Victor Wembanyama dominates as Celtics fall to Spurs: 7 takeaways

Wembanyama is just too large and expert to be stopped. The Celtics needed to hope that 1) they might outscore the Spurs by sufficient within the 22 minutes Wembanyama spent on the bench to counteract the minutes he was on the ground and a couple of) that Wembanyama would miss. 

Neither aspect occurred sufficient for the Celtics to tug out a win on Saturday. 

Jaylen Brown is irate. 

The Celtics, notably, shot simply 4 free throws, and two got here within the closing seconds. 

The Spurs, in the meantime, took 20. 

A furious Jaylen Brown after the sport took the officers to process, guaranteeing himself a hefty fantastic.

The preliminary query touched on the best way the Spurs defended the Celtics — a crossmatching look that Joe Mazzulla lauded as one of many causes the Celtics’ offense struggled. 

“It was undoubtedly distinctive making an attempt to guard a few of their guys,” Brown mentioned. “They didn’t need to go man. They didn’t really feel like they might guard us.”

After taking his refined shot on the Spurs, Brown bought to the crux of the matter.

“I really feel like, truthfully, they simply bought away with loads, and I’m bored with the inconsistency,” he mentioned. “I’ll settle for the fantastic at this level. I believed it was some bulls*** tonight. I believe they’re defensive crew, however they ain’t that rattling good. I hope someone can simply pull up the clips as a result of it’s the identical s*** each time we play crew. It’s like they refuse to make a name, then name contact falls on the opposite finish.”

Brown known as out official Curtis Blair and the remainder of the crew, saying they have been “horrible tonight.”

“They’ll fantastic me no matter they need,” Brown mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s loopy. Each time we play crew, it’s the identical bulls***. Anyone please pull up the clips. I’m irate at how they officiated the sport as we speak.”

Brown famous that the Celtics solely bought 4 free throws and misplaced the sport by 4.

“To not say that’s the entire sport, the entire story. We’ve bought to be higher in spots,” he mentioned. “I’ve bought to be higher in spots. 

“However goddamn. I’m driving to the basket. I’m bodily. I don’t flop. I don’t draw back from contact. I’m going up sturdy. I’m athletic. And nothing. Zero free throws tonight. The inconsistency is f***ing loopy. Give me the fantastic.”

Brown added in response to a follow-up query that he has his “conspiracies” concerning the officers earlier than he was shortly dismissed by a member of Celtics PR, however the harm is definitely completed — Brown shall be smacked with as a lot of a fantastic because the league can hand out. 

Whether or not the tirade will do something constructive for Brown and the Celtics stays to be seen. He has voiced his displeasure repeatedly this yr, and it’s arduous to think about that he’s a very widespread determine in referee circles lately. 

Brown appeared to be forcing it.

On the court docket, Brown was lower than stellar. He completed 11-for-28 from the sector, and whereas he grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists, he turned the ball over 5 occasions because the Spurs attacked his dribble aggressively — one thing of a regarding pattern, on condition that the Celtics have succeeded this season in no small half due to how nicely they’ve restricted their turnovers.

In the meantime, after making a few moonball 3-pointers over Wembanyama within the first quarter, Brown additionally appeared to get just a little caught up within the matchup. There’s loads of profit to attacking a shot blocker head on, however there’s additionally loads of profit to creating good selections as a driver, and Brown’s repeated makes an attempt to recapture the magic of his first two moonballs have been lower than inspiring. 

“Clearly, he’s a particular expertise,” Mazzulla mentioned of Wembanyama. “He can shut the hole on 2-on-1s extraordinarily quick, so that they do job of retaining him as near the rim as potential and rotating round.”

Baylor Scheierman had considered one of his greatest video games of the yr.

Regardless of the late basket by Wembanyama, Scheierman performed nicely in his prolonged run — along with his protection, he was 4-for-5 from the ground and 2-for-3 from 3-point vary. 

“He’s been wonderful,” Derrick White mentioned. “He’s all the time prepared. It’s robust — you by no means know what number of minutes or if he’s going to play, however he’s all the time prepared, and when he is available in, he simply does loads of issues for us, and I really feel prefer it’s all the time a constructive section when he’s on the market with us.”

Scheierman is an odd NBA participant — popping out of faculty, he confirmed promise as a 3-point shooter with some capacity to deal with the ball and move. Within the NBA, he has proven some promise as a hustling ahead with nice measurement who reads the sport instinctively as a defender. 

“I’ve a bunch of confidence in myself that I can play at this stage and influence the sport and play in opposition to anyone,” Scheierman mentioned. “Regardless if I performed tonight or not or performed yesterday or not, that confidence doesn’t change going into the subsequent sport. I believe simply seeing the outcomes of the work I’ve put in has given me that confidence that I do know that I can cling on the market on the ground.”

Luke Kornet bought a pleasant tribute video.

Previous to the sport, Kornet spoke with Celtics reporters and quipped that he was extra happy with his off-the-court content material than his on-the-court content material from his time in Boston, which doesn’t play “as nicely in an area,” as he put it. He puzzled whether or not he would get a tribute video earlier than concluding “I’ll be trustworthy, I think about there’s going to be one. Particularly in these occasions and days. For these potential Corridor of Famers like myself, you type of anticipate it at a sure level.”

Kornet was right: He bought one, and the Celtics discovered an important mixture of clips. Kornet’s tribute video, which was proven between the primary and second quarters, included just a few clips of his on-court play, however most of it was targeted on his antics — his moose antlers, his dabbing as he ran down the court docket, his well-known butterfly celebration, and several other cases of his even-more-famous Kornet Contest. In addition they, in fact, confirmed clips of Kornet celebrating the Celtics’ championship and hyping up the group in the course of the championship parade.