In the past week the Boston Celtics have gone up against four of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. Coming out of this tough stretch, it is evident now more than ever that the all-star break couldn’t come soon enough. Going 1-3 in those games and falling to a deficit of 20+ in three of those contests is indicative of the Celtics’ recent offensive woes. With the playoffs slowly creeping up, it’s time for the Celtics to whip back into shape or just pray for an all-star to magically return to action.
Hold on, it was one game:
After Sunday’s beat down in Boston, on Paul Pierce night of all nights, the narrative has quickly become “LeBron and his new team is ready to challenge the Warriors.” Everyone is quick to jump back on to the LeBron James bandwagon, and although Sunday gave them good reason to, it was truly just one game.
The same thing was being said about these Cavaliers after opening night. That didn’t turn out well. Again, the same narrative after Isaiah Thomas had an impressive debut for the Cavaliers: that for many apparent reasons, didn’t turn out well either. Yes, the Cavaliers looked like a much improved team on both ends of the court, but it is way too early to say that this team can challenge Houston or Golden State in the finals. It is even to early to say that Cleveland getting out of the east, over a Toronto or Boston, is a sure thing.
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Offensively, not much has changed this season in Boston. They were struggling with consistently putting the ball through the hoop since opening day. However, the defense has been more than capable of carrying the load.
It is a concerning sign when the Cavaliers are able to put up 121 points, shooting at about 54% from the field and 53% from three. Not many teams are going to win games giving up this type of shooting, let alone be competitive. While it is unlikely that a team will be able to shoot that efficiently against the Celtics again this season, the Celtics seemed inept defensively when it came to the Cavaliers new personnel.
A pick and roll action with LeBron and Larry Nance Jr. was implemented in three straight possessions and resulted in 8 straight points. First possession, LeBron came off the screen being given miles of space was able to gently float the ball in. The next two possessions, Celtics’ Center Aron Baynes switched onto LeBron, thus letting LeBron swing a pass to a wide-open Jordan Clarkson on the wing.
Jaylen Brown overcompensated on two straight possessions, respecting Larry Nance’s finishing a bit too much. This simple pick and roll action was able to stomp out any hope of Boston making another miraculous second-half comeback: at this point, the comebacks just seem to be habitual.
At the end of the day, the Celtics can’t bank on a Gordon Hayward return to save this season. It might be a fleeting dream, having our all-star forward return for the playoffs to bring home banner 18. However, it is only a dream at the moment and his return is very far from guaranteed. Yet, the Celtics can find success in what led them to that 16-game win streak earlier in the season.
Next: Chaos of the Front Court Rotation
Gritty defense and high offensive energy from Brown and Jayson Tatum, pushing the tempo. With the Celtics set to host the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday and then an 8-day break after that, it is time for Coach Brad Stevens to make some all-star weekend adjustments and close this regular season strong.