The Real Keys to the Boston Celtics Success

Isaiah Thomas is always at the head of the pack, but they need a lot more to be successful

After the Boston Celtics lost the first two games of their first round series against the Bulls, things were looking bleak. Boston looked more like an eight seed than a number one seed. Can you really blame them for the slow start though when you factor in all this team had to deal before the playoffs even started?

If you’re an NBA fan that doesn’t live under a rock, you have heard all about the tragic death of Isaiah Thomas‘ younger sister Chyna. The team looked flat and mentally distant following that tragedy that happened on the day before game one. Surprisingly, Thomas played very well, but you could tell this wasn’t the same team that won 53 games during the regular season.

A change needed to happen or Boston’s season was going to end much sooner than expected. Fourth year head coach Brad Stevens made that change, inserting small forward Gerald Green into the lineup. This was a surprise to most since the last time Green had made a start for Boston was in April of 2007.

The lineup switch turned the Celtics into a whole different team. Boston won the last four games of the first round and ended with a commanding win on the road in game six. The 2nd round matchup against the Washington Wizards has been a mixed bag, but the 17-time world champions are still up two games to one after the first three games.

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If you ask the common fan what player is the key to the Celtics success, most would say Thomas. The 5’9 point guard led the team, and was third overall in the NBA, with 28.9 points per game in the regular season. The Celtics need Thomas scoring at a high clip to win games. For this to happen, however, the offense has to be running smoothly. Thomas is a great scorer, but good defensive teams will double and triple team him to keep him in check.

This was exactly the case in game three against the Wizards. Washington routinely put an extra defender on the Celtics point guard and held him to only 13 points on 3/8 shooting. Good results don’t happen too often when your leading scorer only puts up 13 points. This is especially true for the 2017 Boston Celtics.

For the Celtics to continue this playoff run, a trio of players not named Thomas are going to have to be a big reason why. On the offensive end it all starts with Boston’s 113 million dollar man, Al Horford. Through the Celtics’ first nine playoff games, Horford’s offensive rating is 141. That is the 2nd highest rating for any player in this year’s playoffs, only behind San Antonio superstar Kawhi Leonard. Danny Ainge didn’t make Horford the highest paid free agent acquisition in team history for him to be a role player. The Celtics need him to be a key cog in their offense.

In the game three blowout loss to Washington, Horford racked up 16 points on 5/8 shooting. At the surface that’s a solid line. Take a closer look at the box score and you’ll see that the Celtics’ center only took three shots inside the three point line. That is simply unacceptable. It’s great that Horford has added the outside shot to his repertoire over the last couple seasons, but he’s not Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Love. The ten year veteran needs to provide a solid low post game for the Celtics offense to run smoothly. He has shown signs of being a low post force throughout the season, but never for any extended period of time.

Another aspect of Horford’s game that is crucial is his superior passing ability. There aren’t many better passing big men in the league. During the regular season he averaged 5.0 assists per game and 6.1 per game so far in the playoffs. He’s at his best when passing out of the post to open shooters on the wing or guys slashing into the paint. Running the offense through Horford in the post especially helps Thomas get open looks on the perimeter.

At 5’9, it’s difficult to get open looks when the players defending you are around half a foot taller. The Wizards backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal are 6’4 and 6’5 respectively. Their height makes it difficult for Thomas to shoot over them. Running the offense through Horford can free up Thomas to get him the open looks he needs.

Very few players can carry a team on their back singlehandedly. Thomas is a heck of an offensive talent, but he can’t do it alone. Unfortunately, the Celtics are a team that lacks a consistent second scoring option. During the season it seemed to change game to game. Some nights it would be one of the other starters like Avery Bradley or Horford, and other nights a bench guy like Marcus Smart or Kelly Olynyk would step up.

That lack of consistency got the Celtics in trouble more than once this season. Thomas is going to get his 25+ points most games, but that’s usually not the reason why the Celtics win. The Celtics win with a balanced offensive attack from multiple players. When Boston’s offense is really clicking, that’s usually because Jae Crowder and Bradley are hitting their shots along with Thomas. If the Celtics are going to keep winning here in the playoffs, Crowder and Bradley scoring consistently is going to be a big reason why.

Apr 28, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) talks with his teammates after forward Jae Crowder (99) was fouled by the Chicago Bulls during the second half in game six of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. The Celtics defeated the Bulls. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

At this point, the whole world probably knows the Celtics are a horrible rebounding team. I’m not going to waste your time by telling you how they can fix it either. They’re not going to morph into a good rebounding team at this point in the season. Would it be nice if they had players that could rebound? Absolutely. However, they were still the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and a darn good team, all while being one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. It wasn’t one of the keys to their success this season. What was a key was the stellar perimeter defense they got out of Bradley, Crowder, and Smart.

Overall, Boston was only middle of the pack in total team defense during the regular season, but the one area where they excelled defensively was on the perimeter. Only Golden State was better at defending the three ball than Boston was this season. The aforementioned trio were the main reasons for that. Opposing teams were only successful on 33.2% of shots from downtown when playing the Celtics.

This is where Smart really helps this team and gives them a boost. He’s tremendously frustrating to watch on the offensive end, but man, can this guy defend. He’s one of those pesky defenders that gets under a players skin. His defensive prowess is a great compliment to the offense of Thomas.

Boston’s perimeter defense is being put to the test this round and certainly will in future rounds if they advance past the Wizards. Every team left in the Eastern Conference was an above average three point shooting teams. Smart, Crowder, and Bradley are going to have their hands full no matter who they face.

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There’s no denying this Celtics team has some glaring holes, but they also have a lot of good things going for them. If they can get consistent scoring on offense and continue to defend the three, they should be just fine. Advancing out of the East is going to be difficult, but the Celtics have the pieces to make it happen.