The Second Arrangement
The Second Arrangement
Behind the Boxscore, N2M podcast: Boston's fine
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Behind the Boxscore, N2M podcast: Boston's fine

GOOD MORNING PEOPLE!!

Boston 128, Golden State 95

The Celtics won this game because Boston stopped trying to figure out what was wrong with themselves long enough to concentrate on what was beatable on the other side.

Nothing is wrong with the Warriors, either, this was only a basketball game that Boston won handily.

The contest did highlight just how fucking important Klay Thompson is to these Warriors, the band was begging for scores in spots during this performance and Thompson (who delivered wonderfully lusty basketball during GSW’s recent road swing) is the sorta pressure release that creates room to breathe.

When you can breathe, you can score, and Golden State had a hard time swimming its way toward pockets of oxygen on Tuesday in the face of Boston’s traveling pants.

The defense was Celtic-like, something to expect.

Boston’s offense was another trigger: Celtics actually gave up the ball early in a possession, the Celtics trusted its own movement and expectations.

Ball met hands, Gordon Hayward splashed 30 points on 16 shots and Jaylen Brown found himself covered in robusto sauce — 16 points on ultraquick posts and flings, teammates giving a little more, Brown leaning on the hits that make him tricky.

The Celtics led by as many as 35, by the fourth quarter Steve Kerr was ready to put David West in to make a point.

Celtics: 39-26, No. 5 in the East.

Warriors: 44-20, tops in the West.

Philadelphia 114, Orlando 106

Jimmy Butler wears a braid and ninja headband now because it’s been about a month since everyone else started it, so Jimmy has to do it now. One hundred percent chance Jimmy came into third grade out of the summer of 1996 to declare that he was gonna become a storm chaser as soon as he grew up.

The Sixer swingman contributed pristine basketball down the stretch, making PHILA look phoolish for going away from him all game. Steals and buckets and stops, Jimbo was apsatively dominant in the closing minutes against a Magic defense that has earned every bit of its top-ten ranking.

Orlando’s offensive picture in the clutch was rather clouded, what with Jimmy Butler stealing the ball away from Nikola Vucevic, or Jimmy’s ribbon getting in Evan Fournier’s face.

J.J. Redick canned six three-pointers on the night, and when his cans ran out, Mike Scott hit his third three-pointer of the evening. It sealed up Philadelphia’s fourth win in six post-Break tries without Joel Embiid.

Amir Johnson started and rang two blocks, he hit 5-9 from the field and a three-pointer.

Couldn’t get a shoutout:

76ers: 41-23, No. 4 in the East.

Magic: 30-36, No. 10 in the East.

Houston 107, Toronto 95

The Raptors fell behind early because the bench couldn’t hack it, and because the Rockets owned all the answers for what Toronto did best. The Raptors weren’t angry, they were more disappointed with themselves than anything.

Houston held on to its lead, as high as 22 at one point as Toronto failed to crack 40 points in the first half, Rox held on loosely through the comeback and into the conquest.

James Harden was enough, 35 points, Eric Gordon hit three three-pointers and P.J. Tucker made Kawhi Leonard’s isolation forays appear as if they were performed inside of those human-sized cubes that they blow dollar bills into for the cash grab.

Leonard finished hitting 10-22 shots, 26 points, but you’d watch him fumble in the box and wonder why he couldn’t just pocket 40.

(P.J. Tucker.)

Chris Paul doesn’t add stardom to Houston’s equation anymore, just another level of supreme competency. Someone else making the exact right play at the exact wrong time for an opponent.

Paul missed nine of his 10 shots, but he beat the Raptors in 2019 on a team with Nene playing backup center.

Rockets: 39-25, No. 3 in the West.

Raptors: 46-19, second in the East.

Memphis 120, Portland 111

You can bend over backwards to let yourself become discouraged at the thought of the Blazers blowing a game to the stupid, self-defeating Grizzlies, or you can run through what Portland just gave you.

The Trail Blazers haven’t played at home since before the All-Star break, which was in 2018. The team ran nearly perfect on its road trip ahead of the flight to Memphis, Friday’s close defeat at the hands of the deeply-staffed Raps only left to sting an otherwise spotless trek.

The Blazers outlasted ESPN games and a Sunday afternoon contest in Charlotte that started around mid-morning out in Portland. The team has a top-five offense and it wants us to consider it a postseason comer.

That’s still in place, Memphis has its sparks and the Blazers were ready to roll a little. Portland’s defense was stretched at the wrong times and Mike Conley (40 points on only 18 shots) hit some outrageous stringers.

The visitors had trouble with Memphis’ pick and roll and the resulting beef from a Gasol transaction (Delon Wright was superb on both ends, 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas hit 6-7 buckets, very necessary).

Ivan Raab is the NBA’s best frontcourt passer (on a six-game night) and Joakim Noah absolutely changed the Grizzly capabilities each time he entered the game.

The Blazers weren’t terrible, C.J. McCollum remains a stud and the bench helpers were aware, the defense just suffered a bit.

Thursday (against Oklahoma State) will be Portland’s fifth home game since January. Yet look at this record.

Grizzlies: 26-40, No. 14 in the West.

Trail Blazers: 39-25, No. 5 in the West.

Minnesota 131, Oklahoma City 120

Minnesota worked up a superb game, the passing was crisp and the movement looked almost natural, super weird for this team, super weird.

The Wolves defense, in spite of the final holler listed above, was good enough to encourage OKC away from its Easy Spots and back into what Russell Westbrook brings — 38 points on 15-28 shooting, six assists, but not a lot of function or fear cultivation.

The Thunder ran normal, Paul George returned and missed 17 shots, 10 three-pointers, the team missed 13 free throws and could not match whatever it was that Minnesota brought to a Tuesday.

The Timberwolves’ urging was impressive, the spacing and movement was sound, Minnesota dragged OKC all over the court in the Thunder’s attempts to mind it all. MIN plugged 11-22 three-pointers.

Even Andrew Wiggins cut quickly, acted quickly (still Stephen Jackson-styled slow, but speedy for Andrew), he looked great taking those long twos. Wiggins finished with 18 points, he hit for a steal and a block and the satisfaction of the home crowd.

Also, Karl-Anthony Towns clocked a few heads together.

In a midgame interview, former Timberwolves two-point scorer Tony Campbell accidentally referred to himself as “a great Katt Williams fan” before correcting himself.

Timberwolves: 30-34, No. 10 in the West.

Thunder: 39-25, No. 4 in the West.

Indiana 105, Chicago 96

Your Bulls started slow but began coming together once they became convinced they could win the game. Chicago couldn’t, but its reads on both ends were encouraging. Indiana is a lot to try and shut down.

‘Course the Bulls were still the team that left Bojan Bogdanovic wide open in the corner with a minute to go and the Pacers up five, c’mon Chicago, Bojan splashed his fourth three of the evening and he’s back up to 43 percent on the season.

Chicago went small late and Indiana traipsed, Darren Collison finished several awfully-needed scoring possessions (22 points) and IND did well to seek out Lauri Markkanen (4-14) and Otto Porter (1-5 from behind the arc).

Thaddeus Young had six assists and 11 rebounds.

Quinn Buckner is delightful.

Pacers: 42-23, No. 3 in the East.

Bulls: 18-47, No. 13 in the East.

MY ADORABLE ONE

Love this version, gorgeous pedal steel solo.

PHIL LESH AND HIS WEIRD BASS.

Thank you for reading and listening.

(More to come.)

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The Second Arrangement
The Second Arrangement
Kelly Dwyer's NBA podcast.
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