If Wednesday night time was about what Kristaps Porzingis can do for the Celtics, Friday night time’s win over the Miami Warmth was all about teamwork! (jazz palms)

The Warmth rolled into city and instantly selected violence, strapping threes from humorous angles and giving my complete family PTSD from final yr’s playoffs. However this Celtics squad isn’t that very same one that nearly misplaced custody of their dignity to the Warmth final yr. At their worst, that group felt like a set of people. This group is… a group! (jazz palms once more)

The way in which the Celtics unfold out their scoring final night time jogged my memory of injury-riddled variations of outdated groups, typically led by the mixed efforts of legends like Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and Jonas Jerebko. Evening after night time, these Celtics would handle convincing wins on the backs of 5 and even six guys in double figures.

Not that these guys weren’t licensed ballers—I nonetheless rock a Bradley jersey and Olynyk would possibly unironically be my favourite Celtic ever—however final night time noticed that idea prolonged to a lineup with 4 complete All-Stars and one complete Derrick White. Double figures throughout, led by White and Jaylen Brown within the scoring division.

This spread-out assault is one thing each NBA group would like to do in idea, however no different group approaches the extent of offensive expertise the Celtics have kicking round. Jayson Tatum is among the premier bucket getters within the league, and he’s surrounded by 4 different three-level scorers. Porzingis and Brown are elite, whereas White and Vacation can get the job carried out after which some.

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs

And man did White get the job carried out on Friday. In actual fact, the job was so carried out he began selecting up new jobs to avoid wasting additional dough for retirement. He scored 28 factors on nice effectivity, and head coach Joe Mazzulla described his play as “sick.” I concur.

Final yr, I witnessed the Celtics blow a bunch of superior White video games, just because he was the one man doing something in any respect within the half courtroom. However this yr, the remainder of the group had his again, and whereas the half courtroom offense didn’t at all times work, it at all times felt prefer it would possibly.

Any Celtics fan will inform you that final yr’s half courtroom offense was both as easy as butter or as tough as a crappy greenback retailer nail file. Generally getting good photographs felt inconceivable, and the Celtics’ success hinged on if somebody may pull a bucket out of skinny air.

However this yr, that form of stagnation feels nearly inconceivable with the quantity of scoring choices operating amok on the parquet. Nothing doing on the perimeter? Discover that 7’3” man down low. Is he double-teamed? Kick to one of many 4 shooters. Did the protection get well? Have Tatum go 1-on-1 within the submit. An excessive amount of warmth down low? Have Brown or Vacation penetrate off the dribble.

Did that sound like lots? It felt like lots, and I didn’t even get a White shoutout in there. This group simply has approach too many choices to persistently look misplaced. Guys can cowl one another’s weaknesses and cook dinner in all kinds of the way. That was on full show Friday night time.

There was a darker model of this sport that nearly occurred. Jaylen misplaced the deal with a few instances early, even air balling a few simple appears. The Warmth had been positively in his head, and that precise challenge tends to sink the Celtics. I out of the blue had visions of the Warmth diving at Jaylen each time he put the ball on the ground. The nightmares…the phobia! Not once more not once more not agai—

However then one thing great occurred. Brown may loosen up, and let his teammates take over whereas he regrouped. It wasn’t all on him as a result of it simply didn’t need to be. Vacation stabilized the offense with a pair stable drives, and Tatum slowed it down within the submit—shredding rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. like a contemporary block of mozzarella. All of the whereas, Jaylen acquired it collectively huge time, drilling the dagger three-ball to ship the Celtics to 2-0.

If this even-steven strategy to offense can crystallize into one thing actually constant, and the Celtics can grow to be sure of their identification within the half courtroom, that is going to be superior.