Boston Celtics Can’t Win Out of Rhythm

The Boston Celtics have won more games than most expected this season but their inexperience could become problematic in the playoffs. Danny Ainge has recently come out and said “I get worried that we can be taken out of our game too easily”. Ainge lacks confidence in the Celtics’ ability to play their best in the playoffs, and it is with reason.

Too often the Celtics have looked flat out awful this season. Back to back loses to the Nets and Lakers was rock bottom but they have had multiple massive leads erased on top of that. Consistency has been an issue for the Celtics all season long and they may not get out of the first round if they do not consistently play in rhythm in the first round.

The Celtics have flourished with pace all season long and have used great ball movement to get a lot of easy opportunities. The problem is that if the Celtics are not moving the ball well, Isaiah Thomas is the only player they can trust to manufacture offense. The Celtics can overcome their poor shooting but they cannot overcome poor execution. The Celtics will not score enough if they are not generating easy looks and if their offense is taken out of rhythm things fall apart.

When the Celtics start to take too many contested jumpers and are not looking to make the extra pass then things break down. Their offense shuts down and they do not have the offensive talent to fall back on. They do not have enough players they can trust to hit difficult shots and that puts all the emphasis on moving the ball well and staying in rhythm in order to avoid those difficult shots.

Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner have done a great job of making sure the ball is moving well but they are the only ones that can be trusted to run the offense. On top of that, both Turner and Thomas take the team out of rhythm themselves at times. Turner is arguably the most improved player on the team and he has drastically cut out the bad plays. That being said, he often looks to generate his own shot and any time he begins to force it things break down. Turner has found the areas he is most effective in but his greatest contribution is keeping the offense in rhythm with the second unit because they struggle to get in rhythm without him.

Thomas is the only player that the Celtics can handle playing more of that isolation game. Thomas has shown an incredible ability to generate offense and create opportunities for himself all over the court. The problem is come playoff time Thomas alone will not be enough and the reality is that if Thomas is not instigating for his teammates then he will not get the help he needs. The Celtics are hopeless without Thomas’ ability to score but he alone will not be able to carry them far enough in the playoffs. If he keeps the Celtics in rhythm while providing the scoring boost then Thomas can have his best possible impact.

Thomas can be successful without looking to make the pass first but the Celtics as a whole cannot hope to be successful in the playoffs if they are not winning as a team. The Celtics play phenomenal offense when they move the ball well and they create the open looks they need. Unfortunately, as Ainge pointed out, the Celtics are wildly inconsistent on that end because of their inability to continually play in rhythm and that is when their poor shooting catches up to them.

The Celtics’ defense has been much more reliable but has had its consistency problems too. The Celtics give up points in bunches a lot and that is largely due to the fact that their defense depends largely on their opponents’ mistakes. They are the best in the league at forcing those mistakes but if the Celtics go up against a high functioning offense then their defense can lose its edge.

The Celtics are great at contesting shots and that prevents their defense from falling apart entirely but if they are not forcing mistakes then it is a lot easier for opponents to exploit their weakness on the inside. The Celtics have a great defense but their lack of an interior force that can be exploited. When the Celtics are playing well they do a great job of masking that weakness but if they are taken out of that rhythm and the pace of the game slows down then there are ways to attack their defense.

The Celtics have proven that they are capable of competing with the very best in the league. When the Celtics are playing well, pushing the pace, moving the ball and taking advantage of mistakes in transition then they can beat anyone on any given night. The question becomes how often they can sustain that high level of play in the playoffs. What is going to happen when teams focus more and do not make as many mistakes. What happens when defenses pick up the intensity and the Celtics do not generate as many open looks.

Next: Boston Celtics' Defense Feeds Off Pace

The Celtics have proven that when they are at their best they can be a true contender in the east. The problem is their inexperience begs the question as to whether or not they can maintain their high level of play in the playoffs. The Celtics have 4 more games to try and gain as much momentum going into the playoffs and they need to make sure they find ways to play in rhythm to have success in the playoffs.