Boston remains the dominant force in the NBA Eastern Conference for arguably the third year in a row. They own the NBA’s best record (as it stands) at 57-15. A dominant 32-3 at home on the season, and a conference-best 25-12 on the road as well.
As a team, they currently stand leaguewide in the top five for points per game scored, average score margin, assist/TO ratio, FG%, and three-point %. Along with this, they rank in the top five in nearly every major defensive stat. The offensive onslaught, and defensive slack picked up, during the 23-24 season has been a masterclass season. So much so that it will go down in the Celtics’ all-time history books. So, why do so many doubts remain as the playoffs approach?
Regular Season Stats Mean Nothing, at this Point
“We was up 30, and kind of took our foot off the gas, and it cost us.” – said Jaylen Brown (via Celtics on CLNS). This comes after an abysmal blown 30-point lead to the Play-In tournament-hopeful Atlanta Hawks on Monday. The Celtics’ most glaring red flag continues to be their big-time moment performance. Several playoff series over this three-year run have either ended in tragedy or narrowly escaped it.
Every major season stat for the team has shot up tremendously after the addition of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason, as expected. Their flowers are absolutely due for a historic season for the most historic franchise in the NBA. But the regular season will only get you so far in this league before you become the butt of the joke to the rest of the teams facing you.
Offensive Consistency During Late/Pressure Games Will Decide the Celtics’ Fate
Some grace can be given for a lineup missing several key players, including Holiday & White. But when you find yourself at the top of the mountain for so long, there is small margin for error. Monday’s game against the Hawks had a very predictable ending possession. Jaylen Brown dribbled the ball for what seemed like an eternity, to hoist up a contested three. Meanwhile, none of the rest of the Celtics players on the floor made much of an effort. Isolation ball between either him or Jayson Tatum seems to be too comfortable of an option for coach Joe Mazulla. The majority of close games during his run as Head Coach have shown this. For the team that has a 2.3 Assists/TO ratio, Mazulla must put more emphasis on late-game play calling and cohesion amongst the team.
Mental Hurdles From Eastern Competitors
The path to the elusive 18th Banner for Boston seems as though it is the easiest it has ever been. Teams like Milwaukee and Miami are at their weakest in years. The Heat, in particular, have seemingly been a thorn in the Celtics’ side since the beginning of the Tatum-Brown era. While on paper, Miami has never even come close to the talent level of Boston. The mental game, however, has nearly always been in their favor. From the bubble (everyone remembers the Tyler Herro snarl), to going up 3-0 after the historic season LAST year. The Heat seem to be a “final boss” that Boston will need to prove they can get by. That is, if their paths meet.
Barring that usual Miami headache, Boston will be welcomed back into the NBA Finals once again. The presumption would be a matchup with the defending champs Denver Nuggets, or any of the other top West teams. Getting ahead of themselves has usually been their downfall as well, but it would be foolish to not mentally prepare for another chance in the Finals.
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