Boston Celtics Are Winning With Pace

The Boston Celtics have used a recent surge to climb up the eastern conference rankings and despite lacking the clearcut super star, the are one of the most productive teams in the league. They are the number one scoring team in the eastern conference with 104.6 points per game and they have the second best defensive efficiency at 98.8. The Celtics play well when they are functioning on both ends and it has made them one of the most balanced teams in the league.

The statistics do start to look at little strange when you compare their points per game to their offensive efficiency and when you compare their defensive efficiency to their points given up per game. The number 6 team in points per game has just the 15th offensive efficiency and the team with the second best defensive efficiency is giving up just the 10th fewest points per game in the league.

The Celtics are a top scoring team despite being struggling shooting the ball and it is all about pace. The Celtics’ offensive success is about getting the highest volume of quality opportunities as possible. The Celtics are an improved shooting team but are tied for the 8th lowest field goal percentage. It gets even worse from beyond the arc as they have the 5th lowest three point percentage.

The Celtics use an incredible pace and when they combine that with solid passing they are creating enough open shots to make up for their shortcomings shooting the ball. The Celtics simply do not have the offensive talent to rely on their individuals to create offense in the half court. They need to be running in transition and they need to be keeping the defense off balance with passing.

The Celtics do everything fast to ensure that they are able to produce enough on offense but that always creates a bigger risk on defense. If the Celtics are pushing the pace of their offense then they will also be leaving more time for their opponent to have opportunities. The Celtics fall a bit behind on the points per game given up rankings because their opponents have a much higher volume of opportunities than other defensive standout teams. That also explains why their defensive efficiency is so good.

The Celtics have been good enough on defense that they are not suffering too much because of the pace. The Celtics do an incredible job of making their opponents have empty opportunities. The Celtics force the most turnovers in the league and that is the biggest key to preventing their fast pace from costing them too much. Turnovers give the Celtics back enough of the opportunities that they are giving to their opponent because of their pace.

The next most important area is contesting shots. If the Celtics are not going to be as concerned with the amount of opportunities their opponents have, they have to do everything to lower the quality of their opponent’s opportunities. The Celtics are the most active defense in the league and they contest shots as well as anyone. They are giving up a shooting percentage of 43% and that is a part of a four way tie for first in the league.

Pace has become a crucial part of the Celtics’ identity and that should not come as a surprise with Brad Stevens. Stevens is making sure the Celtics are staying ahead of the curve in the NBA and is having them playing the kind of basketball that is most successful in the modern NBA. The Celtics have the third highest pace in the NBA this year and it is no surprise that one of the two teams ahead of them are the seemingly unbeatable Golden State Warriors.

Stevens has found a way to get all the benefits of a fast pace without being hurt too much by the troubles. The other team ahead of the Celtics in pace is the Sacramento Kings. the problem for the Kings is that their pace is creating a lot of defensive troubles. The Celtics and the Warriors both rank in the top 3 of pace and defensive efficiency. The Kings, on the other hand, are tied for 25th in defensive efficiency.

Stevens understands the importance of pace and, more importantly, he understands the importance of defense. Stevens knows that the strength of the Celtics is their defensive intensity and activity and that gives him an opportunity to put the offense in a better position to be successful. A lot of teams would not be capable of maintaining the Celtics’ defensive success with their pace but that is why they have been so successful this year. Their activity and effort on the defensive end is what allows them to be so successful playing with such a high pace.

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The Celtics are at their best when they are a balanced team and that balance is a result of the incredible pace their defense allows them to play at. The Celtics need the extra offensive opportunities while not being worried about giving up more opportunities to their opponents and that is how Stevens gets the most out of his team on both ends of the floor. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers prove that you can be successful without a really high pace but Stevens has found the best way for the Celtics to be successful by pushing the ball on both ends of the court because that emphasizes their defense and covers up their offensive struggles