Pistons struggle, but resilient Celtics find a way to win ugly

DETROIT – For most of the first half of Saturday night, Jaylen Brown seemed prophetic.

Last month, during a media day interview with NBC Sports Boston, he cited the Pistons as an example of an inferior opponent that Boston could beat while running the offense through his backup players. On a night when they played the Pistons, Brown said the Celtics could play through Payton Pritchard and have him score 30 points or play through Sam Hauser and have him shoot 10 three-pointers.

Jaylen Brown:

“On a night we play, we don't want to disrespect them, but the Detroit Pistons, who have struggled the last year or two, we're going to let Payton play and let him play for 30. We're going to play Sam and let him shoot 10 threes tonight.” . We will still win the game.” pic.twitter.com/t1Cgu6lgdI

– Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) September 24, 2024

While Hauser was kept from playing in Boston's 124-118 win on Saturday because of back pain, Pritchard began the first half looking like he was doing exactly what Brown had promised. In the first eight minutes, Pritchard scored 16 points with four three-pointers. Even one of his misses, a 27-foot pull-up four seconds into the shot clock, underscored his growing confidence. But he would cool off before finishing with 19 points in 19 minutes. The Celtics faltered midway through the game before rallying in the final four minutes. Brown wouldn't be an oracle after all.

His comments about the Celtics' different approach to certain games had a deeper meaning anyway. Although the comments gained attention in part because he openly criticized the Pistons, he only mentioned Detroit as an example of a team that has struggled recently. With 31 combined wins over the last two seasons, the Pistons definitely qualify, although they should improve significantly this season under new coach JB Bickerstaff. Brown didn't mean to disparage the Pistons, but to explain part of the reason why the Celtics distributed the wealth to different players on certain nights.

“I think that’s the strength of a great team,” Brown said Saturday. “You get a feel for how the game is going, how we're playing, whether we're firing on all cylinders or whether we're struggling, whether we're missing a shot or whether we're a little too slow. So we'll see how the game goes (against Detroit), but definitely we're always trying to get our guys going, get Payton and Sam, who isn't playing (and is injured for a while). But we always try to get the guys some shots because that makes them better. As a leader, you always try to think about it. Can you help the people around you thrive? These things can’t be measured in statistics, but as I got older in my career, I took care of them.”

Brown said he learned from more than eight seasons in the NBA how successful teams and successful leaders work. He wants his teammates to feel empowered.

“It’s not just about you,” Brown said. “So you just have to keep developing. The essence of the team is to bring everyone towards the common goal. Therefore, it is important that everyone be who they are and do what they do at different times of the year. And I’m okay with that.”

Despite what Brown said about the matchups with the Pistons, Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics don't run their offense through different players depending on the opponent. He said those decisions depended on other factors, such as the lineups in the game, the matchups on the field “and just a sense of what we can exploit at that time.” He often emphasizes the need for his team to be open to the idea that success can look different every night. He appreciates that his players are open to finding different solutions rather than always relying on the same formula.

It's a credit to Pritchard, Hauser and the rest of the Celtics bench that the team plays the same style of basketball regardless of who is on the court. There is rarely a break down when the second unit comes into play or when Pritchard and Hauser have to take on a larger role.

“I really don’t think anything is changing,” Pritchard said. “I just think we play a certain way and maybe we handle the ball a little better, but that doesn't mean we play differently. Same pace, same style, same ball movement, all of that. So it’s not really any different.”

The Celtics also pride themselves on playing at the same level regardless of their opponent.

“We want to be consistent,” Al Horford said. “We want to play our style of play. We want to increase the tempo and defend. We want to put pressure on. It really, really shouldn't change depending on who we play. We are who we are.”

Pritchard doesn't always get the opportunity to showcase his talents, but he's occasionally reminded that he could do more if the team needs it. In the 13 games in which he played at least 30 minutes last season, he averaged 21.0 points and 6.4 assists per game. He doesn't come close to those numbers most nights, but he knows the Celtics need him to step up his aggressiveness at times. This can happen if they are undermanned, injured or simply tired in the second leg of a clash.

“There are certain nights where I need Payton, aggressiveness, etc.,” Pritchard said. “And I take full advantage of that. I go out there and do what I do. But then there are certain nights when I have to create space on the court and be a floor facilitator, a hustler, whatever that role offers me, I have to do it. That doesn't mean I'm less than a player. It's exactly what the team needs. And we are in a very talented team. And like I've always said, the most important thing in the NBA is winning. So if we win, everyone eats.”

The Celtics were almost hungry against the Pistons. Still, after their first close game of the young season, some Boston players seemed excited that they would encounter some stress. Derrick White said it was good for the Celtics to be challenged. Jayson Tatum said he enjoyed the tests his team passed in Detroit.

“It was just fun to be there,” Tatum said. “It's fun to be part of those moments where things aren't going well, it's kind of ugly, and we don't get rattled and figure it out. And everyone does their part.”

The Boston players might have reacted differently had they failed to mount a late comeback. Instead, they completely lost a 23-point lead, fell behind in the fourth quarter and went scoreless for more than four minutes thereafterIn the end, the Celtics still achieved an away win. Mazzulla believed the Pistons were the more physical team on both ends of the court for most of the second half, but the Celtics found a way to erase a six-point deficit in the final four minutes. Tatum, who played his first minutes in the fourth quarter of the season after coming off blowing victories in each of his team's first two games, scored eight points in the final 2:13 to complete the win.

He walked away still convinced that the pistons were no longer the same old pistons.

“They added some vets,” Tatum said. “You have Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway, Tobias Harris, some guys that have had some success in this league and good playoff runs, with some young talent. Detroit lost all of those games in a row last year, but that was because they were young, not because they weren't talented. They have a lot of talented guys there who compete, play hard and are physical. Regardless of what their record looks like, in our opinion it will be difficult (on Saturday evening) and last year. They will crack down on you and make things difficult for you. They were super young last year, brought in some older guys and got JB as coach. So I’m looking forward to seeing what they do this year.”

(Photo by Jaylen Brown: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)