Boston Celtics News (2023-2024)

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I know what you mean.  The further we get away from Red's memory, the less the new generation finds out about his impact on the game and the players he coached. With the passing of every player, we lose a little more insight into what made the game what it is today.  Sometimes, even though this was an "Indiana" theme, I wish the one asking the questions was older and had a little more connection to the era and the players he was questioning.  I, too, could have listened forever.  What were Bird's real thoughts on Walton, and Maxwell, for that matter?  Too many questions, too little time!

Exactly!! I would have loved to hear what he thought of the games of JT and JB and how he could have made them better and how much fun would he have playing with those 2 young athletic guns…???

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Tatum has definitely grown too, I noticed he is as tall as Al pretty much and he can rebound pretty well now, kind of Rodman like. I’d say the kid is a legit 6’10” now. I hope to see some 20 rebound games from him, pretty amazing how Larry used to do that in big games with his very average jumping ability.

Cow,

"he can rebound pretty well now, kind of Rodman like'?  Really?  This was a joke, right?  Tatum is a pretty good rebounder but he reminds you of The Worm?!

Tatum is averaging 8.6 rebounds in 35.8mpg this year, the year you think he's "kind of Rodman like".

In Rodman's last season he averaged 14.3rpg in 32.4mpg.  That was an off year for him.  In his defense he was 38 freaking years old.


Bob


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I never said as good, I just said reminds me….also Rodmans best years as a rebounder were after 30, at the same age Tatum is the better rebounder.

Also according to stats we are the no 1 rebounding team in the league and guess who is our top rebounder? I know didn’t think we were that good at rebounding either….

Cow

Our rebounding has flown under the radar.  We do not have a dominant rebounder on this team however the Celtics rebound well at all 5 positions.  It has been a very successful collective effort.

All-Star game

168 is an unimaginable number.    The significance of the 3 point shot and its' impact on the game was an overwhelming factor in the East winning a most glorified pick-up game of basketball.  The team that takes the most 3 pointers probably wins.  97 attempts by the East and 71 attempts by the West.  

There is no secret.  The Celtics are are #1 in the NBA in 3 point makes (16.2  per game)  And they are #1 in 3 pointers attempted (42.7)

The Celtics are ranked 5th in 3 point percentage at 38%.  4 out of the top 5 best 3 points shooting teams are  also in the top 5 record wise.

What will separate the Celtics from several really high end teams, will be defense.   Make 3's and get stops!

Here is a peak at top 10 centers with excellent 3 points shooting numbers.

The Celtics have 2 centers on the list (KP and AH)  MN also has 2 ranked 1 and 2 with KAT and Naz Reid

https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/player/_/position/center/table/offensive/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct/dir/desc

AH is #3 and KP is #5

The T'Wolves are #2 in the standing and have a shutdown defense.  

The Celtics play at a faster pace than MN.  

I expect MN to come out of the West

The way Townes and Edwards are playing, I might agree with you, but you have to look at the Clippers, barring injury, they are a tough out

RosalieTCeltics wrote:The way Townes and Edwards are playing, I might agree with you, but you have to look at the Clippers, barring injury, they are a tough out

yes Rosalie, the injury factor is there.  The Clippers have a very deep team so that should help.

Also, I am not a fan of playoff Harden.  And if the Clippers were to make it out of the West it would be the first time ever.

The T'Wolves have not made it to the big dance either.    I think the T'Wolves are the more physical team and they have 2 of the top 3 point shooting bigs .  The Clippers bigs are traditional in the paint guys and they cannot stretch the floor at all.  Plus, Gobert is a legit rim protector and rebounder.  

For all I know, OKC could shock the world..lol

The Celtics are probably the only team that can play and win against any team in the East or West.  That's because the Celtics can play different ways with a cast of multi-positional players. Our single big lineup includes 5 players each of whom are 3 level scorers.

