All we heard all offseason was that the Celtics can’t generate rim pressure, that they can’t attack the basket and create easy shots, that they’re too dependent on the three-point shot, and that they’re going to miss Jaylen Brown’s drives. And yet, watching this team in preseason, you wouldn’t think that’s the case at all.
On Wednesday night, Boston beat down the Hornets, 114-93, to improve to 3-0 in the preseason. They dominated Charlotte despite the fact that they shot just 28% from three, hitting only 11/39 attempts and actually losing the three-point battle to the Hornets, who shot a rock-solid 16-for-42 (38%) from deep.
So how did the Celtics win this game by 21 points? How about destroying the Hornets by a 56-20 margin in points in the paint? That’s right. A team that supposedly can’t get to the basket is scoring in the paint at will.
Celtics crushing teams in points-in-the-paint
They’re driving and setting up lobs and easy dunks and layups, they’re attacking the cup, they’re getting out in transition for easy break-aways, they’re getting second-chance points around the hoop, and everything else you can think of. The Celtics are destroying people with aggression, size, and strength, and as a result, their finishers are absolutely living at the rim.
It’s exactly what people didn’t think would happen, and it was supposed to be this team’s biggest weakness and potential fatal flaw, but if anything, it looks like it’s going to be a major strength and a way they can create consistent advantages. Simply put, there was nothing that Charlotte could do to keep them away from the basket and prevent easy buckets.
You’ll be hard-pressed to see a game where the Celtics shoot so poorly from outside and hit so few threes, and yet it didn’t even matter. They still scored 114 points and led wire-to-wire.
And it’s not like this was a fluke. In their win over the 76ers on Saturday, the Celtics had almost the exact same output, winning points in the paint, 56-26. But that night, they drilled 22 threes and dropped 144 points in a 38-point blowout victory.
When the 3s are falling, the Celtics will be unstoppable
Even in the first game against the Cavaliers, when all of the starters sat out, the Celtics won the points-in-the-paint battle, 62-42 against Cleveland’s starters, including Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
This is the new reality in Boston. Contrary to perception, this is an elite rim-pressure team, and they’ve been generating easy shots around the basket at will, regardless of the personnel or opponent. It’s a clear commitment by the coaching staff and the players, and a part of the scheme that’s being emphasized.
Those who thought the Celtics were going to be one-dimensional are going to be sorely mistaken. When the threes are going down, this team is going to be impossible to stop, and they are going to light up the scoreboard in a way we haven’t seen in a long time.
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