After being bested in seven video games by the Warmth, it might be pure for some Celtics followers to root towards them, however for Miami’s capturing to take such a large dip in The Finals — within the gents’s sweep, they made simply 33.8% of their threes after making 43.4% towards Boston — results in questioning minds. “What ifs” start to trickle into the heads of Bostonians wishing their group had contended for a championship.
However the extra vital query to ask is, would the Celtics have been in a position to beat the Nuggets?
Traditionally talking, sure.
The Celtics have gone 5-1 towards the Nuggets during the last three seasons, together with a 1-1 document this previous 12 months. Boston acquired one of the best of Denver in November, whereas the Nuggets flipped the script on New Yr’s Day.
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Boston has stable items to throw at Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Grant Williams earned the nickname “Batman” for his efforts in slowing down “The Joker,” and Al Horford is without doubt one of the higher put up defenders within the league in the case of guarding big-bodied facilities.
The 2 video games this season had been largely determined by three-point capturing.
Learn: If the Celtics shot the ball effectively from deep, they gained. In the event that they didn’t, they didn’t.
Of their win over Denver on November 11, the Celtics shot 43.2% from distance, and though the Nuggets had been simply as scorching, it didn’t matter. Boston slowed down Jamal Murray, and their three-point capturing carried them to a win by which they dropped 131 factors.
Nonetheless, of their loss on January 1, the Celtics shot simply 27.3% from three-point land, whereas the Nuggets had been scorching scorching from in every single place.
It was considered one of nineteen complete video games Boston shot under 30% from deep, 4 of which had been within the postseason (and all of these had been towards Miami). In these video games, the Celtics went simply 7-12.
So, based mostly on historical past, the Celtics would have completely had an opportunity towards the Nuggets. They’ve performed Denver effectively, and if their three-point capturing was there, they had been golden.
However realistically? In all probability not.
Jokic had some of the spectacular playoff runs in NBA historical past. Which may sound dramatic, however he not too long ago turned the primary participant ever to document 500 factors, 250 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason.
That’s obscene.
Nobody has been in a position to crack the code of the Jokic-Murray two-man recreation, and contemplating Boston was struggling to defend a Miami offense that has didn’t put up 100 factors in 5 of their final eight video games, Denver would have had them operating in circles.
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Murray’s shot creation mixed with Jokic’s mastery within the put up would have given Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics mind cramps, whereas Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drained the identical threes that Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent had been making.
And in the event you suppose the Celtics had been doing a horrible job defending towards Duncan Robinson’s again cuts with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler passing him the ball, think about the horror of getting to observe Boston cease Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Jeff Inexperienced or Bruce Brown operating to the rim with Jokic’s imaginative and prescient setting them up for straightforward lobs.
So far as the Nuggets’ protection, it’s been stable, however the situation would have been self-inflicted wounds, because it has been for the reason that All-Star break.
The entire half about “if their three-point capturing was there, they had been golden” could be very true, however sadly, it’s precisely why Boston misplaced within the Japanese Convention Finals.
Defensively, they left lots to be desired, however within the 12 months 2023, the Celtics misplaced a sequence by which their opponent scored 111 factors or fewer in 5 of the seven video games, together with 4 video games under 105.
Boston, a group that averaged 117.9 factors and shot 37.7% from deep within the common season, put up simply 105.3 factors per recreation and shot 30.3% from deep within the Japanese Convention Finals. They shot under 30% in 4 of the seven video games, going 1-3, with the one victory coming by the use of a miracle Derrick White buzzer-beater.
The Celtics’ inconsistencies and incapability to win when the three-point shot isn’t falling is the polar reverse of what the Nuggets have been all about of their first banner 12 months.
Denver has been outlined by unrelenting consistency.
The Nuggets have scored a minimum of 100 factors in all however two of their 20 video games, dropping a minimum of 108 in all however two. They’ve held their opponent to fewer than 100 factors six occasions and have solely allowed 115 or extra thrice.
So far as their three-point capturing, the Nuggets have solely shot worse than 30% from deep in 4 video games, they usually gained all 4 together with final evening’s Recreation 5 once they hit simply 5-of-28 from behind the arc. They’ve solely shot worse than 44% from the sector twice, and as soon as once more, they gained each of these video games.
And so they’ve solely had one recreation with greater than 15 turnovers. (Yup, they gained that one, too.)
Jokic has solely didn’t crack the 20-point mark in a single recreation this postseason, and that was the very first recreation of the playoffs by which the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves by 29 factors.
He shot 50% or higher from the sector in 14 of the 20 video games, grabbed 10 or extra boards in 17 of the 20, and had 10 or extra assists in 11 of the 20.
Even Murray, a tough-shot-maker who is commonly tasked with creating for himself, shot under 43% from the sector simply 5 occasions on this playoff run.
The Nuggets have misplaced simply 4 video games within the playoffs this 12 months, and it’s as a result of it doesn’t matter what occurs, they merely keep on with the sport plan. They run by way of Jokic and Murray, let Gordon get some drives in, don’t flip the ball over, and put on their opponents down.
It’s a relentless, repetitive strategy, and it’s why they’re as superb as they’re. The Nuggets are zombies. Basketball zombies.
In the meantime, the Celtics struggled for the very same cause–as a result of they had been incapable of using the identical strategy successfully. They turned the ball over, they performed with various ranges of effort on protection, their three-point shot wasn’t there, and their stars had far too many tough showings.
So, would the Celtics have had an opportunity? In fact.
However based mostly on all the proof proven, it wouldn’t have been an excellent one.
