Boston Celtics

The 2019-20 Boston Celtics can be defined by the fact that the C’s made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and were competitive, pushing the Heat to 6 games.

What did we learn?

It’s basically a cliche at this point, but nevertheless it has to be said: Jayson Tatum took the leap!

If you watched the Celtics this season, then you got to see this come to fruition in real time.

It wasn’t just that Tatum revised his offensive game in all of the best and most efficient ways — shooting more ’s and driving to the hoop instead of all those long ass 2s — but it was how Tatum looked doing it. Smooth is an understatement as he constantly handled everything with rudimentary ease.

Tatum made increasingly difficult shots time and time again, so much so that we started to look at him differently. This wasn’t just a first time All-Star. This was the look of a shining star in the making. Putting his rocky sophomore season long in the rearview mirror, the strides Tatum made on the defensive end were far and away above what most thought he was capable of. Warning: Another incoming cliche. Tatum is still just 22 years old!

Tatum’s J-Team counterpart, Jaylen Brown, continued to be the Celtics Swiss army knife, doing a little bit of everything, kind of like Tatum, but more-so in a Robin role to Tatum’s Batman. Brown’s improvements as a ball handler and play maker gave Brad Stevens somebody else to run the offense through. The J-Team finished the season as the fourth best 2-man lineup in the league in terms of net rating for all 2-man lineups that logged at least 1,200 minutes together. Who was the third best 2-man lineup in the NBA in this scenario? Tatum and Marcus Smart. Boston has a scary good perimeter defense on the wing, interchangeable and stifling. And the fact that Smart can actually hit three-pointers now has opened up the floor on offense.

Speaking of offense, we have not even mentioned Kemba yet! A big part of why Tatum and Brown flourished so much this season is because they were playing with a team-first point guard in Kemba, a high-character guy if there ever was one. Kemba, Tatum and Brown each averaged over 20 points per game. That’s a whopping SIXTY points you can count on every night. Quite the luxury.

With the departure of Al Horford, we were quite skeptical in the preseason about the Celtics lack of a big man, but we failed to see that in today’s perimeter-oriented game, the Celtics would hold a lot of advantages there. We also didn’t know that Daniel Theis would be a decent enough player. He was nowhere close to a zero by any means. For what he was asked to do, the big German was productive grabbing rebounds and helping protect the rim. You would still like to upgrade the position, but Theis off the bench wouldn’t be a bad reserve option. The thin front line eventually did do the Celtics in against Bam.

Kemba didn’t play his best basketball in the later stages of the playoffs. It’s hard to ignore the fact that Kemba struggled with Team USA last summer, looked shaky in the All-Star game and was heavily contained in the playoffs.

But shit, it was his first time in the playoffs ever, and he was still a helluva lot better than Kyrie.

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What are the answers to our Season Preview Final Questions?

Will Tatum or Brown take a leap?

YES. Tatum took the leap. And Brown had his best season.

Will we get a definitive answer to Kemba > or < Kyrie ?

We sure did.

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Would our preseason Over/Under prediction have hit?

Overall, the loss of Al Horford and thin front line is just too concerning for us.  UNDER 49.5 wins. (60% winning pct)

Celtics 2019-20 final record: (48-24)  67% winning pct

Nope, our preseason Over/Under prediction would not have hit.  The Celtics needed just two more wins.

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What’s Next?

• A lot hinges on Gordon Hayward’s contract with his $34-million player option for the 2020-21 season.

• It would be fun to bring Aron Baynes back to the bean but is there some bad blood there? Luckily for the C’s, there are several big men free agents available.

• The Celtics currently hold draft picks #14, 26, 30 and 47. You know Ainge is going to be wheeling and dealing come Wednesday night. How about Cole Anthony? He’s probably a step up from Wanamaker off the bench. (Celtics fans LOATHE Wanamaker.)

• Tatum is eligible for a max extension, possibly $158 million over 5 years.

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Favorite Celtics Highlight from the 2019-20 Season:

It was a random Friday night in December when we really started to know.

Denver Nuggets

The 2019-20 Denver Nuggets season can be defined by two consecutive 3-1 comebacks in the playoffs, and by the fact that the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals. 