This will be the only time I may say this, but I do wish we had Marcus around to push Harden around a little and rough him up. Harden does not like being pushed around and Marcus was the best at it. However, if we play up to our ability, I believe the Celtics could be raising #18 in June

RosalieTCeltics wrote:This will be the only time I may say this, but I do wish we had Marcus around to push Harden around a little and rough him up.  Harden does not like being pushed around and Marcus was the best at it.  However, if we play up to our ability, I believe the Celtics could be raising #18 in June

Rosalie your a veteran here, you can say it as many times as you want.

I think our defense is still as good and the offense much better and more diversified, which makes it better without Marcus. The Holiday-White backcourt just compliments the J’s like a glove both ends.

If any of you are really starved for BB, 2002 playoff game against Philly on the Celtics channel. The series of games they are showing for Mike’s retirement

Evaluating the Celtics at the All-Star break: A closer look at the contributions of the reserves


By Adam Himmelsbach
Globe Staff

Updated February 20, 2024, 6:00 a.m.



The Celtics surged into the All-Star break with a six-game winning streak that gave them a six-game lead over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference with just 27 games left. They’re positioned to secure the No. 1 seed with time to spare. Here’s a look at how the team’s reserves helped them get to this point.


Al Horford. To get a good gauge of what Horford means to this team, watch coach Joe Mazzulla’s initial reaction when he is asked about Horford in a postgame press conference. There is almost always some combination of smiling and shaking his head in wonder.


Horford, who turns 38 in June, had started every game of his Celtics career prior to this season. He is technically a bench player now, but has actually started 22 games because of injuries and rest days. But he remains effective in both roles, even though less is asked of him now.

His 11.2 usage rate is the lowest of his career, but his 28.8 assist ratio — assists per 100 possessions used — is a career high. In other words, he is making the most of his chances. On defense, the Celtics continue to trust Horford to switch onto smaller guards. Even though they’ve tried to use their speed against him, he remains agile for his age and size, and he uses his length to be disruptive.

After a slightly cool start from the 3-point line, Horford is up to 40.9 percent, and he is firing away from the shorter corners at a higher frequency. His true shooting percentage of 62.8 — a metric that factors in the 3-point shot — is the second-highest of his career.


Payton Pritchard. A year ago, Pritchard was frustrated because he had not been traded to a team that could give him more opportunity. But the Celtics kept him to prepare for a situation such as this one. They felt comfortable trading Marcus Smart in the Kristaps Porzingis deal in part because they believed Pritchard would help fill the backcourt void.

Pritchard is averaging a career-high 20.7 minutes and shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line. But he has become much more than a marksman. Mazzulla often turns to Pritchard in key spots when the Celtics need a jolt of energy or full-court pressure — roles Smart once filled — and he is averaging 1.6 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes, more than Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday.


Luke Kornet. Kornet has turned into a true success story. Just two seasons ago, he was under contract with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine after several NBA chances fizzled. Now, he’s a key part of the rotation for the championship favorites.

The 7-foot-2-inch center has earned Mazzulla’s trust at both ends of the court. He has been a reliable finisher around the rim, shooting a career-best 68.9 percent from the field, and he is a capable rim protector. Opponents are shooting just 53.6 percent when defended by Kornet within 6 feet of the hoop, 7.9 points below their average in those spots.

Kornet will get plenty of opportunities down the stretch as the Celtics prioritize rest for Porzingis and Horford, but Mazzulla also continues to experiment with double-big lineups. One has shown promise: Porzingis and Kornet have appeared in 19 games together, and the Celtics have outscored opponents by 25.6 points per 100 possessions with them both on the court.

Celtics foes are shooting only 53.6 percent when defended by Kornet within 6 feet of the basket.


Sam Hauser. When Danilo Gallinari tore an ACL prior to last season, the Celtics were not compelled to add shooting because they believed they had a capable replacement in Hauser. It was the right call.

Hauser is shooting 41.2 percent from the 3-point line and getting even better looks than he did a year ago, thanks in large part to the additions of talent elsewhere on the roster. This year, 76 percent of his 3-pointers have come without a defender within 4 feet, compared with 69.2 percent last year. Hauser has worked to generate a quicker release while also keeping the ball high on the catch.

