Celtics sting Hornets, Marcus Smart erupts, and vintage Blake Griffin

The depth of the Boston Celtics has really been on display the last two games.

After cruising by the Washington Wizards on Sunday night without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics put on an offensive onslaught Monday night with a 140-105 swarming of the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden.  Impressively they did it without Jaylen Brown and Al Horford who watched from the bench in street clothes.

The Celtics took care of the Hornets in the first quarter of this one.  Behind the host shooting of just about everyone who stepped on the court in the first 12 minutes, the Celtics ran out to a 27-point lead at one point in the quarter giving Charlotte just no thought of making it a competitive game.

Tatum was Tatum in leading the team with 35 points, Marcus Smart was knocking down threes, Derrick White was knocking down threes, Blake Griffin who started in place of Horford was hustling all over the court and Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench on fire finishing the game with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting along with 5 rebound and 6 assists.

By the end of the quarter, the Celtics already hit 10 3-pointers on a night in which they would go on to score 140 points.  Take away some sloppy play at times in the game and there was a feeling the defending Eastern Conference champions could’ve put up way more than that.

Boston Celtics offense continue to shine at a historic pace

With a season-high 40 assists to go along with the 140-point night, the Celtics did it with ball movement, efficient shooting and just plan out-hustling the Hornets who were without former Celtics players Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier.

In improving their record to 17-4 with the blowout victory, the Celtics are looking like a well-oiled machine who will get only better once Robert Williams return.  As Brogdon stated after the game, what the team is doing so far this season is a real treat and one that each player on the team has to embrace.

"“This is a treat for any NBA player,” Brogdon said, as transcribed by NESN.  “Whether you ask Marcus Smart, Tatum, Brown, anybody, it’s a treat to play on a team like this.  It’s honestly a common conversation I have with guys, just about appreciating where they are.  Marcus, Jayson, Jaylen, Grant, these guys haven’t seen other teams, so they don’t know how other organizations, other teams, how everything works in other places.  So there’s a lot of good here, from the top down – the leadership down to the PTs, the players.  There’s a lot of good here.”"

What a difference a year makes.  At this time last season, that leadership and “good” were being questioned. Now it has all come together in a dominant fashion.

Celtics player of the game: Marcus Smart erupts

While there were several players to choose from as the player of the game, it is hard to ignore the game Marcus Smart had.

The reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year continues to show he is more than just a defensive stud with his opportunistic scoring and his passing.  Both were on full display in this blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets Monday night.

Smart not only joined in on the fun behind the stripe with 22 points, including 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the stripe, he distributed a career-high 15 assists.  It is the assists that has proved Smart as a more than steady point guard in the NBA.  His vision of the court is also a reason why the team is the top offensive team in the league.

In all, setting up his teammates with good shots and picking his own spots to score is what has made Smart an even more impactful player this season.  In averaging 7.5 assists this season, Smart is doing his part in getting all his teammates involved in the offense.

"“Trying to get everybody the ball at the right time when they need it, where they like it and just get us some easy baskets by doing that,” Smart said following the game, via MassLive.com.  “It gets everyone’s confidence up.  And when people’s confidence is up, they tend to play a little harder on both ends of the floor.  We got a lot of great players and for me to be able to just find them and that’s what I’m trying to do.”"

In that respect, Smart’s vision and passing is a reason both Tatum and Jaylen Brown have become more lethal scorers so far this season.  The Celtics stars are already great at creating their own shots but having someone like Smart and also Brogdon distributing the rock where they like it makes them that more dangerous.

As to what Smart said about the confidence of other players on the court, you can see that in players like Grant Williams, Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser who have each become valuable contributors off the bench just adding to the depth of this Celtics squad.

Celtics highlight of the game: Blake Griffin can still get up

Once upon a time Blake Griffin was providing highlights on a nightly basis.  Not so much now at the age of 33.  However, the former 6-time NBA All-Star showed on Monday night that he still has some ups.

Talk about turning back the clock, Boston Celtics fans got to see some vintage Griffin in the first half on this nice lob pass from Derrick White:

In all, Griffin finished with 9 points and a ton of hustle points while getting some playing time in place of Al Horford.  Also proving how much depth this team has, the veteran forward continues to be a value on the team by staying ready and helping the younger players on the team grow as well.

Along with his solid play on the court when he does get meaningful minutes, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a lot of praise for Griffin for the way he impacts the team off the court as well.

"“Perspective,” Mazzulla said when asked about what Griffin adds to team off the court.  “Constantly in our young guys’ ear.  Just giving guys his experience, how his career has gone and where he was successful.  Just a sense of humor and overall a great guy.  And so, guys flock to him and he’s thankful for that.”"

You can see it by how the players respond to him on the bench.  When he’s in the game, his hustle gets the other players going and when he’s on the bench, he’s each players biggest cheerleader.  That is exactly what a championship caliber team needs from their veteran players.

It’s nice to see Griffin providing that and also giving fans some vintage Blake Griffin once in awhile.