This is probably the most important one specific stat of the season: 304%。That's the percentage of shots taken by the Celtics in a reasonable collision zone — the eighth-lowest in the league according to the CTG. Last season the stats were almost the same.
The Celtics also made fewer free throws than they tied ** (19th);They finished 28th in free throw percentage last season.
For a team that has the ability to shoot the right jumpers and can get those shots in, their style of play isn't wrong. The Celtics have the most three-point shots in the league and the second-fewest in the league from mid-range. That's a healthy stat, although the Celtics' three-point point will be more inclined to make a difficult shot at the top of the arc. The Celtics' eight core rotation players are all above the average three-point shooter. No team has more space than them. Their stadium** is fully open.
The expected return for these openings is to be able to break through without any defenders blocking you. When the Celtics remembered that rim-shooting and free-throw shooting were still the most reliable means of scoring on the basketball court, they were able to play their strongest form — avoiding the brutal swings of shooting luck. When they forget about it, they become prone to problems — they get too obsessed with the jump shot hero shot.
The Celtics don't need a major change in their style of play. The Celtics should have shot the most threes in the league. But on some nights against top-tier defense — or when they have a cold three-point shot — turning a 4-5 jumper into an under-the-basket shot can be the difference between winning and losing. Every time a Celtics perimeter player bursts into the box, breaking to the perimeter shouldn't be their default offensive option. If there is a breakout channel, grab it, even if the channel is narrow. It doesn't hurt to make the game "ugly" - the Celtics are going to take the initiative to find a physical confrontation.
Tatum has always had a heart to keep charging to the basket. As long as the deception defender is on the other side of the wall, he's smart when he goes in the opposite direction of Horford and Porzingis' wall — that's what he did in the round above.
That's one of the Celtics' best tactics — having Tatum or Jaylen Brown find teammates to do double cover and pull out opposing centers and point guards. Any change of guard will give Tatum a misalignment.
Look, this round he found Lillard of the Bucks. Tatum and Brown stepped back in the face of a small-sized guard, which sounded like a tempting idea. Tatum is a superstar because he can shoot this kind of ball. But the Celtics could even go up if they could sometimes dig their heads under the basket and go for easier scoring opportunities — including free throws.
Tatum and Derrick White's two-man spin has the same effect, as White is usually defended by opposing point guards. Porzingis will also mix in that cover with a more forceful straight down – a very good sign for the Celtics. ）
The Celtics ran a lot of Brown's bottom-corner play. This slingshot movement gives him an advantage from the start, and he can see all his passing options in this area. This tactic simplifies the process of making offensive decisions for the team.
Usually, it's the interior players who cover the low post near the corner. If the defender switches, both Brown and his covering partner are misplaced — Brown faces a slower interior and Porzingis or Horford can play low on the wing. But the cover man for this round is Hauser, and he's here because his opponent is LaMelo Ball. Ball is a target for the Celtics.
Brown got misplaced and dragged Ball to the basket with his body. It turned out to be a mistake by Brown, but the Celtics were playing the right way, and the same tactics were played out more often than not.
The Celtics are the strongest team in the league. I thought before the game we were going to beat the Nuggets in the Finals. The Celtics' top six rotation is also the best in the league and has the assets to trade for another backup midseason. This is the strongest Celtics in the Tatum and Brown era.
But to win the four-round series, it will take an incredible amount of toughness and discipline on the part of the team. For the Celtics, that meant they needed to know that the hardest thing to do was the right thing for them.