The Celtics have advanced past the necessity for Phil Jackson’s 40-20 rule, the place a real contender ought to have 40 wins earlier than 20 losses. 55 wins earlier than 15 losses is the brand new, frankly absurd, customary and places this crew on tempo to be one of many winningest in probably the most winningest franchise within the NBA. I’d additionally add that winningest is a foolish phrase. This can be a particular common season; one we haven’t seen for about 15 years or so. On this episode, we are going to do a fast comparability between this 12 months’s common season and the 2007-08 crew, discuss in regards to the bench’s rising chemistry, and finish with the grueling expertise of blowing leads.
Stat of the Week: 10.8 web score
The 2007-08 Boston Celtics occupy a really particular place in my coronary heart. It’s, at the least for now, the one Celtics championship throughout my lifetime. The season additionally ran via my junior 12 months at UMass throughout which I turned 21. Boy, I used to be younger then. It was, for a lot of, many causes, an especially enjoyable 12 months.
An enormous cause why it was so enjoyable was as a result of the ‘08 Celtics weren’t simply good, they have been dominant. Their 10.8 web score didn’t simply lead the league, it jumped on the subway and blew previous all the opposite opponents like Rosie Ruiz. They have been a full 2.5 factors per 100 possessions higher than the second place Pistons. For comparability, the 2022-23 Celtics led the league in web score by 1.1 and the 21-22 Suns led by 0.1. Anytime you’re over 2 factors per 100 higher anybody else within the NBA, you’ve received one thing particular brewing.
Nicely, this season the Celtics’ 11.8 web score is 4.2 factors per 100 higher than the second place Thunder. 4.2! Their dominance has shades of ‘08, however what’s fascinating is how they’re doing it in comparison with the ‘08 crew.
The Large 3 Celtics weren’t only a good defensive crew, they weren’t simply elite, they have been all-time ranges of dominant. Their 98.1 defensive score was 2.4 factors per 100 higher than the subsequent greatest protection, however their offense was really pretty middling, particularly given the offensive expertise. They ranked eleventh in offensive score that season and have been a catastrophe within the clutch with the twenty fifth greatest clutch offense.
This 12 months’s Celtics crew is a two-way monster. Not like the ‘08 crew, their offense is the shining star. It’s 2.3 factors per 100 higher than the subsequent greatest crew, which is similar to the ‘08 crew’s defensive dominance. However whereas the ‘08 protection coated the comparatively benign offense, this 12 months’s crew ranks second within the league on protection. The #1 offense mixed with the quantity 2 protection is a recipe for a historic season.
However having a historic repeatedly season means nearly nothing if it doesn’t finish the identical method as 07-08. Trying again, that championship felt inevitable, however the journey was something however. I bear in mind the anxious terror going into Recreation 7 in opposition to the lowly Atlanta Hawks. I count on this playoff run to be no completely different, however this crew has proven they’re able to remind us all of 2008.
Xs and Oooohhhhhhhhs: the indelible chemistry of Jayson Tatum and the bench
There’s simply one thing joyful about the way in which the Celtics, and particularly the bench, are enjoying basketball proper now. It’s a harmful cocktail of confidence and execution, one which has been blowing groups off the court docket. The three-man combo of Kornet-Hauser-Pritchard are +10.0 per 100 possessions, which might simply lead the league. However, when you toss Tatum into that blend, the web score jumps all the way in which to +23.8 in a not insignificant 167 minutes.
Mainly, any combo of Tatum and two of the Bus One Boys trio are killing groups. They’re utterly locked in on enjoying the fitting method on the offensive finish. Shifting the ball, transferring themselves, and discovering Kornet on lobs and within the dunker spot when the protection helps off him.
Tatum and principally any mixture of PP/Sam/Luke is killing groups, and the 4 of them on the ground collectively is +23.7. They have superb chemistry irrespective of who they share the court docket with. pic.twitter.com/YjSOUfq4rn
— Wayne Spooney (@WSpooney) March 23, 2024
Their specific mix of abilities complement Tatum completely. Kornet is a keen passer that’s drastically improved studying defenses and units screens that shiver defenders and create a great deal of area. The taking pictures menace of Hauser and Pritchard maximizes spacing and at any time when defenders assist off of them, the opposite 3 discover them instantly.
It’s an exhilarating show of basketball distilled to its essence — 4 gamers that perceive one another’s video games completely and are maximizing their potential due to it. These 4 deserve a number of credit score, however so does Joe Mazzulla. He’s not solely placing these gamers into place to succeed, however he’s empowered them to be themselves, stretch their video games a bit, and allowed them to make the occasional mistake. The result’s a bench unit that isn’t simply good, it would simply be the most effective within the league.
Non-basketball Stuff of the Week: did they only change the principles?
It appears fairly clear that Adam Silver, while sitting on the O’Brien Throne, picked up the telephone and instructed the refs to begin calling the sport in another way. Defenses are getting away with extra contact, in a position to play bodily whereas the refs swallow their whistles. From the beginning of the season to February fifteenth, the fifteenth ranked offensive score was 116.2. From February fifteenth till immediately, it’s right down to 113.4. Which may simply be pattern dimension noise, however the eye check tells a special story.
Right here’s the factor, I really just like the change, nevertheless it’s fairly loopy that it occurred. Assuming that is actual and I’m not connecting dots like Charlie Kelly in search of Pepe Silvia, a late season change to a foundational method the sport is known as is an extremely daring alternative. It will be like in the event that they switched balls mid-season or one thing. A constructive of the change, aside from the apparent defensive advantages, is that video games are being known as a lot nearer to the way in which the NBA Playoffs are known as. It’s preparatory, and with a couple of dozen video games left on the schedule and the Celtics a (hopefully) lengthy playoff run, the Cs have loads of time to organize.
