The Boston Celtics got much more than a victory last night.
The Boston Celtics are entering the season with high expectations. Last night, they were expected to handle the Brooklyn Nets with ease — as most teams will be this year. For three and a half quarters, they did.
Since the end of the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce era, this is really the first time that the Celtics have had any type of expectations entering the year. Many see Boston as the second, or third best team in the Eastern Conference. They are expected to make it past the first round of the playoffs.
As a head coach, what’s the one thing you worry about most with a team with high expectations? Complacency. You fear that players start to believe things will come easy to them. Brad Stevens will be looking for each and every opportunity to keep the team grounded. One of those opportunities presented itself last night.
As the Celtics started to run away from the Nets last night, Stevens saw an opportunity to get some rest for his starters before tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls. Yet, as the time ticked away, so did Boston’s lead. Eventually, Stevens had to re-insert his starters, and they managed to hold off the Nets and hang on for a season-opening win.
Despite the near collapse, there was a lot to like about last night’s game, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
Offensively, Boston was able to get what they wanted, when they wanted it. Excellent ball movement highlighted an extremely efficient night. The Celtics shot 53 percent and posted 122 points. Sloppy offense and turnovers are expected early in the year, but 19 is high. It was really the only negative of an otherwise impressive offensive performance.
Al Horford looked comfortable in his debut, and showcased his offensive versatility. His ability to score in a variety of ways was on full display last night. Jaylen Brown was aggressive. His athleticism was clear. There was not much to dislike on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, it’s a whole different story. We saw Boston’s touted defense in spurts, but it was nowhere near the level of consistency the team wants it to be. While they allowed Brooklyn to shoot 44 percent, the real issue was their three-point defense.
The Nets hit 15 threes last night. Part of that was bad defense. The pick and roll defense in particular was trash. Boston continually went underneath the screen, allowing Nets’ shooters to take numerous uncontested threes. I think a big part of that was the Celtics simply not respecting Brooklyn’s ability. I can guarantee Stevens won’t let that happen again.
Great teams don’t lose focus. Great teams bury inferior teams. Look at the Cleveland Cavaliers in their opener. The Cavaliers turned a three-point halftime lead into an 18-point lead at the end of the third quarter, and ultimately won the game by 29. That’s a team that kept it’s foot on the gas.
Stevens may not be happy with his team’s play down the stretch, but it gave him a chance to keep his players grounded right from the get-go. Last night’s game showed Boston that expectations don’t mean a thing on the court. Nothing is given in this league, everything is earned.
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Last night was good for Boston. They ultimately got the win, and were impressive at times throughout the night. However, great teams are anointed on the court, not off of it. The last eight minutes were a nice reminder of that. If Boston wants to be considered a great team, they cannot find themselves in situations like last night very often.