The Boston Celtics rang in the New Year with a dud.
The Celtics trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half Friday in Detroit against a winless Pistons team playing without Blake Griffin. They stormed back to take a lead in the fourth quarter but failed to execute down the stretch, going scoreless over the final four minutes of a 96-93 loss.
The defeat drops Boston to 3-3 on the season, while Detroit moves to 1-4 after its first win of the season.
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Highlights from Celtics' 96-93 loss to the Pistons
There's plenty to overreact to in this one, so let's get to it.
1. Poor shot selection doomed the Celtics down the stretch.
We could hear Celtics fans' screams from here when Marcus Smart pulled up for a quick 3-pointer with 25 seconds left and Boston down one.
But Smart wasn't the only Celtic laying bricks. Boston went scoreless over the final 4:15 while missing its last 11 shots, seven of which were 3-pointers:
Here's the thing, though: The Celtics didn't necessarily get bad looks. Brad Stevens drew up plays to get both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown quality 3-point opportunities in the final 30 seconds, but neither shot fell.
You could argue the C's should have attacked the basket more down the stretch when their shots weren't falling. But if one or two of those open looks had gone down, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
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Verdict: Overreaction
2. Jaylen Brown is the Celtics' best overall player.
Kendrick Perkins introduced this hot take on Celtics Pregame Live, and his case was this: Tatum may be Boston's most talented offensive player, but Brown boasts the best all-around game.
Brown did his best to make Perk's case Friday night. While Tatum led the C's with 28 points, Brown added 25 of his own to go along with three steals and two blocks and helped the Celtics get back into the game with plays like this:
Brown also took the Celtics' final shot, as Brad Stevens drew up a play for the 24-year-old wing to shoot a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining after Tatum missed a go-ahead three with 15 seconds to play.
Brown couldn't knock it down, but it's a testament to his talent that Stevens trusts him to take a high-pressure shot. He continues to exceed expectations this season and at the very least is making the Brown-Tatum debate one worth having.
Verdict: Slight overreaction
3. The Celtics let one get away in Saddiq Bey.
The Celtics took Aaron Nesmith with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Bey went to the Pistons five picks later at No. 19.
Nesmith has played a total of 29 minutes through six games, while Bey dropped 17 points while hitting five 3-pointers in 30 minutes Friday night.
It's far too early to make judgments six games into the season, and the jury is very much still out on both players. But Bey now has posted double digits in three consecutive games and looks like Boston's version of Payton Pritchard: a poised, NBA-ready player benefiting from his multiple years of college experience.
Bey probably wouldn't be seeing this much run on a much more talented Celtics team, but the Villanova product has a skill set that Boston certainly could have used off the bench.
Verdict: Overreaction