Celtics shot 63/55/95 for the game last night. On a down note, KP sprained his ankle (again). He was upset immediately afterward, but was on the bench standing and cheering during the 4th. Didn't seem like it was a major injury, but I imagine they'll give him plenty of time to heal up with a 3.5 game lead in the East.
I'm trying to stay calm and temper my excitement, but my only real concern with Boston is their health. Their top 8 guys appear to be a playoff ready rotation with no noticeable holes:
-Tatum - offense runs through him, top rebounder and bigger wing/post defender. He's gotten stronger and more efficient this year.
-Brown - 2nd offensive option and can run the offense with Tatum out. Can guard 2-3 or bigger PGs. Just need to keep him from dribbling late in games.
-White - An elite glue guy. Does everything well and can run point if needed.
-Holiday - Top perimeter defender and shooting over 42% from 3 plus solid ball handling.
-Porzingis - Efficient #3 scoring option and rim protection. He's been even better than I hoped he would be.
-Horford - Excellent defender and shooting over 40% from 3 again. Great backup big.
-Hauser - Elite shooter who has become an adequate defender. Backup wing.
-Pritchard - Super quick ball handler and good shooter. Decent backup point guard that can stretch the floor and get hot.
They all shoot 4+ threes per game at 35-42% along with tremendous defense. #1 O-rating & #2 D-rating right now.
I honestly feel like KP is their second most important player right now and he is the most fragile of the bunch. Fingers crossed that he is OK and they can maintain health into the playoffs.
As for Miami, that's 5 losses in a row for the Heat.
I beat your post by a few seconds, it seems. I have watched just about every game this season (and many of them twice on morning replays). Reasons why they have been very successful so far.
- Defensively, many possessions they have picked up the ball earlier than in season's past and have pushed the action way out to the logo. They have done much better switching and pressuring the ball, often leaving opponents with very little time on the shot clock, out of rhythm, and 30 feet from the basket. They have done much better switching on pick and rolls, and there is almost always a BOS defender limiting what used to be open three-point shots. Multiple times per game it seems like an opponent's non-shooting big ends up having a last second heave to beat the shot clock, and without that big player in the paint, they get easy rebounds.
- Playing better in transition on both sides of the floor. Defensively, it seems like they usually have two guys back, and if one of them is Jrue or White, they frequently take what should have been an easy transition basket and turn it into a block or steal and a break going the other way. That often turns into a +3 for BOS instead of a -2, and those 5 points swings are huge boosts.
- Speaking of transition, Brown has done a little better not turning the ball over as much, and Tatum many times is the one bringing the ball up the court and has done a good job. Both guys have been more open to kicking the ball out for clean looks. In half court sets, whoever the big in the middle has been great at kicking the ball out for clean threes. White has been great making those kick outs. Horford seems to have stayed way fresher not playing as much and seems to always make some crunch time threes.
- They seem to have a few minutes each game where they are an absolute buzzsaw. Sort of like what the Warriors used to do. They put the clamps down defensively, hit 5 threes in a row, and go on a 21-2 run in about 3 minutes to stretch out a big lead. The rest of the game they are content to trade baskets, and a lot of nights the main players get half the 4Q off.
- I don't think anyone expected Porzingas to have played as well as he has. His pick and pop game has been fantastic. He's been even better in the post. But what I didn't expect is a lot of possessions where players on the other team won't even go into the paint and take what used to be a layup and instead dribble the ball back out (with that possession turning into late shot clock heaves). KP has had a ton of blocks, lots of tough rebounds, and altered a lot of shots in the paint. IMO, he's the main reason for the big improvement this year (White being the other).
Reasons for concern:
- Tatum gripes about foul calls way too much. He gets to the line plenty, many nights more than he likely should. They aren't going to call a foul every time he touches the ball. He also has nights where he hunts threes, does his fancy cross over dribbles for late shot clock step back threes, and in general takes too many threes. The end of game scenarios that they have lost usually involve Tatum being the go-to guy with poor shot selection, as 4 other guys on the perimeter watch him chuck up bad shots.
- Letting up too early. Most nights, Boston can sprint out to the lead with the starters, they mix and match lineups after that, and then their 20-point lead tends to evaporate, and the game tightens up. A lot of times, they bring in the starters all together, they go on another run, and that usually is enough to carry the day.
- Obviously health is always a concern. Knock on wood, they have avoided any serious injuries so far, but in the post season, one of the main cogs being out would be a huge loss (but that holds true for every team).
- Too much reliance on three-point attempts. They're great when they fall, but they have had stretches where they have allowed huge runs from not making any of them. I'd like to see them get a lead and diversify the offense. Try hunting matchups to get some other players more looks in the post. Or get some guys on the bench more important minutes than just mop up duty.
- Potential half court struggles. Boston sometimes struggle in physical games and being forced to play in in the half court. They won't get as many open looks, they won't be able to just outshoot/outscore teams, and they will have to win ugly. Who knows if they can do that against a team that wants to play more of a schoolyard, bully ball style.
Overall, as you said, if the main 8 guys are available, I like their chances every night and in a playoff series. The verdict is still out on whether Mazzulla can make in game and in series adjustments in a tough playoff series, but we won't know until we get there.