It took a while, but the Celtics finally seem to be getting back to their old margin-dominating ways. On Sunday night, the Celtics attempted 16 more shots than the Bucks, five more three-pointers, pulled down 16 more rebounds, 11 more offensive boards, and had five fewer turnovers.
That’s the type of possession-maxxing we’ve been getting hyped up about all offseason, so it should come as no surprise that Boston dominated in Milwaukee, 117-97. Even after digging a 20-6 hole in the first few minutes, the Celtics then ramped it up on both ends and had already cut the lead to 27-25 by the end of the first quarter.
They quickly opened up a lead at the start of the second quarter, and they never looked back from there. It’s no coincidence that this performance coincided with the Celtics’ two big additions, Mitchell Robinson and Paul George, both of whom had great games.
George and Robinson helped Celtics dominate margins
Two guys who were brought to Boston with the margins in mind came through in a major way. For Robinson, this was easily the best he has looked in a Celtics uniform. He had 12 points and 7 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive end. He also dished out two assists, made all six of his field goal attempts, plus he had 4 steals and a block.
His play went beyond the box score; he just looked like a different player, bouncing around and completely controlling the paint on both ends. In fact, when Mitch entered the game in the first quarter, he completely shifted the momentum with his play, and he was +19 in just 18 minutes.
PG was boosting the margins in a different way, as he shot 5-for-10 from three-point range and had 2 steals. The Celtics won his minutes by 16, even as he was on the floor while the Bucks jumped out to their 20-6 lead.
Celtics starting to fit Mazzulla-Ball vision
I don’t expect the Celtics to dominate this much every night, and the Bucks are obviously not one of the better teams in the league, but this was the vision for the team. When they get this kind of play up and down the roster, this is what’s possible.
Again, it may not look this good every night, but gaining these edges on the margins will allow them to dominate on good nights, win on average nights, and stay competitive even on bad nights.
The season is still only 10 games old, and this team is still learning to play together, building chemistry, and growing into the adjustments to the scheme. It was always going to take some time, but they’re off to an 8-2 start, and hopefully this is the start of them getting into a nice groove.
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