It doesn’t take a basketball savant to watch the Celtics recently and realize things are going pretty well. Since Jayson Tatum has returned, they’ve slowly started to ramp up, and the team is rounding into playoff form with just five games remaining in the regular season.
But this goes way beyond the eye test. This is historical dominance from the Celtics, and as they’ve tightened up the rotation in the last two games to something closely resembling what it will look like in the playoffs, they’ve gone to a higher level and become truly unstoppable on the offensive end.
They blitzed the Heat on Wednesday night with an all-time 53-point first quarter, en route to a 147-129 win, and they picked up right where they left off on Friday night in Milwaukee, putting up 43 in the first quarter, and eventually calling off the dogs in a 133-101 demolition of the Bucks.
And those weren’t just ordinary blowouts. The Celtics set a new NBA record for the most points scored in back-to-back first quarters with 96, breaking the previous mark of 92, set by the Nuggets in 2008. Their second quarters weren’t quite as impressive, but Boston still set a franchise record for points in consecutive first halves with 155.
Celtics offense looking like a well-oiled machine
Everything is falling into place for this team, and they are absolutely humming lately. There are simply no weak links anywhere, and with the guys that Joe Mazzulla is putting on the floor, defenses are forced to make impossible decisions.
The Celtics have been more than happy to take what the defense gives them, make the smart play over and over again, and destroy opponents with simple reads and easy baskets or wide-open looks.
It seems overly simplistic, but that’s the reality of the situation. Everyone other than Neemias Queta in the rotation can beat guys off the dribble, knock down catch-and-shoot threes, or both. With Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at this high a level, opponents have no choice but to send two, and sometimes even three defenders at them, which compromises them in other areas.
Teams have no answers for Boston offense
Boston puts way too much stress on other teams, and if they sell out on the Jays, there are multiple other players who will take advantage and hurt them. When teams get in rotation against the Celtics, they are dead in the water, and that has been happening more than ever.
But it’s truly a matter of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”, because if they don’t send that help, the Jays (and even Payton Pritchard or Derrick White) will find a defender to pick on, and dominate in isolation or pick and roll.
When this team is clicking, they look like an absolute juggernaut, and there are no good answers, other than praying they miss shots. Right now, things are clicking, and the Celtics look like a well-oiled machine, peaking at the right time with the playoffs just days away. If the shots are falling, good luck.