So, had to watch the game late and just got done. Here's my observations:
1) That was some of the best, most unselfish offense I've seen the Celtics play, against a top 5 defense nonetheless. Both Smart and Rozier ran the offense beautifully, and you didn't have the characteristic lulls, forced possessions, and occasional bad decision-making that you get with IT at times. Rozier at times gets caught up in overdribbling, but overall he was excellent.
2) Smart's offense is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better and more efficient when he has the ball. He looks to run the offense and get the ball moving rather than his own shot. He was a super efficient 5-7 with 13 points and only TWO THREE POINT ATTEMPTS. When will Brad realize that he simply can't play him as a spot-up shooter off the ball? Has anyone else noticed that most of his makes from midrange or behind the arc are off the dribble? He struggles off the catch. When Smart is in there, you have to have him handling the ball in some manner, especially in pick and rolls.
3) The defense and rebounding were both excellent throughout the game. It was nice to not have to worry about IT's defensive woes and lack of height for once. Even Rozier and Brown looked excellent defensively.
This was just a great win against a solid opponent without IT.
The more this season goes on, though, the less I think IT has a future with us for his next contract. He's an outstanding individual offensive player, but time and time again our offense is so much more dynamic without his overdribbling, forced possessions, and bad decision-making at times.
If we'd go with Smart or Rozier as our future point guard next year, we'd definitely need another big-time scorer like Cousins or George or something. And we'd certainly miss IT's individual offense at times, but I think we're ultimately better off long-term with a different starting point guard. I'd love to have him as our sixth man, but I just hate his style of play and the defensive deficiencies he brings to our team.