The Boston Celtics have to change their on-court philosophy

The Boston Celtics’ on-court philosophy has grown stale over time. Their live-and-die-by-the-3-pointer mentality and inconsistent defense have led some fans to insanity. Over the years they have not only grown to be unlikeable for some fans, but they have cost themselves championships.

Under Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics fully bought in on the 3-point shot this season, and it led to a season of highs and lows. The Cs attempted 41.8 3-pointers a game this season, which was second in the league behind the Golden State Warriors. The mentality to live and die by the 3-pointer ultimately came back to hurt the Celtics in the playoffs as they shot an abysmal 20% from deep in Game 6 against the Miami Heat before going a similarly putrid 21% in Game 7.

When you combine the poor 3-point shooting with the C’s lack of effort on the defensive end, you get a pretty unlikeable product. I think the Celtics need to change their philosophies because they won’t win a championship with this style and because it is not good from an entertainment perspective.

I don’t think many fans will put up with this product if it continues.

The Boston Celtics must become more balanced

The solution for the Celtics is to get back to their true defensive identity and become a more balanced offensive team. Marcus Smart can help get the Celtics back to where they need to be defensively, and the offense should lower their 3-point attempts by at least 10.

If that means not following the analytics, then so be it. A new and improved attack on both ends of the floor could go a long way in the Celtics getting back to the NBA Finals next year and winning it — which should be the only standard moving forward for a core running out of time to reach the top of the mountaintop together.