Boston Celtics are Finding Balance
The Boston Celtics have found the balance they need for a deep playoff run
For the majority of this season, the Boston Celtics have been searching for some sort of balance on the court. After being a top three defense last season, it was a bit of a shock to see them dwell as low as the bottom ten this season. Injuries prior to the All Star break prevented them from being at their best, and the team needed a bit more time than anticipated to properly adjust to the new roster.
It was difficult for fans to be dissatisfied, however. The offense has been leaps and bounds better than they were last year. They have bigs that are incredibly efffective, they managed to improve already great ball movement, and saw every significant shooter on this team improve all over the court.
The Celtics have been a top 10 offense all season long, and it is responsible for the majority of their wins, which is currently good enough to hold the top record in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, being that good on offense is exactly what everyone thought they needed this season, but that was under the assumption that the defense would not fall off a cliff like it did. It appeared as though the Celtics experienced a shift in their identity, no longer winning games because of defense, and leaning on their offense more than ever in the Stevens era.
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But, slowly but surely, the Celtics improved as a unit. The most important thing was getting Avery Bradley back in the lineup. They have pretty consistently been a solid defense with Bradley in the lineup, but that is not the only difference.
The Celtics figured out how to better use Al Horford and Amir Johnson to ensure that their interior defense improved, they continued to push the limits of Marcus Smart’s versatility, and Jaylen Brown finally brought the defensive depth they desperately lacked.
Everything really came together all at once for the Celtics, making them one of the best defenses in the league since the All Star break. In fact, their defnese has been good enough to make it a lot easier to forget the way they started. The Celtics now have the 10th best defensive effieiency in the NBA, and that should continue to improve for the remainder of the season.
This improvement on the defensive end means that the Celtics have now captured that balance that everyone thought would come this season. The Celtics are one of three teams in the league to be top 10 in defensive efficiency and offensive efficiency, as they are finally putting out the kind of product they were expecting at the beginning of the season.
Now that the Celtics are seeing their defense fully recover, it is less surprising that they struggled like that. The Celtics needed to give players time to step up for the second unit, and they needed to properly integrate arguably the most important defensive player.
The Celtics figured out how to properly use the incredible versatility they have at almost every position, and that has allowed for a much more fluid defense, that does a better job of maintainig their incredible pressure because of their ability to switch at any point. At the beginning of the season the Celtics were forcing things more, trying to keep certain players in certain situations. Now, the defense is much more fluid, as Stevens is putting things together and allowing the defensive talent they have always had to truly be showcased.
Establishing this comfort has also allowed them to adjust roles to accomodate what was a staggering disaster on the boards. The Celtics knew they couldn’t keep up their pace rebounding the ball, and they have seen Crowder, and Horford really step up in that area since Bradley has retured.
Having this kind of balance is the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year. Last season, the Celtics always had a weakness that could be attacked and game planned for. Teams always had a particular area they knew they could exploit on the Celtics, and it was incredibly taxing for the Celtics to constantly have to make up for their complete and utter lack of shooting and interior defense.
Teams no longer have that luxury with the Celtics. They no longer have any glaring weakness that can be attacked, and they have expanded how they know how to win. The Celtics won a whole lot of games this season because of their offense. With Isaiah Thomas stepping up with one of the most clutch scoring seasons of all time, they have all the confidence that they can hold their own in a shootout against any team in the NBA.
This new found balance now ensures that it does not only have to be offense. There are certainly going to be games where the Celtics need to win primarily with their defense, but it completely transforms how successful they can be now that they can be confident in their ability to win when the offense struggles, something that was not happening at the beginning of the season.
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The Celtics have separated themselves as the Cavaliers’ biggest threat in the Eastern Conference, and it is because of this balance. The Celtics know that if they are going to have any chance at upsetting the King, they cannot afford to be a one dimensional team. Balance, and being successful on both ends is the only way they are going to be able to go on the kind of playoff run they know they are capable of.