Boston Celtics
Scheierman caught an incredible hot streak in the third quarter, which electrified a TD Garden crowd that showed up despite the lack of star power on display.
The Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman scores with pressure from Orlando’s Jalen Suggs during the second quarter. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr. were electric for the Celtics in an ostensibly meaningless 113-108 season-ending victory over the Magic that somehow didn’t feel meaningless at all.
Here are the takeaways.
Baylor Scheierman was a blast in a larger role
The Celtics’ entire season has been defined by their ability to win games no matter the circumstances, and Sunday’s contest was a fitting punctuation mark.
More specifically, Sunday’s contest was a fitting exclamation point, administered by Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr.
Scheierman made a strong case for himself as a rotation player this year by toning down his flashier tendencies — in college, he was an excellent (and often showy) distributor and rebounder, in addition to his scoring.
This Celtics team, however, doesn’t need showy distribution and scoring from a bench wing — they need dependable defense, some 3-point shooting, a willingness to make the right pass, and rebounding. Scheierman’s willingness to do those things made him a rotation staple, especially late in the year.
Sunday’s game, however, was an opportunity for the old Scheierman to resurface.
Scheierman delivered, and he caught an incredible hot streak in the third quarter, which electrified a TD Garden crowd that showed up despite the lack of star power on display.
Scheierman exploded in the third for 14 points, which included four 3-pointers — each seemingly increasing in difficulty, until finally, he lofted a 30-foot rainbow step-back jumper over Goga Bitadze that hit nothing but net in a way that only the best shooters on a heater seem able to achieve.
Scheierman cooled off in the fourth, but the damage was done, and he continued to be an option as a primary ball-handler and passer, as well as a screener. He was engaged defensively as well, finishing with an impressive 30-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist, 2-steal and 1-block stat line.
Scheierman earned his spot in the rotation by changing his game to fit what the Celtics need on a day-to-day basis, but Sunday’s game was a reminder that there may very well be more under the surface to his game, if Boston ever decides to scratch it in the future.
“He just learns,” Joe Mazzulla said. “So defense, situational basketball, but at the end of the day, he’s a huge competitor, and you kind of saw that tonight.”
Luka Garza’s dagger and the importance of the margins
The Celtics nearly watched what was once a double-digit lead slip away late in the fourth when the Magic put their starters back in the game. Jalen Suggs’ 3-pointer with 36 seconds left tied the contest at 108, and with the offense stalling badly, the Celtics’ unlikely win suddenly looked a little unlikely to materialize.
Then Luka Garza unexpectedly went 2-for-1.
On the one hand, Garza opting to fire up the 3-pointer was a bit of a surprise.
On the other, it was a very smart play that represented the Celtics’ obsessive attention to the margins — one of the myriad reasons they have been better than expected this year, and one of the myriad reasons Joe Mazzulla (despite his protests to the contrary) should probably win Coach of the Year.
“It’s a credit to Luka to just get a play off there,” Mazzulla, somewhat predictably, said. “But that allowed us to kind of play situational basketball.”
Garza has shot a smoldering 43 percent from behind the arc this season, and he was 3-for-6 on Sunday, so his 2-for-1 attempt wasn’t some kind of reckless hoist. However, even if he missed, the Celtics just needed a rebound to guarantee themselves one more possession.
Instead, his shot proved to be the dagger.
“It felt awesome,” Garza said. “Seeing it go in, just feeling the crowd too, it was definitely a top moment for me.”
Ron Harper Jr. is a confident scorer
Harper Jr. might have had just as big a night as Scheierman if he hadn’t been forced to sit down with just under 37 minutes played.
Harper was crucial in the first quarter, as the Celtics kept the Magic within arm’s reach — scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes en route to a career-high 27. Harper was 10-for-20 from the field and 5-for-12 from deep, burying 3-pointers and getting to the rim with shocking poise and fluidity.
With 6:55 remaining in the fourth, Harper took a seat, and he didn’t return to the game. He later told reporters he was cramping, and — in a testament to his performance overall — the Celtics struggled enormously to score without him on the floor.
Scheierman and Garza are far more likely to be part of the fringe playoff rotation, but Harper’s 3-point shooting could earn him a spot appearance or two.
“This year has just been really, really rewarding,” Harper said. “Just being able to come back to Boston, earn a roster spot and be a part of a great organization. I feel like that’s paid dividends for me in my career.
“I’m just really grateful to be in this situation.”
The Magic may have deserved that one
The Magic put together a bizarre rotation.
Desmond Bane played just six minutes before returning in the fourth and sparking Orlando back into the game with an important 3-pointer. He scored eight points in 17 minutes.
Franz Wagner sat down for eight minutes from the 11-minute mark in the fourth and looked emotional as if he was injured, but then he returned with three minutes remaining, playing just 26 minutes overall.
Paolo Banchero, meanwhile, played 38 minutes but was 7-for-22 from the floor and 0-for-5 from three.
It’s not entirely clear what the Magic were trying to accomplish. Did they want to rest their stars (even with the prospect of losing home-court advantage in the play-in)? Did they see the Celtics’ rotation and think their available players should be able to handle things?
If so, Sunday’s game may have been a rude awakening for a team that very well might face the actual Celtics in the first round.
“I think going into the game we were expecting to go out there and compete and win the game,” Scheierman said. “I know going into the game, that was our expectation, and we’re excited that we won.”
Mazzulla appreciated the fans
Mazzulla said the win was important on two levels.
First, he lauded the fans, who exploded along with Scheierman in the third quarter and cheered on the win as if the playoffs had already begun.
“I think the great thing about our fans is, one, they’re smart, they know good basketball,” Mazzulla said. “Two, they care about winning. They care about playing the right way.”
Second, he called the victory a “validation of what we’ve been talking about.”
“It’s very easy if you’re constantly in an optional shoot or playing in a stay-ready game, you could see as if your job is meaningless,” he said. “But they have to stay ready, because at any moment, as soon as they step on the floor, you’re held to the same standard. I think that’s what guys who are on the court today are looking for.
“So it’s more of a validation to the staff, but really to the locker room, that they care about winning, and they care about playing.”
A calm before the storm
What do we make of Sunday’s game, in a big-picture sense?
Very little, obviously. The Celtics rested their entire starting lineup, as well as Payton Pritchard, Hugo González, and Nikola Vucevic for good measure. There was no reason to give Pritchard an opportunity to score 30 when he now has that opportunity every night. There was no reason to give Vucevic extra minutes, because what he really needs is chemistry with the rest of the playoff rotation. Garza might still take Vucevic’s place in the playoff rotation if he struggles, but Sunday’s game was never going to offer any clues on that front.
For the Celtics’ reserves, Sunday’s game was a chance to stretch their legs and showcase the prodigious skills that got them to this point.
For the starters, it was a calm before the storm — a chance to cheer on their friends and colleagues who backed them up and pushed them over the course of a grueling 82-game season that is now in the rear view, before the grueling postseason on the horizon.
After 55 wins, Sunday’s game was a brief — but very well-earned — respite after an outrageously successful regular season.
Now the real test begins.
What’s next
Finally, we find out exactly what this enigmatic, feel-good Celtics story actually has to offer on the big stage.
The Celtics are headed to the postseason as the No. 2 seed, which means we don’t actually know who their opponent in the first round will be yet.
We do know, however, that the opponent will be either the 76ers or the Magic, who face off at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday which, thanks to Sunday’s game, will now take place in Philadelphia instead of Orlando.
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