He has avoided slumps, too. He has shot between 39.7 and 46 percent from beyond the arc in each of this season’s first four full months.

The Celtics have outscored opponents by 3.2 points per 100 possessions with Hauser on the court, trailing only Derrick White among regular rotation players. Interestingly, the boost has come on defense, where they are 3.4 points per 100 possessions better with Hauser on the floor. This could partly be attributed to opponents going out of their way to hunt perceived mismatches against Hauser, perhaps compromising their usual attacks.


Oshae Brissett. Prior to the trade deadline, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he believed the team needed extra wing depth. But then he pointed out that perhaps the player they needed was already on the roster, an apparent nod to Brissett.

Brissett’s long-range shot remains an adventure despite opponents giving him plenty of space to operate there. But he has given the Celtics a burst with his hustle and energy, particularly when he crashes for offensive rebounds before finding open 3-point shooters.

It’s unlikely that Brissett will be called upon for meaningful playoff action, but he should absorb plenty of minutes down the stretch to help keep the stars fresh. Also, he’s a good locker-room presence.


Bob
MY NOTE:  There, plus the 5 starters, are our 10-man playoff squad.  I'd like to have one more, for a total of 11, in case of injury but this isn't a bad 10.  I don't want to get my hopes up but I'm expecting Tillman to be that 11th man. I don't think Springer will make the rotation, he's too young and inexperienced, but Tillman isn't. I think Joe should back off the starters' minutes as we coast into the final couple weeks of the season and our #1 seed, and home court advantage throughout the playoffs, is secured.  Warm up the bench, rest the starters and avoid Mickey Mouse injuries like ankle sprains and such.  They're no big deals during the season but the playoffs are too short to be out for 2 weeks.  That's an entire series.


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https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-indiana-butler-remain/



For Celtics’ Brad Stevens, Deep Roots in Indiana, Butler Remain


By Steve Bulpett

Updated Feb 21, 2024 at 2:47pm



INDIANAPOLIS — On the concourse wall near the southwest corner of Hinkle Fieldhouse, Brad Stevens is inches from expressionless. The look belies the turning wheels within.

His picture is part of a montage that runs for yards and yards down the hallway, lit mostly by the sun this past Saturday afternoon. He appears then as Butler University coach more than 10 years ago much as he does today as Celtics president of basketball operations.

Some stop and point as they make their way in for the Butler-Creighton duel. Others take photos. To them and the many in the crowd wearing Gordon Hayward throwback jerseys, Stevens represents the greatest era in the school’s hoop history, trips to the NCAA championship game in 2010 and 2011.



Butler 2021 Hall of Fame inductees, including Brad Stevens


Boston Brad is deeply rooted in Indiana Brad, and you have to understand the latter to see how he’s again maneuvered the Celtics into position to compete for an NBA title.


Stevens had plans to be here on this day, but the last week’s “storm that wasn’t” postponed son Brady’s senior day game to Saturday. His trip to Indy officially abandoned, he is on the phone the night before.

“I’d like to go,” Stevens tells Heavy Sports, “but this is the time to make sure that I’m at the games I need to be at.”


Brad Stevens ‘Knows What He Wants to Do’

At halftime Saturday, Barry Collier cuts a regal figure in the Hinkle hallway, a blue pinstripe suit fitting perfectly on his 6-foot-7 frame. The athletic director who handed the keys to Stevens saw beyond the stoic look on the wall in 2007, and he understands well how someone who’d look at home singing along at St. Luke’s United Methodist could figuratively belt out some John Mellencamp when needed.



Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of Butler basketball


“He knows what he wants to do,” says Collier. “He has a really very thorough process to find a potential solution to something, but then follows through on it.

“And what is often missed because of his somewhat mild demeanor is that he’s really a fiery competitor. He just doesn’t wear it on the outside.”

