be around the deadline. Um. Those of you guys who are listening on YouTuber on the podcast feed, do not forget that the first place you guys can get these post game breakdowns is on amp, So let's talk

some basketball again. This was a sloppy game. This didn't look a lot like the game that we had a few months ago, I should say in early December UM when the Warriors won it at the Chase Center, because in that game, most of the key characters were all

kind of at the top of their game. I've spent a lot, just an enormous amount of time in the last couple of weeks talking about rhythm and the main reason why is we've had so many players that have been out of their lineups for weeks and weeks with injuries, and then they come back, and like almost every single time, especially skill oriented players, they really struggle with their ball handling and their shooting and their timing and they're seeing

the floor and all these different things when they've been away from the game for a long time. And particularly Jaylen Brown nightmare game for the most part, although he made a bunch of big plays down the stretch, Andrew Wikins absolute nightmare game, missed a boatload of shots um

that he normally makes. Steph Curry we saw a bunch of key highlights and he made some huge plays um down the stretch of this game, and had another huge three and overtime to put the Warriors in front, But in the grand scheme of things, it was kind of like two mistakes or two miss shots for every big

play that he made. No shame to Steph. He's just in his what fifth game and back coming back from the injury, and he of all the players, is dependent on lift and rhythm and all those different things because he's such a skill oriented player. Even in particular after winning their last game, I was like, Steph put up big numbers, he at forty something, but he didn't quite look like himself in terms of his lift and his finishing. Uh missed around the rim a couple of times tonight

as well, so it was kind of a sloppy game. Um, I don't think either teams should be feeling fantastic after this game, but obviously the Celtics should be feeling a bit better. But I think both teams have some positives they can take away. So I want to start with the Celtics because this was the first step in getting over their mental issues with the Warriors. We've seen this a lot throughout NBA history. Sometimes teams never get over

those mental issues. Just ask the DeMar Deroz in Toronto Raptors, who pretty consistently we're every bit as good, if not better in the regular season than the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then just got their ass kicked. Buy them every single year and Kyle Lowry and DeMar Deroz and just would

look like shells of themselves. Even saw that with the Lebron team with the Lakers, really struggled with the Clippers to start that year to the point where they were kicking everyone else's ass and then in that matchup they just couldn't get a win. And you guys probably remember the Christmas Day game where Patrick Beverley stripped Lebron James on the right wing when he tried to take a shot to win the game. They were kicking everybody's ass

and they just couldn't handle the Clippers. But then they actually got over that hump. They won a game against the Clippers right before the bubble, then they won a game against the Clippers in the bubble, and then they went on to win the championship. And it remains to be seen for Boston because I thought there was a lot of negative here. Their late game execution was a

total mess. Still if it wasn't for some shot making at the end of the game from Al Horford and from Jelen Brown, off of some nice kickout passes from Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum, they could have been in a much worse place. I I guarantee you Warriors fans in particular are frustrated that they lost this one and probably felt like they should have got it. But there was enough positive from this game that I do think it was a significant step in the right direct action.

They had lost four consecutive games to the Golden State Warriors. And you know, it's funny because this particular mental advantage as it pertains to the Celtics with the Warriors doesn't make a ton of sense to me, especially for Jayson Tatum, because this is a matchup they should feel extremely comfortable in. This is a matchup where they have distinct advantages. If you were looking down from the surface from from above at the matchups in this uh, in this particular dynamic,

they're way bigger at almost every single position. Um, I think Golden State has more top end skill but down the roster when it comes to ball handling and shooting, Like how many teams in the league have guys like Derek White and Marcus Smart as their fourth and fifth most skilled players are you know, depending on where you put Malcolm Brogden and all that. Like, this team has every reason to be extremely confident in this particular matchup. My guess is that mostly has to do with experience,

instant execution. Confidence is everything in the game of basketball. I'll give you an example, and we're gonna talk more about Jayson Tatum in a little bit, but there's a play right there towards the end of regulation where Jayson Tatum had Steph Curry on a switch on the left wing and uh and he, you know, had a triple threat all sorts of space to operate. No one's digging into driving lanes. He's got all the space in the world. Now.

He's six ten or six nine or whatever he is, and Steph is six three, And so the ideal thing to do there is to try to turn your back to the basket, try to back him down to the elbow. And if you're gonna take a jump shot, maybe it's a shorter jump shot where your size is more of

an advantage. And instead he looks super indecisive and doesn't know what to do, and he kind of like like takes a really weak sidestep to the left dribble and Steff is right there with him in his shooting pocket, and then he like rises up to like he's gonna shoot, and it changes his mind and passes it at the

last second. Like that is Jason Tatum in a situation where he has a big time advantage over a good defender in Steph Curry, but a defender that has a significant talent excuse me, size disadvantage in that matchup, and Jayson Tatum didn't even look to use his size as an advantage. And that goes to show you that that confidence just isn't quite there as a team. I think in their late game execution Boss had Boston had a bunch of sloppy turnovers at the end of this game.

