Regardless of the outcome, this was a fun, tight game and Cade put on a show.
Biggest takeaway from the game:
-3 is more than 2. You aren't winning when the other team is lighting you up from 3 (they shot 47%) and you're responding with 2s. That's just the reality of today's NBA. You have to crush them in every other aspect of the game to overcome it.
Smaller takeaways:
-You got a taste of what teams will do to Robinson in the playoffs. The Celtics ran multiple screens to get him on Brown and he cashed in over and over. Beasley and THJ were atrocious defenders as well so it's nothing new, but at some point we've got to find some 2-way players.
-Would like to have more minutes from Stew over Duren in the second half. The Celtics are a perimeter team and you needed Stew's defense out there. They were also taking away the lob pass, so Duren's offensive impact was neutered. He resorted to forcing it too much and turned it over 3 times which is unacceptable for a Center.
-I understand a coach's desire to reward guys who play hard, but this 11-12 man rotation ain't it. I want Jenkins running backup PG, but I'm not sure I like that small bench lineup either with Jenkins, Ivey, Lavert, Holland, and Stew. You have to figure out how to stagger it better. Maybe bring Stew in earlier at the 4, so you can sub Harris back in with the bench lineup when Duren sits. We've got to start doing that anyway because Stew needs more than 20 mpg.
That said, you can't complain about tying a franchise record 13 wins. 3 more tough matchups coming up, including a cup game and a back-to-back, so let's see how they respond.