#1 Bricklaying
Last season, it was quite common for one player’s poor shooting night to affect the rest of the rotation. We saw the Boston Celtics go cold on multiple occasions. This season that hasn’t been the case. If one or two guys were cold, there was always someone else ready to step up and provide the necessary offense.
Not last night. Last night, it was like watching last year’s Celtics. Nobody could buy a bucket. Part of that is down to the Cleveland Cavaliers defensive adjustments, and part of it is because each player’s struggles seemed to affect the guy next to him.
The Celtics went 0-of-8 from deep in the third quarter. They were 2-of-10 in the fourth. That made them 2-of-18 in the second half. You can’t win a playoff game with that type of scoring. Credit to Cleveland for making life tough. But frankly, the Celtics need to be better in these situations.
I’m not here to say they shoot too many threes, either. That game plan has worked. It’s made them one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. What I am here to say is that 22.9% from deep isn’t going to cut it. This is the postseason. The time when you’re supposed to raise your game.
Anomalies happen. We saw one occur in game two of the first round against the Miami Heat. Look how that turned out in the end. I’m not panicking. I’m not worried. I am frustrated.
#2 Waived the white flag
Something about pulling the starters with just under 5 minutes left didn’t sit right with me. This is the NBA. 20-point leads frequently get walked down in the fourth. I get that Joe Mazzulla could have been sending a message to his team — and I appreciate that. Hold them accountable.
However, you don’t have this much talent for no reason. Someone has to emerge as the closer on this roster. In a regular season where games like this were as rare as sunny days in England, I understand why there isn’t a defined approach to chasing down these types of deficits.
Still, champions don’t quit. They don’t waive the white flag with enough time of the clock to dig deep and surge back into the game.
“I felt like that was the best thing to do at that particular time,” Mazzulla said. “We have got another game coming up soon. I thought that was the best thing to do at that time. I didn’t think it was that early.”
#3 Stale offense
This was the moment we should have known it was going to be a long night — the opening offensive possession. It took ages for the Celtics to get into the set. There appeared to be some confusion. The action here is an “Iverson Curl,” which has been part of the Celtics playbook for years. Brad Stevens ran it. Ime Udoka ran it. Mazzulla runs it. Why it took 10 seconds to get the ball into the paint is a mystery.
Does this play remind you of anything? Yeah? The Celtics of old? Ah, me too!
Everyone is standing around, waiting for a moment of magic from Jayson Tatum. That isn’t this team’s approach. It hasn’t been all season. The lack of off-ball movement, not only in this play but in the majority of them throughout the night, was staggering.
I get it; the Celtics come into most games with a sizeable gap in offensive talent. Sometimes, it’s enticing to slow play things and look to win based on talent alone. Sometimes, that might work — but not every time. The Cavaliers are hungry. They’re trying to show Donovan Mitchell he can contend for championships right where he’s at.
Boston has to be the best version of itself on both sides of the floor. If for no other reason than to respect the talent on the opposite side of the court, regardless of how much better you are supposed to be.
#4 PnR defense was exploited
Every time the Cavs went into their PnR offense, it felt like they were looking to attack the gaps as the Celtics rotated. If Al Horford looked to play the angles between the ball-handler and the roll man, a secondary cut would occur, punishing any help defense as the ball touched the paint — the above clip is a good example.
When the Celtics put two on the ball, Evan Mobley would time his roll to provide an outlet around the rim. Sometimes, that would lead to some secondary creation; other times, it would force the defense to rotate over, and of course, sometimes, it led to an easy finish in the paint.
Mitchell has also been feasting in the PnR over the first two games. His scoring gravity is creating a sense of urgency for Boston’s defense, and his decision making is punishing any additional space he finds when attacking the pockets.
“Creating separation before the point of attack,” Mazzulla said. “They’re using off-ball to get him off there. So we’ve just got to be a bit more physical with our off-ball.”
It will be interesting to see how the Celtics adjust as they head to Cleveland.