Jayson Tatum just three ridiculous turnovers in the final minutes of this game. There was a play in overtime where right when when Golden State was down three and they just scored to get it back to three, and they damn near throw it out of bounds again and Jalen Brown had to vault himself into the damn scorers table to launch it back in bounds to save the possession

and they ended up winning the game from there. But there is a distinct lack of confidence for the Celtics just within this matchup, and ideally you go out there tonight and you kick the warriors ass and the monkeys off your back, and instead it was kind of a more mild victory than that they won, but it was a win where it was very sloppy and Jayson Tatum didn't play well and you didn't execute down the stretch of the game, and a lot of your ugly tendencies

came to the surface. So it's a little bit disappointing from that standpoint, but in the grand scheme of things, a baby step in the right direction is better than

a step in the wrong direction. Um. Particularly, I wanted to talk about Al Horford and Robert Williams because when nobody else was playing well for Boston, Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown just awful games tonight in the grand scheme of things, although they both made huge plays down the stretch, you know, Al Horford and Robert Williams carried them early in this game, and you know, I talk a lot about in the playoffs about versatility and what that means

is the ability to play different ways right. It's It's something that I frequently look at with teams. It's like the Bucks. They can play huge with Brook Lopez and Janna, so they could put Janice at center and they could play a completely different brand of basketball that's a little bit more five out right and a little bit more switch heavy on defense. And that's kind of the dynamic

that the Celtics can give you. You saw that. Ideally, what you want from the Celtics is you want al Horford at center, and you want Derek Why or excuse me, Malcolm brogged in with Marcus Smart and the two Jays and you're playing five out basketball and you're doing a lot of switching, and you're doing and you're in the offense is flowing, and you're playing good basketball both ends of the floor. But in a game where Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown aren't playing well, you need to turn

it into a rock fight. And they did that by staying big and keeping Robert Williams and I'll Horford out there for large portions of the game. And then what did they do. They just absolutely pulverized the Warriors on the offensive glass all game long. Like if if there's a big silver lining for the Warriors, as you were this close to win in this game, probably should have and you got absolutely demolished physically and almost every phase of the game. But that's the that's the that's what

makes me so excited about Boston. That's the reason why even though I've been pessimistic about their late game struggles and I've been pessimistic about their ultimate ceiling, and yes, even after tonight, I still have them as my third best championship contender behind the Bucks and the Warriors. Celtics fans, we've talked about that at length. I don't need to get into it again, but the point is is there. They have many different ways they can play. They have

tons of ball handling and shooting. They have perimeter size, which is something that I've always valued a great deal because of your ability to cover ground in rotations and

grab contested rebounds and run out in transition. They've got every single box checked except for that just veteran savvy and i Q in late game execution to help them close the deal, or more importantly, to look at a team like the Warriors and be like, we're bigger and we're better than you, and we're gonna play like it instead of playing beneath our capability and giving you a

chance to win. Particularly down the stretch of this game, Boston's physical advantages carried them key offensive rebounds, even an o t they get, they get a stop down three, should have a chance to go tie the game. But Robert Williams once again draws a foul trying to grab an offensive rebound. Two possessions in ot where you play perfect defense, but Jalen Brown just rips through the middle.

Defenders walled up in front of him. But he's six eight and freaky athletic, and the guy he's going against is not, and he's just gonna pop a little floater over the top of him. That's the type of thing that you need to succeed in those rock fights. And again that's gonna be the big advantage for for Boston and most of their playoff advantage and most of their playoff matchups. They can play a rock fight, they can

play a beautiful five out style of basketball. Everything with me for them comes down to their confidence against the best opponents in the league. In their late game execution, and I didn't see enough tonight. I've Celtics fans, you're probably pulling your own hair out at the way they

played at the end of that game. Until they rectify that issue on a playoff stage, I can't vault them above teams like the Bucks and the Warriors that are proven playoff performers, down to the moment when they had the Larry O'Brien in their hands. Tip off the new year with fan Duel, America's number one sports book. New customers get one hundred and fifty dollars in free bets guaranteed when you place your first five dollar bet. Just download the Vandal sports Book app. It's safe, secure, and

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same game. Par Light vanduel is also now live in Ohio, so make sure you get in on the action with great offers for you now throughout January, so don't miss your chance to get one and fifty dollars in free bets with promo code. Jason t Make Every Moment More with Fan Duel, an official sports book partner of the NBA, talking about Jason Tatum for a quick second, and we're gonna move on to the Warriors again. He made a

bunch of big plays in this game. He had a big pull back jumper on Steph Curry towards the end of regulation that was really the great separation and great lift knocked it down. He had a pivotal pass to Al Horford on the three that came before the Jalen Brown free three to to tie the game, a really nice cross court pass when he was downhill, hit him in the shooting pocket. In Ot drew a foul driving pass. Andrew Wiggins hit a really nice pull up three. I

think he was on Draymond Green like. He made a lot of big plays in this game, So I want to be clear, but man, I just don't understand why he struggled so much in this matchup. There were two plays there in the fourth quarter where he was just carelessly throwing cross court passes that were easily picked off by Warriors because he's just not paying attention. So I don't know what it is that makes him a shell

of himself against this team. But once again, I want to go positive here and say that I'd rather take a baby step in the right direction than a step in the wrong direction. And tonight, for Tatum, with as big of a chasm as he needs to cover with this particular matchup, it was a positive step in that direction. And if the celt I have not seen anything from any team in the West to make me think the

