CELTICS BEAT THE NETS IN OT… QUINTON COPLES IS PROBABLY READY TO ORDER THE PARADE FLOAT!

Listen, Celtics fans… congratulations. You beat the Brooklyn Nets. In overtime. By ONE point. Final score, 125-124. I'm trying to figure out if Boston is celebrating this win or quietly checking to make sure nobody saw what just happened. Because let's be honest, beating the Nets right now is not exactly the equivalent of slaying the dragon. Brooklyn came into this game 0-3 and left 0-4. At this point, the Nets aren't playing basketball. They're collecting experiences.

But I'll give Boston credit where credit is due. Jayson Tatum was absolutely ridiculous. The man dropped 40 points and buried a 17-foot jumper at the overtime buzzer to win the game. Tatum basically looked at everybody and said, "Move out of the way. I got this." And then he delivered. That's superstar stuff. After everything he's been through recovering from that torn Achilles, you can see him starting to look like himself again. And THAT is the scary part, because if Tatum is really getting back to THAT guy, the rest of the NBA better pay attention.

But here's my problem with Boston. WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS SO HARD?! You're playing the Brooklyn Nets! A team that hasn't won a basketball game all season, and somehow you needed Jayson Tatum to pull a rabbit out of the hat at the buzzer to save everybody. Boston fans probably aged about seven years watching this game, and honestly, I don't blame them.

And Mitchell Robinson? Brother, we need to have a conversation. Three seconds left in regulation, you're standing at the free-throw line with a chance to help put this game away, and you miss both attempts. Robinson finished just 1-for-4 from the line on the night. That's not a free-throw performance. That's a cry for help. And what happened next? Brooklyn rookie Mikel Brown Jr. knocked down a three-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Boston fans probably started throwing remotes across their living rooms.

Then overtime comes around, and somehow the Nets find themselves leading by five with just over two minutes remaining. FIVE POINTS! Boston battles back, Brown misses a layup with 2.3 seconds remaining, and suddenly Tatum gets one more opportunity. Seventeen-footer, buzzer, game over. Boston wins 125-124, and the entire city of Boston can finally breathe again.

Now, I understand Celtics fans being excited about Tatum's performance. I would be too. The guy put up 40 points and hit a ridiculous game-winner. That's the kind of moment that reminds everybody why he's one of the best players in basketball. But winning a game and proving you're a championship contender are two completely different conversations.

And THIS RIGHT HERE is exactly why I need to have a conversation with my brother Quinton Coples.

Because Quinton is so convinced the Celtics are THAT GOOD that I already know how this conversation is going to go. He's probably sitting somewhere right now getting ready to call me, screaming, "ERROL! I TOLD YOU! THE CELTICS ARE BACK!"

BACK?! BACK FROM WHERE?! THEY JUST ESCAPED BROOKLYN!

Quinton, you cannot use a one-point overtime win over an 0-4 Nets team as evidence that Boston is ready to take over the NBA. That's like me beating my cousin in Madden and immediately demanding an NFL contract. CALM DOWN!

And listen, I'm not saying Boston is a bad basketball team. Far from it. They've won three straight games after dropping their season opener, and having Tatum look this good is obviously a major positive. Paul George gave them 20 points, Derrick White added 16, and when it mattered most, their superstar delivered. I can give them credit for all of that without pretending they just accomplished something historic.

But let's not act like everything is perfect in Boston. The Celtics made just two of their 16 three-point attempts in the first half, allowed Brooklyn to hang around all night, nearly threw the game away in regulation and then needed another comeback in overtime. That's not exactly the kind of performance that should have Quinton ordering championship banners.

And let's give Brooklyn a little credit, too. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, Julius Randle added 24, and Mikel Brown Jr. showed why people are excited about his future with 17 points, including that game-tying three. The Nets fought hard and had every opportunity to steal this game. They just couldn't finish the job, and that's been their problem so far this season.

Meanwhile, Boston is finding ways to win games it probably shouldn't be making this difficult. There's a difference between winning because you played great basketball and winning because you have a superstar talented enough to rescue everybody when things start falling apart. Tuesday night was a whole lot more of the second one.

So Quinton, I love you, my brother, but STOP BEING BLIND! You can't look at one dramatic buzzer-beater against a winless team and start planning the championship parade. Yes, Tatum was phenomenal. Yes, that game-winner was nasty. And yes, Boston has won three straight. But if your biggest argument for why the Celtics are elite is, "WE BEAT THE NETS!" I'm going to need you to sit down.

Because the Nets are 0-4. They haven't won a game. They're not exactly walking around Brooklyn looking like the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Boston should absolutely be happy about the win. Every victory counts, and nobody is going to apologize for having a superstar capable of winning a game at the buzzer. But celebrating a one-point overtime escape against Brooklyn like you just conquered the Eastern Conference? That's like bragging that you won an argument with your five-year-old. Congratulations. You survived. Now let's see what happens against a team that knows how to close out a game.

And here's my final take. The Celtics didn't prove they're great Tuesday night. They proved they have a superstar who can rescue them when things start falling apart. That's valuable, and if Tatum keeps playing like this, Boston is going to be dangerous. But one player having a spectacular night doesn't erase the mistakes the rest of the team made. Championship teams need more than one guy saving everybody at the last second.

Jayson Tatum saved them. The Nets let one slip away. And Quinton is probably somewhere right now polishing an imaginary Larry O'Brien Trophy.

QUINTON… PUT THE POLISH DOWN! IT'S OCTOBER!

You don't win championships in October. You build toward them. So congratulations, Boston. Enjoy the win. But Quinton, please stop acting like the Celtics just beat the Dream Team.

ERROL MARKS HAS SPOKEN.