The Boston Celtics are entering the playoffs with the No. 3 seed in hand, but that isn’t stopping them from competing in the last of their seeding-round games.
The C’s topped the Grizzlies in a dominant 122-107 victory Tuesday afternoon at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., holding a solid double-figure lead over Memphis for most of the contest. Boston now has won four straight games, including impressive performances from all five of Boston’s starters in each contest. The bench has been quite helpful, too, consistently providing some much-needed support on both sides of the ball.
So with the playoffs just days away, the Celtics are gearing up for what could be a busy postseason. Head coach Brad Stevens, however, it’s trying to stay in the moment.
“I thought we did a lot of good things tonight,” Stevens said, via the team. “I felt like guys really tried to play the right way on both ends of the floor. Hopefully, we can just keep getting better.”
And when it comes to the postseason, Jayson Tatum doesn’t think much will change game-to-game for the C’s.
“Obviously, we’ll continue to watch film. But just continue to build off what we did in the previous game,” Tatum said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “Obviously, offensively we’ve been playing as well as we have all season, and just the way we move and play with pace and sharing the ball I think is top of mind.”
So, just where are the C’s in respect to where they want to be when playoffs begin Aug. 17?
“We’re getting there,” Tatum said. “That’s what these seeding games are for. We’re confident, build good habits (and) chemistry (and) getting guys healthy. I think that’s what we’ve been doing.”
“I think we’re pretty close to being ready (for the playoffs), especially after tonight,” Kemba Walker added. “We were pretty focused and locked in.”
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Here are some more notes from Tuesday’s Celtics-Grizzlies game:
— Walker felt good out on the court Tuesday night, injured knee and all.
Walker posted 29 points on 70 percent shooting, an impressive feat considering he’s still working through his knee problems. He was happy with Tuesday’s performance but knows there’s still more room to grow.
“It’s getting there,” Walker said. “Today was probably the best I’ve felt out there. I’m really comfortable making my moves and stuff like that. It was good to make that move and see the ball going and stuff like that. I’m working every single day to continue to get my leg stronger, get my knee stronger. I’m feeling good. Hopefully, I can continue to feel good and just continue to take care of myself.”
— Speaking of Walker…
The 30-year-old made a bold move after Tuesday’s game, wearing a New York Yankees hat to his postgame press conference. And it certainly sounds like he knew what he was doing.
Check it out:
"Boston fans gonna KILL me."
Not mad just disappointed @KembaWalker 😔😔😔 pic.twitter.com/1OeIi6BNV9
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 11, 2020
Hmmm… we’ll forgive him this time.
— The Celtics take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday, with tip-off slated for 12 p.m. ET.
