#1 Dropping the lead
30 factors. The Boston Celtics led by 30 factors halfway by means of the second quarter. Then, for no good cause, they self-deflated. There wasn’t a momentum-swinging play. The Atlanta Hawks didn’t magically develop into a greater crew. The Celtics noticed they have been up massive, took their foot off the fuel, and their rhythm vanished.
Within the second half, the Celtics struggled to manage the tempo, restrict drives, and knock down their pictures — no matter how excessive of a high quality look they generated. The efficiency went from picturesque to “no images” in a matter of minutes. What’s worse is that irrespective of the tougher they tried, the extra the Celtics slipped into some outdated habits, which solely dug them right into a deeper gap.
#2 No timeouts
We’re used to Joe Mazzulla staying affected person together with his crew. We perceive his reasoning behind his adjusted Ferber methodology. I’m all for empowering your gamers and giving them time to determine issues out. Nevertheless, there needs to be an inflection level. When it’s clear that issues aren’t going to get higher and your lead is being quickly chopped down, you need to name a timeout.
In any other case, the momentum will get sucked out of your roster, heads begin to drop, and the opposition has the wind of their sails. This was Boston’s 15 lack of the season. I’m removed from frightened. Nevertheless, Mazzulla’s stubbornness with regards to his timeout philosophy is regarding. What occurs if a run like this happens throughout the postseason? There have to be a steadiness. And if there isn’t one, Mazzulla wants to seek out it.
#3 Finish of sport execution
All season lengthy, the Celtics have finished an ideal job of avoiding conditions the place gamers are pressured to jack up late-shot clock heaves. They transfer the ball. They movement into early offensive actions. They transfer with out the rock. They display to create gaps. But, when the sport is on the road, we return to the isolation heavy offense with everybody standing across the perimeter “spacing” the ground.
The result’s all the time a tricky shot that’s closely contested. There’s a cause the Celtics maintain the most effective offensive ranking within the league, and it’s due to their motion-based offense, not their being content material to isolate.
The place was the display? The place was somebody chopping to create more room for the drive? We’ve seen this film earlier than; we didn’t just like the ending. I believe I can safely say we desire the re-make that’s been airing over the previous few months. Let’s get again to watching that.
#4 Three’s not falling
The Celtics went 0-of-9 from deep within the third quarter. They have been 1-of-6 within the fourth. Total, they shot 11-of-38 from deep, good for 28.9%. We now have to credit score the crew, although, as a result of they didn’t pressure the difficulty. When it was clear their pictures weren’t falling, they attacked the rim and received into the mid-range.
The difficulty is that the Hawks out-mathed them. The Hawks shot 50% from deep on 18-of-36 capturing. They beat the Celtics at their very own sport. They Good Will Hunted Boston’s protection on the perimeter…
#5 Vacation and White’s absence felt on protection
And a big a part of that was as a result of Jrue Vacation and Derrick White being out of the rotation with harm. Sure, Brown and Tatum are good defenders and ensured there was measurement and athleticism on the perimeter, however neither of them are main guard defenders. They’re higher at switching on actions, and Tatum is healthier as a helper than he’s as a main defender.
Vacation and White are elite defenders. Collectively, they type arguably the most effective two-way backcourt within the NBA. With out not less than one among them within the rotation, the Celtics didn’t have a reputable chaser to strain shooters from behind or to affect their shot launch with out being immediately in entrance of them.
Between Tatum, Brown and Payton Pritchard, the Celtics allowed 10-of-20 capturing on the perimeter. One can solely assume that quantity would have been decrease if White or Vacation the place chasing shooters over screens and contesting pictures from completely different angles.
#6 Ball getting sticky
Each possessions have one factor in widespread: A move that’s normally made wasn’t. The Celtics have made a residing off their pick-and-pop actions with Porzingis above the break. When Tatum or Brown come off the display, they both drag their dribble or penetrate with pressure. It doesn’t matter what, the result’s normally a kickback to Porzingis for the catch-and-shoot three in area.
