The Boston Celtics finally brought everything together on the offensive end against the Magic
The Boston Celtics went on one of the most remarkable streaks you will ever see in the regular season, and they did not play a single game as well as they did against the Orlando Magic. The offense was hitting on all cylinders right off the gate, and the defense made sure that the Magic never had an opportunity to get back into the game.
The Celtics have spent a lot of time using their defense to keep them into games, and they finally were able to use their defense to make sure their opponent could not get back into the game. The biggest difference in this one, however, was the bench production. The second unit was scoring, and that makes the Celtics one of the scariest teams in the league.
The Celtics came down to earth by the end, but still finished shooting 46 percent overall and 40 percent from three, which is a vast improvement from what we are accustomed to. All the top players were hitting their shots, and they Celtics were able to do whatever they wanted on offense.
Kyrie Irving was brilliant every time he touched the ball, Jayson Tatum was hitting any shot he wanted to take, and Jaylen Brown continues to be one of the most important offensive players. Add on Al Horford‘s 10 assists and a lot of things came together on the offensive end for the Celtics.
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The defense also gave the Celtics exactly what we are expecting from it at this point. The Magic broke 100 points, but if it wasn’t for garbage time, the stats would back up how the Celtics dominated them on defense. The Celtics had their most comfortable victory of the season, and it is great to see them bounce back like that after the streak ended.
This was just a glimpse, but the Celtics are far from establishing that this is the offense we can expect on a nightly basis. Terry Rozier lead a second unit that shattered expectations set previously this season, and we are getting used to seeing how well this starting unit can do on offense.
We are still far from being able to really trust this offense, but it is refreshing to see everything come together like it did against the Magic. The one area they struggled in the free throw line, which continues to be a bit of a mystery for this team. That being said, we know what this defense is capable of, and we finally got a real idea of what this offense can look like if everything comes together.
The Celtics did themselves a favor by starting out so hot. They got their big lead, and defense held it, allowing the starters to get extra rest for their back to backs. The Indiana Pacers will be more of a challenge, and it is hard to expect the Celtics to be as good.
Next: Terry Rozier's Breakout Game
Thankfully, the Celtics have shown time and time again that they know how to beat teams like the Pacers. Seeing how well their offense is able to consistently play is going to be a lot more important than any individual result that can come next game.