Brad Stevens does, however, wear it in the transactions column. There was evidence of much behind the poker face early on, but “fiery” may not be enough to describe a guy whose team gets to the NBA Finals his first year on the job and within a game of the title series the second — then changes out 40% of his starting lineup.


That kind of thing takes nerve.

While others saw a group that had been knocking on the championship door and was ready to do so again, Stevens saw danger in stagnation.

“I think we’re always evaluating how we can get better, because I think if you’re not trying to get better, you’re probably going to get caught,” he tells Heavy of the thinking behind the acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. “And, you know, we weren’t where we wanted to be anyways as far as a Finals or championship team. So getting caught is just something that I just think you always have to be alert to.


“Being good is really fragile. Being good is really hard. And nothing is guaranteed, so you just, again, have to be on the lookout for ways to improve. Most of the time, that’s just within the walls — tweak the offense, tweak the defense, whatever the case may be. But sometimes opportunities present themselves, and you just have to be ready.”


Deep Roots in Indiana & at Butler

While his NBA brain may have been established in Boston, Brad Stevens the person — ready for opportunities presented — was crafted in this city and state. And this building.

On the rare occasions he is able to return to this historic fieldhouse, Stevens is welcomed as Butler royalty.

“When he comes back, it’s obviously a big deal,” says Alex Barlow, who played for Stevens here, coached under him with the Celtics and has returned to Butler this year as an assistant coach. “And now that he’s with the Celtics, it makes it even more of a big deal, because the Celtics are THE basketball franchise in North America.


“And there’s a lot of Celtics fans here because of Larry Bird being from Indiana and playing for the Celtics and all that. So when you take Butler and the Celtics and tie it all together, yeah, he’s kind of a big deal here.”

Says Collier, “We will never let go of Brad Stevens. We consider him to be part of the family and a major factor in Butler’s rise as a university, much less in athletics or basketball.”

The Celtics and Boston certainly don’t wish to lose their grasp on Stevens either. While he has yet to stitch a banner to fill the next empty home in the Garden rafters, his years as coach and now head of basketball ops have been among the best in the NBA. And here at the All-Star pause with 27 regular season games left, the Celts own, by four games overall and six in the Eastern Conference, the best record in the league.

After taking over in the wake of Doc Rivers’ departure and the trading of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013, Stevens went 25-57 in that construction zone of a season. As the rebuilding continued toward contendership, he had a .594 winning percentage over his last seven years on the bench.

In the third year following an ascension to the front office that caught most off guard, he’s doing quite well with a gig that’s far larger than outsiders generally realize.

“We’re always thinking about how to improve the team and make the team better. I think we’re always evaluating the team,” Stevens says. “But as far as true roster construction, I’d say it’s not as big a percentage of the job as everybody thinks it is. You’re responsible for the entire basketball operation. So you’re responsible for all the people in the building, all of their employment and everything that goes with that.

“The big moments of the trade deadline and the draft are what everybody focuses on and what gets talked about. They’re certainly the time of highest stress. But I do think the day to day is just like if you’re part of the leadership group of any other organization, I would assume.”

He’s therefore approached the position like a true basketball businessman.

“I feel very, very responsible for putting a team together that not only includes the players, but coaches, trainers, nutrition, analytics and everyone else that is on one page and represents the Celtics really well,” Stevens says.

“We will be judged on how well we play and how many games we win and our competitive character that we exhibit through it. So just putting all of the right people in all of the right spots to do that is, I think, the No. 1 responsibility. Get the right people on the bus, and make sure that we’re all moving in one direction.”


Brad Stevens ‘Took a Lot’ From Danny Ainge

And while Stevens is clearly cutting his own path, he gathered much from predecessor Danny Ainge, who stunned many when he hired a 36-year-old from Butler.

Where Ainge gathered a protected his first round picks, Stevens is more of a spender. Eyebrows were raised around the league in 2022 when he sent Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a first round pick and a potential pick swap to San Antonio for the then-unheralded Derrick White. But Stevens identified his man and got him.