These appears to be like weren’t coming for the veteran massive man on Monday. As an alternative, the ball received a bit bit sticky. It stopped popping round the best way it had by means of the primary and a half quarters. Actions which have been staples all season rapidly turned decoys for extra isolation reps.
Neither of the pictures within the above clips have been unhealthy appears to be like. Each got here in rhythm, and each have been pictures the gamers normally take. Nevertheless, they each got here out of an motion the place the result is normally a bit completely different, and that advised me how the Celtics weren’t taking part in from their common playbook.
#7 Jaden Springer will probably be enjoyable
Jaden Springer gave some stable minutes off the bench, most notably on the defensive finish. He hustled his butt off, flew spherical screens, reduce off driving lanes, and used his size to affect potential passing and capturing alternatives.
At instances, Springer appears to be like like he’s taking part in a bit quicker than he must be, and than what he’s comfy with. He’s nonetheless new to the system and to his teammates. As he turns into extra accustomed to his environment and the schemes he’s being requested to function inside, he’s going to provide at a better, extra constant stage.
As soon as that begins to occur, Springer goes to be a enjoyable participant to observe and a enjoyable mission to observe. He has all of the instruments to be an elite defender. If he can repair his capturing and develop into a bit extra decisive when driving, he may develop into a stable rotation guard for the Celtics quickly.
#8 Hauser wants a counter
2-of-10 from deep. That’s a far cry from his 10 threes the opposite evening. When his pictures are falling, Hauser is among the finest weapons on the Celtics roster. He brings scoring gravity, pins defenders to his actions, and generates high-level spacing. Nevertheless, when the shot isn’t falling, his worth rapidly diminishes.
Hauser wants so as to add a counter to his sport. He wants one thing for when his three isn’t dropping. That could possibly be a one or two dribble pull-up to assault close-outs. He may make his baseline cuts extra distinguished inside his offense. No matter it’s, discovering a secondary means to supply scoring is a key growth for Hauser.
Everyone knows that getting the ball to drop can rapidly get a shooter again in rhythm. Hauser has the scale and contact to be a risk within the mid-range. If he can embrace the extra shot profile, it’d stop these robust capturing nights from occurring as regularly.
#9 The place have been the actions?
We noticed some stagger screens, the occasional horns entry, and nook curls that have been closely targeted all through the sport. But, when the Celtics have been chasing the sport, it felt like their main actions all went out of the window.
A part of the Celtics’ success has been their offensive system, which is predicated on rules fairly than Mazzulla calling units from the sidelines. That permits the crew to learn the protection and movement into performs that work towards the protection they’re seeing.
But, when these performs cease occurring, and the half-court offense begins to grind to a halt, you’re left scratching your head, questioning why they’re not entering into their common units and discovering attractiveness.
Once more, a part of this is because of dropping momentum. A part of it is because of chasing the sport and on the lookout for methods to get again on monitor. Nevertheless, this crew is the place it’s as a result of it’s trusted the system. It’s telling that every part floor to a halt the evening they went off script.
#10 It’s only one loss
I’ve been fairly important in right now’s takeaways. Partly, it’s as a result of I’m making an attempt to have a look at every sport by means of a single-game lens. That’s the purpose of this text: to debate what we noticed in that one 48-minute stretch of basketball. As extra video games are performed, it will get tougher to close out the opposite performances.
I’m removed from frightened. And I don’t assume this loss is the tip of the world. It doesn’t change the actual fact the Celtics are championship favorites. It would not change the actual fact they’ve been dominant all season. And it definitely doesn’t make me any much less hopeful transferring ahead.
Nevertheless, it’s good to have a look at the place issues went mistaken. Proper or mistaken, we’ll all have concepts about what may have been finished in a different way or not less than have been finished higher. Nonetheless, the Celtics are again in motion on Thursday. They’re most likely going to get on the spot revenge and get again on the successful path.
No matter occurs, this crew is elite. Dropping with out your beginning backcourt isn’t a cause to panic. Dropping 15 video games out of 72 is much from a cause to fret. Losses occur. It’s what it’s.
It’s simply the way of the loss that damage a lot.
Catch you all on Friday.