Boston Celtics: What we learned from 4-game trip out West
The Boston Celtics just finished 3-1 on their road trip in the sunshine state, and with the playoffs around the corner, everyone learned plenty about the guys in green.
A struggling Boston Celtics team boarded a plane to Oakland to kickoff a four game road trip in the sunshine state. Plenty was made of the plane ride over, which seemed to serve as a bonding tool for the team.
The Celtics took the floor against the mighty Golden State Warriors and not only beat them, but decimated them.
Call it a disinterested Warriors team, a team so used to success in the postseason that they don’t even bother during the regular season. Call it whatever you want.
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The Boston Celtics went into Oracle arena and wiped the floor with the Warriors. They played some of the best basketball they have all year, and they showed the league exactly what they’re capable of when they play as a unit.
The C’s followed that win by an arguably bigger one in Sacramento the following night, beating a scrappy Kings team that’s fighting for a playoff spot in a tightly contested match. The final two games took place at Staples Center, where the Celtics battled their purple-and-gold foes the Los Angeles Lakers, and came out victorious over LeBron James and co., and while they dropped their final game against Doc Rivers and the LA Clippers, there was plenty to be proud of on this trip.
Gordon Hayward is finding a rhythm
That’s right. The Celtics All-Star acquisition from a year ago is starting to play with confidence and is looking like a totally new guy.
When Gordon Hayward plays like the All-Star caliber player he is, the C’s become a completely different basketball team. He opens the floor up for everyone and can do everything on both sides of the ball.
The clutch shot he had against the Kings was proof that he isn’t afraid to step up in those big moments like he may have been a few months ago, and the timing couldn’t be better.
Everyone looked like they were having fun and genuinely enjoying the game. When the team plays so open and freely, shots will fall and all of a sudden, the middle-of-the-pack BostonCeltics start looking a lot more like the number one seed everyone thought they would be.
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Seeing Jaylen Brown in the starting lineup was a great addition, and hopefully we can see a Brown-Tatum-Irving-Horford-Hayward lineup back out on the floor to start games.
If these guys can keep building on this road trip and gain momentum heading into the playoffs, they’ll be the team no one wants to play.