Maybe Steve Kerr was foreshadowing things to come.
When asked before his team’s MLK Day matchup against the defending NBA champions if Celtics fans should be concerned with their team’s recent struggles, Golden State’s 10th-year coach offered a comforting response. And given it was his Warriors who were the last team to win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, Celtics fans probably ought to listen.
“It’s perfectly natural for them to have a little bit of an emotional hangover and maybe not be at their best game after game,” Kerr said of the Celtics, who headed into the night with losses in three of their last five game. “I’ve seen that a million times in this league. But what I would expect is, come playoff time, they’ll be ready to roll. They’ve got guys in their primes. They’re a well-oiled machine, well coached, and they know who they are. I wouldn’t worry about the Celtics.”
Inspired Performance
Well, maybe it wasn’t just the fans who were listening. Because while Monday night’s matchup wasn’t a playoff game, Boston was certainly at its best.
The Celtics (30-13) handed Golden State (21-21) its worst home loss in 40 years, kicking off a four-game West Coast-road trip with a 125-85 blowout victory. Jayson Tatum led Boston’s offense with 22 points, and was one of three Celtics players to knock down a trio of three-pointers in the contest. Boston finished 20-for-48 from beyond the arc (the Celtics are 14-1 this season in games where they’ve made at least 20 three-pointers), and shot an impressive 53.3% from the floor.
Even Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman (five points) got in on the action, sinking his first-career three-pointer in the win.
Been There, Done That
“I’ve been through it before. I’ve been through spurts of a season where I was trying to rush to get to the end and skip steps, which resulted in us losing in the conference finals,” said Tatum, who added nine rebounds and seven assists to his stat line. “Whereas last year, we didn’t get bored. We didn’t skip steps. We just tried to get a little bit better every day. It’s important to keep that perspective and just understand it’s hard. It’s hard to win night in and night out in this league. I don’t think it’s a question of whether we’re bored or not. It’s just tough. We get everybody’s best shot.”
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The Celtics had six players finish in double figures, with fellow starters Kristaps Porzingis (18 points, seven rebounds), Jaylen Brown (17 points, four rebounds) and Jrue Holiday (10 points) complementing Tatum’s offensive output. Even Boston’s bench made a significant impact behind the play of Payton Pritchard (14 points, nine assists) and Sam Hauser (11 points, 3-for-6 from three).
‘Not a Good Formula for Success’
Golden State was led by a 15-point performance from all-star guard Steph Curry, who finished a meager 4-for-12 from beyond the arc. Only Moses Moody, who came off the bench to score 13 points, also finished in double figures for the home team.
“A big part of our season has been we can’t score, we lose spirit, we lose life, we lose competitiveness,” Curry told reporters after the game. “You can get away with it against some teams. Against the defending champs, it’s not a good formula for success.”
What’s Next For Boston, And What’s Next For Steve Kerr?
Boston will continue its West Coast-road trip Wednesday night when it travels to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers (24-18). Golden State will also return to action Wednesday when it travels to face the Sacramento Kings (22-20).
Perhaps this time, Kerr will wait until after the game to sing his praises of their opponent.
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