Boston Celtics fans are feeling all sorts of things after watching their team drop Game 2 at home to the Philadelphia 76ers. Anxiety, anger, and sadness are the stars of the Celtics community’s version of Inside Out.Â
An emotion that has yet to be featured in this series is joy delivered by the offensive production of either Derrick White or Payton Pritchard -- two key cogs to the Celtics’ offensive machine these last few years.
The guard duo is averaging a combined 17 points per outing through two games against the 76ers, with White converting at 31.8/23.5 splits and Pritchard at 30.0/15.4 splits.
Plain and simple, that’s not good enough if the Celtics are going to put together the deep playoff run fans have been hoping for.
Pritchard and White showed that they could score and impact winning throughout the season
Secondary scorers like White and Pritchard are crucial to alleviating the increased pressure opposing teams throw at star players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. When Boston gets a real scoring punch from either man, things typically go well.
When Pritchard has scored 18 or more points (which is just one above his season average of 17), the Celtics were 32-5 this season. When White scored 17 or more, they won 25 of 35.
There’s some nuance to this, right?
Like, if Boston is getting a perhaps unexpected scoring punch from either of these guys, it’s like playing with house money a bit.
Okay, so let’s dial it back a bit. What if either of them scored 12 or more?
When it was Pritchard, Boston won 43 of 57 (75.4%). When it was White, they won 38 of 55 games (69.1%).
A dozen points is an interesting number here. It almost speaks more to their respective involvements than their actual production -- though that plays a role too.
For example, Pritchard wasn’t overly efficient in Sunday’s Game 1, shooting just four of 12 from the field. He wound up with 12 points anyway. The Celtics were able to put him in position to take those shots and he was feeling aggressive enough to oblige.
They haven't had the same success in these playoffs, yet
On Tuesday, it was a different story. He finished with just eight points on eight shots -- not nearly enough for someone who’s proven to have the scoring prowess that he does.
With all of this being said, White and Pritchard still have to make the shots when they come. The aforementioned percentages in this series indicate that that hasn’t been the case thus far.
It’s a bittersweet reality.
On one hand, the Celtics are tied with Philly through two games of this series, and were within two points of the Sixers in the fourth quarter of Game 2. If they had a few more momentum plays go their way, including a make or two from White or Pritchard, then they could be up 2-0.
There shouldn’t be anywhere to go but up from here.
"We just have to keep finding them. Keep trusting them," Jaylen Brown explained after Game 2. "I thought Sam [Hauser] and Payton had good looks today. Both got some open shots, and that's what we want... We trust Payton, we trust Sam, we trust Baylor [Scheierman], we trust all of those guys to come in and impact the game. We've just got to continue to stay consistent with that, and we'll be okay."
But, what if there’s no improvement.
Maybe, Boston can survive this first-round bout with the scrappy, undermanned 76ers, but as the rounds go on, success isn’t going to come without production from at least one of the guards.
Before Jayson Tatum returned to the lineup on Mar.6, the Celtics had won 41 of 62. Without the five-time All-NBA forward, White and Pritchard combined for a little over 34 points per game on 39/33 and 46/36 splits, respectively.
They each spent time running the show at times, whenever Jaylen Brown would get his rest, and would have to face the opposing team’s entire defensive focus.
Now, with both wings out there, the offensive opportunities should come easier. We’ll just have to wait and see if water finds its level as this series, and hopefully beyond, plays out.
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