TD Backyard was leaping as Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder wing Aaron Wiggins airballed a last-second three-point try to finish Wednesday’s third quarter. Boston Celtics followers had simply watched their workforce erase a 12-point deficit after ripping off an 18-6 run heading into the fourth quarter.
Issues had been wanting up. It was the primary time that the Cs had been in a position to get stops and baskets on the identical time.
It was additionally the final.
There wasn’t any level within the fourth quarter when it felt like Boston was in management. They began the quarter by matching OKC’s buckets however didn’t get key stops to construct any momentum.
The Celtics tied the sport at 98 with 8:12 to go and scored 4 factors over the subsequent six minutes, because the Thunder constructed a double-digit lead and put the sport out of attain.
It was a disappointing finish to an total profitable homestand. Over the Cs’ seven video games at TD Backyard, they managed to win 5. Their solely two losses had been February 28 towards the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers and, in fact, Wednesday towards first-place OKC.
There’s no disgrace in dropping to the highest two groups within the league. They’re the place they’re at for a purpose.
What there may be disgrace in is the way in which the Celtics performed within the fourth quarters of those video games, even within the wins.
In brief, they weren’t good.
They had been truly the worst.
Over the past seven video games, no workforce within the NBA has a worse fourth-quarter web ranking than your Boston Celtics at -32.7. They’ve had the league’s worst protection (140.4 drtg) and a bottom-5 offense (108.3 ortg) to assist get them to that time.
For context, the Celtics have an offensive ranking of 119.1 and a defensive ranking of 110.3 this season as a complete. So, they haven’t been themselves on the finish of video games currently, to say the very least.
The league-worst web ranking is just a little skewed since a couple of of their video games had been determined by the point the fourth quarter rolled round, however they nonetheless solely managed to comfortably win one in every of these video games, which was their closing assembly towards the Philadelphia 76ers.
This iteration of the Sixers may’ve been the worst opponent of the seven right here. Philly was with out Joel Embiid (in fact), Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. Kelly Oubre was their main shot-taker. There is no such thing as a purpose why they need to’ve had any challenge successful this one — they usually didn’t.
Good job, Celts.
Even in that outing, they nonetheless didn’t dominate the fourth quarter. They solely tied it, which, in equity, is all they wanted to do.
Boston solely outscored an opponent as soon as within the fourth quarter in the course of the latest slate of residence video games, of their win over the Denver Nuggets. This was the primary time that the Cs beat Denver in a sport the place Nikola Jokic performed since 2022.
The win was spectacular, and the execution was much better than it was of their prior assembly with Jokic in January of 2024.
No complaints.
That is the half the place the fourth quarters worsen.
We already talked concerning the subpar play from the OKC loss, so we will skip that one. Though, that’s the solely time that Boston misplaced a fourth quarter by lower than 10 factors, even in video games they gained.
“Our defensive rebounding and a few of our defensive tendencies,” Mazzulla stated postgame of what he’d prefer to see enhance in fourth quarters.
If you wish to have a look at poor protection, look no additional than Monday’s win over the Utah Jazz. Utah is presently the one workforce within the league that has been eradicated from playoff rivalry. Very like the 76ers, they had been a workforce that the Celtics had been imagined to beat, which they did.
They virtually didn’t.
Boston noticed a 23-point lead disappear within the fourth quarter, because the Jazz sank eight of their 9 three-point makes an attempt to rally again to tie. I’m not going to embed the entire clips right here, however what I can let you know is that these threes weren’t tightly contested. Boston constantly bought caught on pindown screens, leading to open appears to be like for guys like Brice Sensabaugh.
Sensabaugh, who Charles Barkely would doubtless wrestle to call “Who He Play For?,” sank 5 of Utah’s eight triples on this stretch.
For what it’s price, I don’t assume that is the type of sport the place your blood strain ought to spike as a result of the Jazz bought sizzling. They’d spent your complete sport firing photographs off the rim. You may’t blame the Cs for daring them to stick with it.
The near-collapse towards Utah was eerily just like what occurred towards the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Path Blazers. The recipes for disappointment had been practically similar.
Each L.A. (65/50 splits) and Portland (62.9/55.6 splits) had sturdy capturing quarters. The protection from the Celtics didn’t essentially regress — their opponents simply began hitting photographs.
There have been some open photographs blended in, too, however these are the type of appears to be like you simply should stay with.
What killed the Celtics right here was their very own chilly capturing (41.2/28.6 vs L.A., 41.7/16.7 vs. POR). In these video games particularly, it didn’t really feel like their shot high quality dropped off in any respect. They didn’t get impatient and saved creating first rate appears to be like as they’d for the remainder of every sport.
They only didn’t fall.
There was loads stated concerning the loss to the Cavs when it occurred, as is to be anticipated after a loss. It’s simply how this all works. Cleveland bought to the end line behind an absolute burner from Donovan Mitchell. He completed the evening with 41 factors, and Boston seemingly had no reply for him.
What was irritating, as Mazzulla alluded to on Wednesday, was the excess of second probabilities Evan Mobley was in a position to create on the offensive glass. Although these rebounds didn’t straight translate to factors, the Celtics nonetheless needed to defend for an additional 14 seconds at a time due to them. The extra power you expend on protection, the much less you’ve bought on the offensive finish.
What all of us witnessed over the previous 12 days was actually excessive. The Celtics aren’t THAT dangerous within the fourth quarter, proper?
Effectively, I wouldn’t say they’ve been good. This season, their fourth-quarter web ranking is -2. Final 12 months, it was +7. Boston has dropped some head-scratching video games all through the 2024-25 marketing campaign and will serve to tighten issues up down the stretch.
There’ll at all times be moments the place you simply have to take a seat again and watch Brice Sensabaugh drill 5 threes or see Luka Doncic financial institution in a loopy one from the sideline.
It occurs.
And once more, the Celtics nonetheless managed to win video games despite these lapses. It may be performed. That doesn’t imply that they shouldn’t look to take extra management in a few of these areas. As Mazzulla talked about, they will at all times management their effort on the glass, in addition to be certain that they continue to be centered on getting key stops.
