Boston Celtics Find Balance Against the Heat
The Boston Celtics continued their trend of inconsistency against the Miami Heat but this was on the positive side. They bounced back from the embarrassment against the Magic and continue to be one of the hardest teams to play on a back to back. The Magic game must have been a great wake up call for the Celtics because this may have been their most complete game of the season.
The Celtics have often had to make up for incredible offensive shortcomings on the defensive end. There have been very few games that the Celtics won because of their offense but it was different against the Heat. The Celtics finally had the offense to properly compliment their defense and the combination was able to withstand the best the Heat have to offer.
The Celtics had to deal with Both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade having great games. The two combined for 51 points and Bosh had a season high 5 assists. The Heat’s stars got theirs but the Celtics got enough contributions from their entire roster to make up for it.
Once again, Avery Bradley continues to be the Celtics’ best player on both ends. He led the way with 25 points and took over on the defensive end with 3 steals and a block. Bradley is where the balanced effort started but others also followed suit. Jae Crowder finally got back to his ways with four steals and the entire starting unit, plus Evan Turner, had at least 13 points.
Nov 30, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) dribbles the ball as Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) and forward Justise Winslow (20) defend in the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Celtics won 105-95. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics used great ball movement to open opportunities that were taken advantage of. The Celtics had one of their best games beyond the arc shooting 40% and they had a solid 42 points in the paint. The Celtics took any advantage they could on offense and never settled for bad options. Isaiah Thomas led the way with 9 assists but the entire starting lineup also recorded one.
The Celtics had one of their strongest offensive games of the season and they sealed the deal with the defense we have come to expect. The Celtics had a staggering 15 steals and they managed to win the rebounding battle 40-38. The Celtics had 12 points in transition and 24 total points off turnovers and the defense certainly contributed to the strong offensive game.
The entire starting unit shot at least 50%, except Isaiah Thomas, and the Celtics finally gave the league a glimpse of what happens when they are shooting strong as a team. The Celtics have had many dominant team defensive performances and a lot of strong individual offensive performances but games when they shoot well as an entire team they can compete with anybody.
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Other than when the Celtics shot 58% as a team they have continually relied only on extra opportunities to generate enough offense. Finally, the Celtics played well enough on offense that all the extra opportunities they generated were bonus. The Celtics found the perfect combination to take down one of the leaders in the east on a night when two of their stars had strong performances.