It’s no surprise that one of the best defensive teams in the league has successfully shut down every aspect of a Boston Celtics offense that has been inconsistent all season long. The Celtics have been one of the worst jump shooting teams in the league this season and the Atlanta Hawks have done exactly what they needed to, turned the Celtics into a jump shooting team. It certainly does not help that the Celtics have had two of their worst shooting games of the season (much of which was due to missing a wide array of open shots) but the Hawks have made it impossible for the Celtics to get the easy baskets they need in the paint.
The number one thing the Celtics have been overcoming on the offensive end this season is shooting. The Celtics found a way to be the 5th highest scoring team despite shooting just 43.9%, 7th worst in the league. The Celtics did a great job of generating a high volume of easy looks, putting the struggling shooters into much easier positions to score. Unfortunately, the Hawks have figure that out and have prevented the Celtics from getting any of those easy looks.
The paint has been on complete lockdown and the Celtics have had no other choice than to take jump shots. In fact, the Celtics’ issue has not been finding open looks. The problem has been that not a single player has been able to hit any shot anywhere on the court. The Hawks are forcing the Celtics into their weakest area and the Celtics have responded with some of their worst shooting of the season.
The unfortunate reality is that the Celtics cannot expect the paint to open up any time soon. The Celtics have done nothing to earn the respect of the Hawks defenders from distance and their lack of any ability to space the floor has bogged them down to a season low. Even if the Celtics start hitting their shots, the Hawks will likely stick to their strategy and continue to force the Celtics to beat them with a jump shot.
The good news is that the Celtics have been getting enough open looks to get by. Hitting those open looks has been the Celtics’ worst struggle of the season. The Hawks have turned the Celtics into a jump shooting team and unless they come up with a new way to open up the paint, they are going to have to start hitting those shots to have a chance to win these games.
The likes of Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder need to be the ones to space the floor for the Celtics. The Celtics have struggle shooting as a team this season but both Crowder and Thomas had been effective shooters, even in high volume. The Celtics cannot expect much from anyone else on the starting unit but if Crowder and Thomas can begin to hit the shots they have been hitting all season long, that might be enough for the Celtics to steal a game with their defense.
The Celtics have been playing good enough defense that they don’t need to be perfect on offense, they just can’t be historically bad. The Celtics need to continue to generate the open looks but that should not be an issue. The Hawks will remain focused on eliminating the paint and that gives the Celtics a better opportunity to get open looks, particularly from three.
The Celtics have been streaky all season long and this series could end far too quickly if the Celtics don’t heat up at TD Garden. If Thomas and Crowder can start hitting some shots then the game will come down to their defense doing a great job, and that is somewhere the Celtics are a lot more comfortable. The Celtics need to do enough on offense so that they can do what they have been doing all season long, win with defense.
The Celtics really cannot be any worse on offense than they were in game two but they need to bring the same kind of defense that held the Hawks under 90 points and under 40% shooting. The Celtics have a defense that is good enough to win them games but it has become clear that their defense will not be enough against the Hawks if they do not start hitting at least around their season average. The Celtics are yet to break 40% shooting in either of the games and the Hawks defense is too good to expect them to start to break down in the paint.
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The Hawks have done exactly what they need to do by turning the Celtics into a jump shooting team but that has left them with good enough opportunities that they can start to score if they end this prolonged shooting slump. The Celtics need to start hitting the many open looks they have been able to get on the outside and they will be able to protect their home court.