1. The Celtics got off to an incredibly slow start. Boston fell behind 12-0 after a Daniel Theis jumper was ruled to have come after the shot clock had expired. The first official basket for the Celtics didn’t come until Jaylen Brown hit a pullup with 9:34 left in the first quarter. It had the feeling of “here we go again!”.
Unlike in the Atlanta game, and some other games recently, Boston didn’t completely unravel. Following the victory, Brad Stevens, Robert Williams, Jeff Teague and Kemba Walker all talked about how the team stayed together. It was clearly a point of emphasis that wherever the Celtics are headed, they are headed there as a group.