BOSTON — After a robust displaying out west, the Celtics had an opportunity to get proper at house. Two letdowns later, there is likely to be extra questions than solutions for the defending champs.
The Kings prolonged their lead within the fourth quarter of a blowout on Friday earlier than the Pelicans’ squandered theirs when CJ McCollum narrowly missed an opportunity to win it on the buzzer. Jayson Tatum and the Celtics escaped on Sunday after he missed two game-sealing free throws.
“It’s only a funky stretch, I suppose,” Tatum stated. “Shoutout to the Pelicans. They performed rather well tonight. I don’t suppose they play like that on a regular basis, but it surely’s check for us … count on everyone’s finest shot … I keep in mind my rookie yr, we weren’t 8-30 or no matter, however I keep in mind once we performed the Warriors, it was a giant deal. ‘They received the championship final yr. This can be a large matchup. This can be a large recreation.’ So simply understanding the place we’re at, our place on this league, and I feel it’s simply gonna make us higher that no matter who we’re enjoying, we gotta count on the perfect from them.”
Boston witnessed many staggering taking pictures performances towards them within the first half of 2024-25, Dejounte Murray’s the newest, and their opponents’ three-point effectivity elevated to 41.2% since New 12 months’s Eve.
The Celtics have additionally struggled to recreate the magic their beginning lineup produced a yr in the past, falling to a -8.9 internet ranking with that group on the ground following Sunday’s slim win. Performances have dropped all around the roster and whereas effort emerged as an issue lately, the Celtics additionally fought themselves — missed layups, free throws and two weird out-of-bounds performs by Derrick White exaggerating their current points towards New Orleans.
It’s all created affordable doubt with this group. Defensive points shaped early whereas Boston experimented with forcing extra turnovers. They’ve see-sawed attempting to plug totally different holes on that finish with the long term defensive numbers admittedly bettering over final yr. They’ve awaited a regression on offense after taking pictures over 38% final yr to guide the league alongside Oklahoma Metropolis. They continue to be caught nearer to the NBA common now, simply above 36%. That’s made them extra unusual regardless of a 28-11 begin and a shot profile that Joe Mazzulla approves.
“Final yr, so far, the offense was truly worse from an anticipated foundation, however the precise was higher, they usually had been taking pictures 39% versus 29% (from three) … now we have to be higher, but it surely’s basically in a coaching camp kind with this explicit group,” Mazzulla stated addressing the offensive manufacturing. “I don’t actually have a solution for that. What I do know is now we have to maintain up the method of preventing for the perfect shot, giving up the perfect pictures, making the required performs to win, executing, constructing belief, constructing accountability amongst one another, we simply must proceed to work that course of with one another.”
The variations over final yr ought to have the group asking extra questions internally because it assesses itself forward of the commerce deadline. Kristaps Porziņģis admitted a number of occasions that his return from surgical procedure and a number of accidents since added to the current inconsistency. He’s quickly improved on offense throughout current video games, however the Al Horford beginning lineup fared higher to start the yr. Would a switch-up work there?
Video games the place the Celtics seemed slower and fewer athletic than their opponents, together with the Thunder loss, begged for Neemias Queta’s presence in spots the place three wholesome facilities in entrance of him prevented him from enjoying. They may use a depth wing, and have an open roster spot together with restricted commerce flexibility in the event that they wish to make a transfer.
No matter what they do, the top-seven rotation will resolve their destiny. We’ve mentioned the variations in comparison with final yr. Sam Hauser, Derrick White and Jrue Vacation’s bumps and bruises have clearly restricted their effectiveness. Jaylen Brown, who handled a shoulder damage, fell to the worst taking pictures effectivity since his rookie season this week as he adjusted to first quarter exits. Tatum, who scored with staggering effectivity within the first half, needed to stability taking up with enjoying the fitting method.
As a result of that’s how they did it final yr.
It’s clear, on the midway level, that if the Celtics do repeat it received’t be how they did so final season. Oklahoma Metropolis and Cleveland’s scorching begins have made at the least a number of the Celtics’ postseason path beginning on the street look inevitable. Possibly that’s for the perfect — heightened consciousness towards these foes and Boston’s house file that’s already worse than final yr’s might provoke this group when the postseason they’re clearly ready for arrives in April. However the habits that arrange playoff success must develop into extra constant now, they usually’re nonetheless attempting to determine precisely who they wish to be on each ends.
“There are two nice groups within the league which might be having historic seasons. They develop into they develop into the reference level of ‘oh, you’re not pretty much as good since you’re not them,’” Mazzulla stated on Sunday. “They’re nice. Nice groups have historic years and we’re on our personal path that now we have to have the ability to work by means of. Simply because we had been this final yr, you’ll be able to’t take as a right the main points, behavior, execution, togetherness, belief. All that stuff needs to be rebuilt, and I feel typically when you could have the identical group, now we have this expectation that we’re simply gonna decide up there and it’s totally different. Totally different yr, persons are in numerous areas, so now we have to re-establish that and you need to work that. It simply takes time.”
These days, they’ve shot fewer threes whereas eager to be that taking pictures group from one yr in the past. They’ve struggled to handle opponent taking pictures due to these uncharacteristic performances towards them. The trouble points on protection carry me again to 2023, and regardless of no dysfunction that clearly that group is seen this time round, the final lesson from that spring about how purple flags throughout a seemingly rock-solid common season can pop up later may show relevant. Mazzulla defended that group’s statistically robust protection all yr till admitting, down 0-3 within the Jap Convention Finals, that they misplaced their defensive identification.
Whereas that wasn’t the difficulty on Sunday, step one towards righting the ship might come from a jolt. My thoughts goes towards an Oshae Brissett or Lonnie Walker IV reunion. Each gamers might infuse wanted power, whether or not by means of rebounding or taking pictures, they usually turned well-liked throughout their stays in Boston. They’d additionally come at half-off minimal salaries and luxurious tax hits, although Walker would require a buyout from his Lithuanian membership.
Issues haven’t felt proper to start 2025, a part of it evaluating themselves to the excessive customary from a dominant 2024 run fueled by urgency, half coming from the pure problem in recreating that. Then, there’s a scarier mixture that they’re not pretty much as good and the league has caught up. The reality is a few mixture of all 4 components.
Regardless, this current stretch ought to function a wake-up name that hasn’t completely hit them. They’re getting there, as Mazzulla acknowledged on Sunday.
“The last word praise is we’re 28-11 and these are the sorts of conversations that we’re having,” he stated. “So, it’s a fantastic place to be in. I’m critical, I feel it’s nice. It’s an incredible customary and an incredible expectation to have and now we have to ship. So, everyone knows that … what’re we the third group within the league now? Which isn’t nice, but it surely seems like a morgue in right here and that’s the way it must be, due to the place we’re attempting to get to. It’s the last word praise and we simply proceed to work by means of it.”
