When Jayson Leads, Thunder Strikes, and Jaylen Bubbles…
The Boston Celtics thought they had it in the bag, outshooting and out-assisting the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yet, somehow, they ended up losing by six points — it’s like winning a pie-eating contest but leaving hungry. Thunder’s physical play had Boston scrambling around like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, committing fouls left, right, and centered, sending OKC to the line for easy freebies. Jaylen Brown confessed he was as physical as a marshmallow, resulting in a perfect zero trips to the charity stripe.
Jayson Tatum’s pick-and-roll was hotter than your uncle’s legendary barbecue sauce, upping his game with slick moves that made OKC’s defenders look like they were on an invisible slip-and-slide. With defenses questioning their life’s purpose, Tatum’s precision passing added spice and aroma to his dish, serving up three-pointers like appetizers at a party. Armed with screeners like Kornet and Horford, Tatum was cooking up some magic, leaving OKC’s D shaking in their sneakers.
Despite Derrick White’s valiant effort and Jrue Holiday’s post-up gymnastics, Celtics’ defensive strategy seemed more comedy than classic. Not to mention their first two-pointer being a goaltend—classic Celtics move. It’s time to get schooled on the road, taking notes from this knee-slapper, before returning home with the wisdom of a basketball sage.