#5 Evan Mobley cooked
Sometimes, you’ve got to tip your cap. Mobley was a force on both ends. He played solid offense, provided size and length on the defensive end, and was forceful when getting into the paint. He had himself a career night in terms of playoff-scoring production. At times, it felt like he was the one setting the tone for the Cavaliers offense.
Without Jarrett Allen in their lineup, the Cavaliers need Mobley to be this version of himself — especially when Kristaps Porzingis isn’t on the floor to match his size and versatility. However, asking a guy to have a career-worthy night every night is a big ask. I’m not sure we see that type of force and scoring success from Mobley in each of the upcoming games. One more, maybe, but for the rest of the series? That’s a tall ask.
#6 Pritchard stepped up
Out of all of Boston’s rotation players, it was Payton Pritchard who stepped up the most. He hustled on offense, did his usual when pressuring for rebounds and found avenues to get his shot off. He ended the night with 13 points (the only bench player in double digits) and had four assists.
The above clip shows Pritchard looking to pressure the rim and use his speed to generate contact, which in turn created the separation for him to get some success around the rim.
In this clip, it was Pritchard’s inverted screening that I liked more than him hitting his second shot.
The point I’m making here is that even when the offense wasn’t flowing like usual, and the defense had high pick-up points, Pritchard stuck to his usual style of offense, which in turn led to some good opportunities.
#7 Some defensive slips
Another part of Boston’s loss was their inconsistent defensive effort. One moment, they’re locked in and forcing shot clock violations.
And the next, they’re getting back cut.
Without Porzingis protecting the rim, the Celtics can’t get bailed out of these defensive lapses. They need to be locked in. They have to rotate better. They have to stick to their man. Some of the biggest adjustments in game three must come on the defensive end, especially in how they’re looking to contain dribble penetration.
#8 Derrick White’s shooting cooled off
Derrick White had been shooting exceptionally well over the past few games. That all came crashing down here. He went 3-of-11 from the field and 1-of-8 from deep. On a night where no one else had it going, the Celtics could have used a scoring boost from their all-action guard. Alas, it wasn’t to be.
White was still an important member of the rotation. He defended well enough — considering the overall defensive issues — he cut well, screened, and made smart decisions. Unfortunately, the Celtics needed something more from him or from anyone on the roster. It’s just a bitter pill to swallow that his hot streak ended right as it was needed the most.
#9 Boston is unlikely to shoot this poorly again
The Celtics have done a solid job of bouncing back from tough shooting nights throughout the season. Rarely does a performance like this bleed into the next game. It’s possible, but it hasn’t been how this team has approached the season up until this point.
There’s no reason to doubt a roster that has adjusted and bounced back time and time again this season. Yes, the loss hurt. Yes, the offense was poor. And yes, the defense was shaky. Some of that was likely tied together. Some of that was just the way things go. And some of that was down to execution.
I don’t expect another shooting night as bad as this one to occur during this series, especially while on the road in Cleveland. If it does, it will put some pressure on the Celtics to figure things out quickly.
#10 Need more from Tatum and Brown in these games
In games like this, where the opposing defense is setting a tone and the opposing team’s best player is heating up, you need Tatum and/or Brown to step up. They’re the All-Stars. They’re the best players on the team. That is when you put the ball in their hands, run some actions to open up space, remove nail help, and let them cook.
The Celtics play a selfless brand of basketball. I love that. However, when the chips are down, there’s nothing wrong with looking at your two stars and telling them to ‘go cook.’ When Brown and Tatum are aggressive and playing with urgency, they’re both borderline impossible to stop.
At some point, you’ve got to accept that a stretch of heliocentric basketball might be necessary to take control of a game if you’re in a losing position. That’s why you have the elite scoring talent in Tatum and Brown. Defenses don’t double and triple them for no reason.
I would hope that if the team is in that position again later in the playoffs, we see one of the two step up and take control of the offense — just for a stretch.
Looking ahead
Quick turnarounds in terms of games in this series. One every other day. So, the Celtics will be back in action tomorrow, and I will be back on Sunday to share my thoughts. Hopefully, we will see a similar trend from the Miami series, and Boston is up 2-1. We shall see.
