The Celtics finally rolled out what looked like their *real* team Saturday night, and holy smokes, did they make a statement. Head coach Joe Mazzulla threw Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Jordan Walsh, Derrick White, and Mitchell Robinson out there to start against Philadelphia, shaking things up big time after Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta were frequent starters last season and came off the bench.
The New Crew Ignites a Firestorm
Man, it wasn’t perfect from the jump. The new starting group looked exactly like five guys who had never played together, falling behind 8-0. But then, BAM! They settled in. Tatum started cooking, creating those clean looks we know he can. Then the bench mob came alive: Queta and Sam Hauser gave the first unit a jolt, and Pritchard, dude, he just started raining threes. Paul George, in his debut, was just everywhere, materializing in passing lanes like a green-clad Nightcrawler. By halftime, Boston was already up 63-42, and by the end of the third, it was a full-blown party at 104-69. They demolished Philly 144-106. In the fourth quarter, it was so wrapped up that Pritchard, Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo González, and Luka Garza were out there, while Tatum & Co. just watched the rest from the bench.
The Real Game Is Always In The Clutch
Here’s the thing, as wild as that blowout was, it didn’t even touch the real question hanging over this Celtics squad. We can argue all October about who *starts*, and yeah, those are real implications. But the five names Mazzulla announces before tip-off are totally different from the five he wants on the floor with 2:14 left when they’re protecting a three-point lead, or worse, trying to erase one. Last season, that distinction gave us major heartburn. Boston went 56-26 with a solid plus-8.1 net rating, but when it came down to clutch games, they were a disappointing 16-17, and their net rating plummeted to plus-1.9. This year’s team HAS to be more dependable when it matters most. Mazzulla can’t just find one magical lineup, laminate it, and keep it in his pocket like a prized Pokémon card all season. There are just too many different kinds of players on this roster for that. The opponent gets a vote, the score matters, foul trouble is a factor, whether they need a bucket or a stop changes everything, and honestly, sometimes it just comes down to which Celtic is having *that* night. It’s a puzzle.
This exercise is gonna be fascinating to watch. We didn’t even talk about guys like Luka Garza, Mike Conley, or Ron Harper Jr., who will inevitably bail out Boston on some random Tuesday night. The challenge for Mazzulla and this loaded roster is figuring out that closing lineup every single game. This wasn’t just a blowout, it was a declaration, but the question isn’t about who starts, it’s about who finishes. Every night will be a new puzzle, and honestly, that’s what makes watching this team so darn exciting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
Leave a Reply