What did we learn?

Ahead of schedule, the Denver Nuggets have officially joined the high-stakes table atop the Western Conference.

The Nuggets rapturously showcased extreme resilience and proved just how much continuity can be substantial in times of great adversity. Denver also displayed an unwavering mental toughness. They always believed they belonged. They always believed that they could win.

Even against the Lakers, you get the sense that they felt like they should have won. And let’s not forget or gloss over the fact that they never had Will Barton in the bubble or playoffs. During the regular season, Barton was not only a starter but also a part of the Nuggets most used 5-man lineup, the most used 5-man lineup in the NBA all season, logging 735 minutes, 56 minutes more than the second most unit.

Continuity and familiarness amongst a team goes such a long way and it is seriously undervalued in today’s game. The Nuggets are the perfect example. Jokic and Murray have already been playing together for four years! Denver keeps notching big-time experience under their belt. And this team is still SO young. Jokic is 25 and Murray is 23 years old!

Elimination Game Jamal Murray was the hero the bubble playoffs deserved. A man on a mission with a heat check that turned into a flame thrower like Rick Dalton at the end of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Murray’s 50, 42 and 50 points scored in back-to-back-to-back games was one of the greatest 3-game stretches we can ever remember seeing. Consistency has always been the question with Murray, but his otherworldly playoff run changes the trajectory and heights that this team can obtain.

Jokic is still the Rainbow Unicorn. A grand entertainer and flat out funny as hell. His passing is so sensational that you have to wonder if it’s the best ever from a big man. Big Honey dimes are some of the very best dimes. They hit different as does everything that Jokic does. He’s savvy and will fuck you up with the look and personality of Baymax from “Big Hero 6.” The Joker laughed the Clippers right out of the bubble.

Everybody will still be yammering about the Lakers and Clippers, and it does still feel like the West runs through L.A., but the Nuggets haven’t just proven that they belong.

The Nuggets have proven that they can win.

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What are the answers to our Season Preview Final Questions?

Can Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Will Barton stay healthy?  Millsap is trending in the right direction having played 70 games last year (only 38 the year before), and Denver is fortunate to have enough depth to keep rolling if injuries are an issue to their important role players. 

Paul Millsap missed a stretch of 16 straight games in January/early-February. Gary Harris played all throughout the season but missed all of the seeding games in the bubble, finally returning in the first round against the Jazz and not a moment too soon. As aforementioned, Will Barton did not play one game in the bubble.

Can Malik Beasley and Monte Morris both average above 40 percent from 3 again as they did last year?  This was an underrated key to Denver’s success.  That type of marksmanship off the bench is lethal. 

Beasley was traded but shot 36 percent before being dealt. Morris shot 37.8 percent. Both regressed.

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Would our preseason Over/Under prediction have hit?

While all of the other legit West contenders will have to adjust to mixing in new players, the continuity that the Nuggets rode to 54 wins a year ago should flow from the jump. 

That said, expect teams to not take the Nuggs as lightly this year.  Denver is built more for the regular season than the playoffs due to their lack of Top Tier 1A Pyramid Superstar.  But you best believe that The Joker is knocking on that door.   OVER 50.5 wins. (61.5% winning pct)

Nuggets 2019-20 final record: (46-27)  63% winning pct

Yes, our preseason Over/Under prediction most likely would have hit!  With 9 games left, the Nuggets would have needed to win 5 games. 

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What’s Next?

• Figure out how to stop LeBron and AD.

• Find the same magic when down 3-1 and play with that sense of urgency all of the time.

• Jrue Holiday is interesting, but does he really help against the Lakers?

• Michael Porter Jr. emerged in the bubble. We wondered as far back as January if he would be the Nuggets secret weapon in the playoffs.

• P.J. Dozier was somebody else in the bubble who had us raising our eyebrows.

• Unleash Bol Bol!

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Favorite Nuggets Highlight from the 2019-20 Season:

In the immediate on-court post-game interview, Jokic said, “I saw Millsap down there, so I kinda throw him a hot potato, and he get me back. And I made the shot, so…” *shrugs*