There was plenty to watch for this preseason game between the Celtics and the Hornets. But what we especially saw was the difference in level and intensity between the two groups.
Because after a balanced first quarter, Boston took off in the second act to never look back. Carried by their address at 3-pts (22/47), Joe Mazzulla’s men quickly killed the match, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum who did not leave their part to the dog. The first (24 points at 8/11 in 24 minutes, 4 ball losses) was still more effective than the second (16 points at 4/11 in 22 minutes, 5 ball losses).
Alongside in particular Sam Hauser’s 14 points 4/5 away, we saw the first solid steps of Malcolm Brogdon (11 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds), the energy of the “two-way” Mfiondu Kabengele or of Noah Vonleh, in search of a guaranteed lease in a club which still has a few places to distribute in its workforce.
On the Charlotte side, which had to do without Gordon Hayward, this first of the new era Steve Clifford gave a glimpse of some encouraging signs, in particular on certain defensive sequences.
On the other hand, the very fast shots of LaMelo Ball (14 points at 5/19) and Terry Rozier (11 points at 4/13) probably did not please the coach, who is a fan of an offensive game based on the ‘efficiency. To see how he manages to use the energy of his “backcourt” to get the best out of it… and put the other players in a good mood.
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