There Are Few Things On This Planet As Intoxicating As Watching The Celtics Go Full Belt To Ass

Brian Fluharty. Getty Images.

To start the Celtics season, they began the year with a series of "tests" or "measuring stick" games against 3 teams in the East that most would consider conference favorites, or at the very least solid playoff teams. It was a good way to see how this new look Celts group stacked up against that level of competition early in the year.

As we saw, they ultimately failed every one of those tests. A loss to the Sixers on Opening Night. A blowout loss to the Knicks at MSG. A brutal loss to the Pistons. After finally getting on track and beating the Zion-less Pelicans, I think most of the fanbase saw that as an opportunity to exhale, but there was yet another challenge on the horizon.

The supposed Eastern Conference favorite Cavs.

Sure, there was no Darius Garland, Max Strus, or Sam Merrill, but there's a reason the Cavs were favored going into this game. Even as constructed, most people believe that group is a cut above the current version of the Celts. So for me, this was another great measuring stick opportunity. The Cavs had an elite blue chip player (Donovan Mitchell), they start two 7 footers, and as a system, the Cavs are a fast paced high 3PA volume type of team.

In theory, those are all things that should have spelled trouble for a team that has issues guarding perimeter players, hasn't been able to rebound to save its life to start the year to the point where they are literally the worst rebounding team in the NBA, and is also a team that had been experiencing a bit of an outside shooting slump.

So what happened?

Naturally, the Celtics went full belt to ass like you read about. 

Admittedly, things were close after the first quarter with the Cavs making 10-12 3PA which allowed them to hold onto a 42-40 lead, but after that? Belt to ass. A massive 35-18 2nd quarter with a blitzing in the final minute to pull away, and from there the Celts never looked back

Jaylen Brown was incredible, as he continues to thrive in his new role. This was one of the biggest talking points of the entire Celtics season, and he's done nothing but live up to exactly what this #1 option role requires

It's one thing to play well and dominate against the Pelicans, it's another to do it against a team many expect to win the Conference and make the NBA Finals. The production, the efficiency, the leadership, it's all been exactly what you could have hoped for as Jaylen stepped into this new role. Outside of his TOs still being a little high (3.8), I'd say he's off to basically a flawless start, and that's a huge reason why it does feel like coming off last night, the energy is starting to shift.

Add in Josh Minott exploding onto the scene with 11/15/3 of his own while pretty much securing the starting 4 spot moving forward, Neemias Queta dominating two All Star caliber bigs and Sam HAUS3R never missing, the way the Celts kicked the shit out of the Cavs not only felt familiar, it felt like a sign of what could potentially be possible for this group

Watching this game, it felt like my brain chemistry was being altered in real time. I had forgotten just how intoxicating it can be to experience your first big win of an NBA season, especially when it looks like it did last night. Dominance on both ends of the floor. Shotmaking, defense, energy, you could feel it through your television screen. This was it. Our first true taste of Celtics crack, and guess what? It was just as incredible as I remembered. Now I've never done actual crack, but I imagine this is how it feels, only better.

At the end of the day, this is all part of what makes this season so fun. Everything is based in the unknown, so in a way, anything truly is possible. We may only be a week into the season, but it's a statistical fact that the Celtics currently own the 9th best offense / 9th best defense / 7th best net rating in the entire NBA. In terms of point differential, their +7.0 sits 3rd in the East. Oh, and they've had the 10th hardest schedule in the league to open the year, by the way. Just wanted to bring that to your attention if you weren't aware.

Did I expect this level of production, especially against their early schedule? Nope. Sure didn't. Given what they lost and how they looked to open the year, I'm not sure how you could. How long it stays at this level remains to be seen, especially with two tough games against PHI/HOU on the horizon, but for the moment, you're seeing signs of what might be possible as this team continues to grow.

Of course, there are still things to be concerned about. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard still can't hit a jumper. The shot creation from players not named Jaylen Brown is still severely lacking, which then forces the offense to really feel stuck in the mud at times. Rebounding will always be a concern (although it's been better these last two games), so it's not to say things have been perfect. Far from it.

Their flaws still exist. There will be nights where the shooting doesn't deliver like it did last night (21-57 from deep), and those flaws end up being too significant to overcome. It's a long season with PLENTY of basketball left to be played. What's important to remember as we navigate this season is nothing is set in stone. Every game, every quarter, every possession is going to cause our feelings as fans to fluctuate. When they look like dogshit, you're going to want to embrace the tank. When they go belt to ass over a conference favorite, you're going to want to talk yourself into them being not so bad and quite possibly #actuallygood. 

And guess what? THAT'S OK!

That's what this season is about. Going up and down the roller coaster of emotions of an NBA season that doesn't really have title expectations at the moment. You can enjoy when they lose if you're a lottery pick guy, and you can enjoy when they win if you're a make-the-playoffs guy. There's no wrong answer, especially if these wins are being driven by the young unproven guys (Minott, Queta etc) making a real impact. That is VERY important for the next iteration of the roster, and so far that's showed up in both of the Celts wins so far this season. 

So if anything, while this was technically just Game 5, it felt like more than that. It was a reminder of what this team can be at its ceiling. It was a reminder of how electric the Garden can be and why it's the best arena in the league. It was a reminder that Jaylen Brown is very very good at basketball. It was a reminder that Mazzulla Ball works. And finally, it was a reminder that nothing, and I mean NOTHING hits like Celtics crack. When they have nights like last night, it forces your brain to go to dangerous places, and god damn did it feel great to get back to that again. Lord knows we needed it.