BOSTON — After a powerful displaying out west, the Celtics had an opportunity to get proper at house. Two letdowns later, there may be extra questions than solutions for the defending champs.
The Kings prolonged their lead within the fourth quarter of a blowout on Friday earlier than the Pelicans’ squandered theirs when CJ McCollum narrowly missed an opportunity to win it on the buzzer. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics escaped on Sunday after he missed two game-sealing free throws.
“It’s only a funky stretch, I assume,” Tatum stated. “Shoutout to the Pelicans. They performed very well tonight. I don’t suppose they play like that on a regular basis, nevertheless it’s check for us … anticipate all people’s finest shot … I bear in mind my rookie 12 months, we weren’t 8-30 or no matter, however I bear in mind after we performed the Warriors, it was a giant deal. ‘They received the championship final 12 months. It is a massive matchup. It is a massive recreation.’ So simply understanding the place we’re at, our place on this league, and I feel it’s simply gonna make us higher that no matter who we’re taking part in, we gotta anticipate one of the best from them.”
Boston witnessed many staggering capturing performances in opposition to them within the first half of 2024-25, Dejounte Murray’s the newest, and their opponents’ three-point effectivity elevated to 41.2% since New Yr’s Eve.
The Celtics have additionally struggled to recreate the magic their beginning lineup produced a 12 months in the past, falling to a -8.9 web score with that group on the ground following Sunday’s slender win. Performances have dropped everywhere in the roster and whereas effort emerged as an issue not too long ago, the Celtics additionally fought themselves — missed layups, free throws and two weird out-of-bounds performs by Derrick White exaggerating their latest points in opposition to New Orleans.
It’s all created cheap doubt with this workforce. Defensive points shaped early whereas Boston experimented with forcing extra turnovers. They’ve see-sawed making an attempt to plug totally different holes on that finish with the long term defensive numbers admittedly bettering over final 12 months. They’ve awaited a regression on offense after capturing over 38% final 12 months to guide the league alongside Oklahoma Metropolis. They continue to be caught nearer to the NBA common now, simply above 36%. That’s made them extra unusual regardless of a 28-11 begin and a shot profile that Joe Mazzulla approves.
“Final 12 months, up to now, the offense was really worse from an anticipated foundation, however the precise was higher, and so they have been capturing 39% versus 29% (from three) … we have now to be higher, nevertheless it’s primarily in a coaching camp type with this specific group,” Mazzulla stated addressing the offensive manufacturing. “I don’t actually have a solution for that. What I do know is we have now to maintain up the method of combating for one of the best shot, giving up one of the best photographs, making the mandatory performs to win, executing, constructing belief, constructing accountability amongst one another, we simply should proceed to work that course of with one another.”
The variations over final 12 months ought to have the workforce asking extra questions internally because it assesses itself forward of the commerce deadline. Kristaps Porziņģis admitted a number of occasions that his return from surgical procedure and a number of accidents since added to the latest inconsistency. He’s quickly improved on offense throughout latest video games, however the Al Horford beginning lineup fared higher to start the 12 months. Would a switch-up work there?
Video games the place the Celtics appeared slower and fewer athletic than their opponents, together with the Thunder loss, begged for Neemias Queta’s presence in spots the place three wholesome facilities in entrance of him prevented him from taking part in. They may use a depth wing, and have an open roster spot together with restricted commerce flexibility in the event that they need to make a transfer.
No matter what they do, the top-seven rotation will resolve their destiny. We’ve mentioned the variations in comparison with final 12 months. Sam Hauser, Derrick White and Jrue Vacation’s bumps and bruises have clearly restricted their effectiveness. Jaylen Brown, who handled a shoulder harm, fell to the worst capturing effectivity since his rookie season this week as he adjusted to first quarter exits. Tatum, who scored with staggering effectivity within the first half, needed to steadiness taking up with taking part in the suitable means.
As a result of that’s how they did it final 12 months.
It’s clear, on the midway level, that if the Celtics do repeat it received’t be how they did so final season. Oklahoma Metropolis and Cleveland’s scorching begins have made a minimum of a few of the Celtics’ postseason path beginning on the highway look inevitable. Perhaps that’s for one of the best — heightened consciousness in opposition to these foes and Boston’s house document that’s already worse than final 12 months’s might provoke this group when the postseason they’re clearly ready for arrives in April. However the habits that arrange playoff success should turn out to be extra constant now, and so they’re nonetheless making an attempt to determine precisely who they need to be on each ends.
“There are two nice groups within the league which are having historic seasons. They turn out to be they turn out to be the reference level of ‘oh, you’re not pretty much as good since you’re not them,’” Mazzulla stated on Sunday. “They’re nice. Nice groups have historic years and we’re on our personal path that we have now to have the ability to work via. Simply because we have been this final 12 months, you possibly can’t take as a right the main points, behavior, execution, togetherness, belief. All that stuff must be rebuilt, and I feel typically when you’ve the identical workforce, we have now this expectation that we’re simply gonna decide up there and it’s totally different. Completely different 12 months, individuals are in several areas, so we have now to re-establish that and it’s a must to work that. It simply takes time.”
These days, they’ve shot fewer threes whereas eager to be that capturing workforce from one 12 months in the past. They’ve struggled to handle opponent capturing due to these uncharacteristic performances in opposition to them. The hassle points on protection convey me again to 2023, and regardless of no dysfunction that clearly stricken that group is seen this time round, the final lesson from that spring about how purple flags throughout a seemingly rock-solid common season can pop up later would possibly show relevant. Mazzulla defended that workforce’s statistically robust protection all 12 months till admitting, down 0-3 within the Japanese Convention Finals, that they misplaced their defensive id.
Whereas that wasn’t the problem on Sunday, step one towards righting the ship might come from a jolt. My thoughts goes towards an Oshae Brissett or Lonnie Walker IV reunion. Each gamers might infuse wanted power, whether or not via rebounding or capturing, and so they grew to become well-liked throughout their stays in Boston. They’d additionally come at half-off minimal salaries and luxurious tax hits, although Walker would require a buyout from his Lithuanian membership.
Issues haven’t felt proper to start 2025, a part of it evaluating themselves to the excessive normal from a dominant 2024 run fueled by urgency, half coming from the pure issue in recreating that. Then, there’s a scarier mixture that they’re not pretty much as good and the league has caught up. The reality is a few mixture of all 4 components.
Regardless, this latest stretch ought to function a wake-up name that hasn’t completely hit them. They’re getting there, as Mazzulla acknowledged on Sunday.
“The last word praise is we’re 28-11 and these are the forms of conversations that we’re having,” he stated. “So, it’s a stupendous place to be in. I’m severe, I feel it’s nice. It’s an ideal normal and an ideal expectation to have and we have now to ship. So, everyone knows that … what’re we the third workforce within the league now? Which isn’t nice, nevertheless it seems like a morgue in right here and that’s the way it must be, due to the place we’re making an attempt to get to. It’s the last word praise and we simply proceed to work via it.”
