Defense Let the Boston Celtics Down in Brooklyn

The Boston Celtics headed into their second game of back to backs against the Brooklyn Nets fresh off of their best offensive performance of the season. The One problem was that Marcus Smart suffered an injury and he couldn’t make the trip to Brooklyn. The absence of Smart is not the only reason why but it certainly contributed to a complete let down by the Celtics defense.

All season long the Celtics have been winning because of their defense and never depending too much on their offense. The Celtics generated a lot of their offensive productivity through their defense and it lead to a lot easier victories. Against the Nets, it was a completely different story.

Even though the Celtics broke 100 points and had one of their better games shooting the three ball at 37% they did not hold a lead at any point in the game. The Celtics have always depended on winning the turnover battle but the Nets won that 14-17. The Celtics couldn’t even get the extra boost on the offensive boards because the Nets also won that 14-10.

Failing to create more opportunities for themselves was not the only area they failed because they allowed the Nets to shoot over 50%. The Nets rank 19th in the league in shooting percentage and 50% is well above their average of 43.6%. The Celtics did the opposite of what has given them success by making things easier on their opponent.

Nov 22, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) during second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics lacked the kind of relentless defensive pursuit that Smart brings each and every night but his injury is not the only problem with the game. The Celtics have been contesting each and every shot no matter who is defending and they always make sure their opponent has to work for the points. Tonight, the Nets never had to deal with the way the Celtics normally contest shots.

The Celtics gave the Nets too many opportunities to take advantage of but this is not something you should expect to continue. After having their best offensive game of the year the Celtics went into the second Nets game way too relaxed and they thought they could escape with a victory simply through their shooting. The Celtics took an absurd 37 three point attempts. The problem is that the Celtics were no longer taking advantage on the inside. The Celtics had 36 fewer points in the paint in the second game than the first and that is where the Nets exploited the Celtics.

Marcus Smart could have made a difference but the Celtics collectively lost their identity and tried to shoot their way to a victory. There is no doubting that this can serve as a wake up call for the Celtics. Consistency is always going to be an issue with them but they cannot afford to be losing the games they are expected the win. These are the games that the Celtics need to stay focused for because it may be too hard to overcome too many of these kinds of loses.

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The Celtics are going to be without Smart for at least a couple weeks so they will have to find another way to get a defensive spark. The Celtics have plenty of strong defensive players and if they continue to play well as a unit on that end then they will get back to wining basketball games.