The 5 Good Things Against the Lakers

 The 5 Good Things from Last Night's Game

Photo Courtesy of NBA.com

Matt Smith
     

    A lost like we had last night was obviously very deflating, but there were a lot of things that I thought were positives. Last night's game we only got 8 points out of Marcus Smart and Kemba, and Marcus Smart missed most of the 4th quarter. I don't think that those two will both have a poor shooting performances like that too often. Hopefully we are able to get Smart, Pritchard, and Romeo soon too to help bolster our bench unit. We still have our TPE that we can use on this roster, but here I'm focusing on the good I saw from the this current roster. 

1. Semi Ojeleye: Semi has continued to impressed me this year. When guarding Lebron last night, Semi did a really good job, I don't have the exact statistics but the eye test told me Semi is one of the better guys you could use to guard Lebron. We have seen Semi take on some superstars and really frustrate them this year and years past, Semi has become our superstar stopper this year and I'm here for it. 

2. Robert Williams: Timelord has been amazing in his short 15 minutes or so of playing time every night and last night was no different. Last night he had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 5/5 shooting in 18 minutes of play time. He fits very well with almost any lineup with this team because he is active on defense and doesn't need the ball to be effective on offense. Every single possession he is setting multiple screens and almost all of his points come from lobs and tip-ins. He also changes the way the Celtics play on defense because he is a true rim protector. I hope we continue to see him getting 18+ minutes a game going forward. 

3. The Jays: These two are now unquestioned stars, they looked Lebron and AD in the face played right at their level last night. They were incredibly efficient and both hit a lot of big shots. There are very few things that they can do that impress me at this point, they are just simply incredible and I sleep easily at night knowing we have them both locked up for the next four years. 

4. Marcus Smart's defense and injury: Smart was super active on defense, especially early on in the game. He was doing Marcus Smart things, guarding centers and such. He was jumping into passing lanes, switching and closing out on guys like a madman. The defensive intensity rises and falls based on Smart's energy. Hopefully we are able to get Smart and his energy back soon. When I first saw the injury I thought it was the achilles, thankfully it was reported during the game that it was only a calf strain. Hopefully we can get our King back soon. 

5. Daniel Theis' shooting: Theis is shooting 38% from three this year, and has looked better as of late. In December he only shot 15% from three, in January he is shooting 52% from deep. The way the roster is currently constructed they need Theis to be able to hit wide open threes. Last night he was 2 for 3 from deep, him hitting shots opens up the floor for Tatum and Brown.