The Celtics’ play of the night was years in the making

BOSTON — For years, before every game, Neemias Queta has gotten up three-pointer after three-pointer after three-pointer.

Sometimes, he’ll make five in a row.

On good days, he’ll make ten.

But since he arrived in Boston three years ago, Queta’s three-point practice has been just that: practice. The 27-year-old has attempted just 11 threes in his three seasons with the Celtics, saving the shot for Auerbach Center afternoons and TD Garden pregames.

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But on Friday night, in a 107-103 win over the New York Knicks, Queta pulled up for a corner three-pointer as though it had long been in his toolkit.

Swish.

The shot marked Queta’s second made career NBA three-pointer and validated tireless behind-the-scenes work. It also came at a crucial time — late in the third quarter, with the Celtics nursing a 4-point lead.

“It just felt great,” Queta told CelticsBlog after the game. “My whole life I’ve been shooting and just getting better at the shot, and finally just to get one in, the first one of the season, no hesitation, shoot it with confidence; that was great. So, happy for that – and hopefully a lot more will come.”

Since Queta arrived in Boston in 2023, he’s worked with a long list of player development coaches, a list that includes DaSean Butler, Amile Jefferson, Steve Tchiengang, Tony Dobbins, and Ross McMains.

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“It’s pretty much the whole staff,” Queta said. “We work on shooting in general, so all the pinpointing stuff that we can learn from each guy. It’s something I really appreciate; having different insights from different guys and leaning on those guys over the years has been really helpful.”

Several of the Celtics player development coaches even traveled to Portugal this past summer to help Queta coach his youth basketball camp — Queta named Nana Foulland and McMains as two examples.

When they weren’t coaching the kids, the Celtics’ player development staff worked out with Queta and helped him refine his three-pointer.

“They instilled a lot of confidence in the shot,” he said.

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For Jayson Tatum, the decision to find Queta came from pure instinct

The play began with Jayson Tatum…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/celtics-play-night-years-making-122451658.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 12:24:00

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