Warriors are losing. So at this point, you know you're gonna probably have to deal with this matchup when you get to the finals if you're the Celtics, So a baby step in that right direction is a good thing.

So moving on to the Warriors, this game in particular was such a great example of why I think the Warriors need to go all in at this deadline and move Moses Moody and move James Wiseman and get back a bench big or a big athletic forward, anything that can help them in these physical areas of the game.

You know, I talk a lot about the value of top end talent in this league, and you know, even when it looked like it might shift the other way with the Phoenix Suns, you saw Chris Paul and Devin Booker get outplayed by Janice and get outplayed by Luca, and then all of their talent not mattering. So at the end of the day, top end talent still determines things in this league. But there is, as I always say, there is a list of responsibilities that need to be

filled on the core and even your outer rhythm. Steph Curry bad game from Jordan's pool. Clay Thompson was awesome in the first half, not much from him in the second half. But even with all of that, your skill elements of the game were far beyond Boston in this particular game, but you lost because in the physical areas of the game, as it pertained to shooting over the top of defensive players or grabbing contested rebounds, you got absolutely mall And so it's like I've been talking about

with the Lakers all season long. Don't overthink it it. Don't get looking down at the rest of the roster and be like, oh, there's just not enough talent, it's not worth it. Let's look to the future, because I feel like Joe Lacob is doing that. I feel like Joe Lacob is looking at this group and thinking it's the two thousand twenty one Warriors and thinking that it's not worth it and punting it into the future and

not wanting to give up the assets. And what he's missing is that the core at the top of this lineup is more than enough to win a championship. When you look at Steph Clay, Jordan Pool, Draymond Graend, Cavan Luney, Andrew Wiggints that six, that group of six is the

top six that just won an NBA championship. And a huge part of why you're losing right now is the back end of that roster doesn't have the requisite athleticism experience in basketball, I you to round everything out, and especially on a team like this where Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and Jordan Pool are not physical specimens that are going to dominate games physically, you've got to bring them reinforcements on that end of the floor. Not to

be clear, Jonathan Comiga missed this game. Johnnyan Coming has been playing really good basketball for the Warriors for a while, and he specifically addresses that need to a certain extent. I think he's that big athletic forward that they need, but I think they need a backup center, somebody that gives them a better chance to hang with the Horford Williams line up. And again, like Draymond Green, one of the best defensive players of all time, but he's not

going to be able to jump with Robert Williams. And so if you're gonna ask him to battle with Robert Williams all night long, or if he's running up and tagging on people driving to the basket downhill, you need additional size and athleticism to give you a better chance to grab those contested rebounds and win some of those physical battles around the rim. So bottom line is that top six, you literally might never ever have a top

six like that again in franchise history. Statistically speaking, the chances of you getting Steph Curry a top five player of all time in my opinion, and Draymond Green a top three or four defensive player of all time, Clay Thompson the second best shooter of all time. The odds of you lining that up again through the draft or through trades is extremely small. So your patients, as it were, or whatever it is that you view the future of this franchise is not squeezing every bit of juice out

of this orange. And I still think there's juice in this orange. Same thing I've been saying about the Lakers. When labron On James is this good and Anthony Davis is this good, you might not The last time they had that was Shack and Kobe twenty years ago. If you move on past this year, you might not ever have that again. Give them the just the handful of things they need to help carry them in the other phases of the game, and your top end talent will

carry you over the top. I genuinely believe. First of all, even if the Warriors don't do anything, I think they have a really good chance to win the West. But if you're gonna beat one of these teams out of the East, the Bucks, the Nets, or the Celtics, or heck, the sixers look incredible. If you're gonna beat those teams, you need to give them reinforcements, particularly in size and athleticism. Off the bench again, tying a note on tying this

one off. I don't think either teams should be feeling great about tonight, but I do think both teams should be feeling a little bit better than they did yesterday. Al Right, guys, that is all I have for tonight. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys. Appreciate you guys supporting the show. We have one more show this week, tomorrow night. We're gonna be doing the usual breakdown of all the games on Friday night, but that will actually

be on the feeds on Saturday morning. I've got some more quick hitters for you when we get to that show. As well, as always, I sincerely appreciate you guys supporting the show, and I'll see you tomorrow. Volume