As Jaylen Brown dribbled back and forth between his legs, Al Horford waved his arms frantically in the air, hoping his teammate would dribble out the shot clock instead of trying to score one more time in the final seconds of a blowout.



Brown didn’t circle out near halfcourt and pick the ball up like many players do in that situation. He played with the basketball and looked like he might make a move to the basket. When he accepted the shot clock violation instead, effectively showing mercy, Horford spun around on the bench with a smile on his face. He was relieved his younger teammate made the sportsmanlike decision.



The Celtics have had much more important things to worry about this season: their ball movement, their roles, a rocky .500 start that left them among the NBA’s biggest disappointments. They criticized each other during cutting interviews and underwent a well-publicized team meeting that players have described as a necessary time of...