The Boston Celtics (40-16) picked up right where they left off before the All-Star break: winning. After emerging victorious in seven of their last eight games before the mini vacation, including a three-game streak, the team added to its winning ways Feb. 20 and 22 when it defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 124-104 and the New York Knicks 118-105. Payton Pritchard led the effort on Feb. 20 with 28 points and eight three-pointers off the bench. That’s the third time in Pritchard’s five-year career that he has notched eight or more triples in a game.
Pritchard’s 31 minutes of action against the 76ers was nothing if not efficient, shooting 10-for-18 overall and dishing out four assists. He’s been in Sixth Man of the Year conversations since the beginning of the season, and Feb. 20 proved how valuable Pritchard’s skills are to the Celtics’ offense.
“He’s unbelievable, what he brings to this team on a given night, especially off the bench. We’ve got a few weeks left, but he’s got to be Sixth Man of the Year,” teammate Jayson Tatum, who had filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, said to NBA journalist Allie LaForce after the game. Pritchard’s career-best 14.1 points a night are coming from 47% shooting and 42% three-point shooting, adding 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
Shooting guard Jaylen Brown was the second-leading scorer in the game, dropping 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting in 27 minutes. Brown played alongside Tatum in the All-Star championship game for Shaquille O’Neal’s team, “Shaq’s OGs” — a game where Tatum should have taken home the All-Star MVP trophy — but took the time afterward to throw some shade towards the fans that showed up at Chase Center in San Francisco to watch the stars perform, tagging Boston as a better host city.
“They got the craziest fans in the world in Boston … it kinda seemed like it was a little empty in here tonight,” Brown said. “I don’t think in Boston that would happen.”
Boston hasn’t hosted an All-Star game in over 60 years, but after an electric Four Nations hockey championship, March Madness games and of course the NBA Finals in TD Garden, an All-Star game might be in the books for the city.
But back to the present moment, the Celtics sit second in the Eastern Conference and are on a five-game win streak. They’re six games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also hot on a seven-game win streak and proved they belong there in their victory against the Knicks (37-20), running away 142-105. The Cavaliers play at the Bay State on Friday, Feb. 28, which will be the final game in the regular season series between the two teams (Celtics lead 2-1).
The Celtics have the fourth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA, with their toughest opponents coming in the next few weeks (Cavaliers Feb. 28, Denver Nuggets March 2). The Cs should continue coasting through the second half of the season with their easier strength of their schedule and team chemistry.
It’s great to see the Jays, Tatum and Brown, recognized for their skills this season as All-Stars, but we all know that both the team and the fans would rather see them win another championship instead.
“Once you win a championship, it’s like alright, you can be in those rooms with the Celtics legends. But it doesn’t just stop at one,” Tatum said. “You’ve obviously got to win multiple, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
From the parquet to the rafters, see you next week!