“I took a lot from Danny,” he says now. “Danny’s an amazing person, and the thing that I probably took more from him than anything else is that he didn’t always agree with everything I did — in fact, he probably looked at some of the stuff I was doing as, ‘No, that probably won’t work.’ But he always allowed me to do my job, and he always was really supportive.

“I always felt like, at the end of the day, he knew how hard coaching was. I certainly know how hard coaching is. I know how Joe (Mazzulla) feels as he’s going through the season. I know the ups and downs. I know what his concerns are. I know what he gets excited about. I know what’s going on with the team and having a pulse on how hard that is on the coach. Danny always did that for me, and I think he really did it for a lot of people in the building. It’s a hard act to follow when you have to follow Danny.

“Unfortunately for me, I’m not the smartest guy. I followed Doc Rivers as a coach, and now I’m following Danny as an executive. Those are no-win situations.”

Stevens has attacked each with a quiet boldness, though he quickly shrugs off that tag.

“I don’t look at it like that,” he says. “My job is to try to do what’s best for the Celtics and try to put the best team we can on the court. I try to keep that as my north star.

“There are some really hard decisions that happen along the way, and there are some others that aren’t quite as hard. And then there are some ones that just gut you thinking about. But the North Star for me is to make sure that I’m doing the best that I can with the great staff that I have to put the best team possible on the floor.”

Stevens is guided, too, by the constellation that is his family. He liked the move from college coaching to the NBA because he had more of his offseason free (no recruiting), and while the current position doesn’t offer much break, there are scheduling benefits as he seeks a work-life balance.

“The job is so much more of a 12-month cadence, versus the sprinting a marathon that the season is,” he says. “I don’t usually ride the waves of the ups and downs — you know, playing great-not playing great — because I’m always taking the schedule and travel and where we are within all of that into account. I’ve lived it and it’s NOT easy. But this allows you to be at more things and fly when you need to fly, and not travel when you don’t need to. There’s certainly some benefits to watching your kids grow up that I’ve really appreciated.”

After eight seasons on the Celtic bench, Stevens was ready for a new challenge and a different pace.

“I mean, it’s just really hard,” he says. “And college is the same. You’re recruiting or you’re coaching games. In the NBA, you’re always on the road. But, hey, there are also trade-offs that I really miss and that I think my kids would say they miss. But I think that ultimately I know that I’m not going to get these years back, so I’m just trying to enjoy them.

“And I really enjoy the job that I’m in, and it’s very challenging and very tough and pretty stressful at times. But I feel pretty good about the way we’re able to balance it.”


‘I’ve Got Blinders On’

At 47, Stevens has the opportunity for many more career decisions. If he makes himself available, he would be a top candidate for any open pro or college coaching job or administrative position. He is asked about the future.

“Just like anyone else, you think about it,” he says. “I think one of the things some people would say is a weakness and some people might say is a strength is that I’ve got blinders on for the moment. You know, I’m pretty focused on the moment and trying to maximize what we can. I know how fragile it is, so I’m thinking about just how we can make sure we do our best to maximize this window particularly.

“Like, a lot of people have asked, ‘Are you going to coach again? Are you going to do this, are you going to do that?’ I’m just taking it day by day and trying to do the best job I can. There are things I miss about coaching, but there are so many things I appreciate and enjoy about THIS job. So, like anything else, there’s positives and minuses in everything. But overall I’ve been really lucky to have these two jobs for the Celtics.”

And maybe some, too, in getting chosen for the head coaching job at Butler at age 30. But though the Final Fours that followed were seen as a stretch for a school out of the Horizon League, Barry Collier knew what he was getting and is not the least surprised by Stevens’ growth.

“His gift of expression and ability to relate to people, his emotional intelligence — beyond his brilliance — there’s a combination there that’s really special,” the AD says before Butler’s one-point halftime lead would dissolve into a 22-point loss. “And he’s got a humility that he’s never really seeking recognition and does a good job of crediting others that he works with. So for all those reasons, he remains one of our favorites.”


The Face of Butler Basketball

Barlow is in prime position to recount the Stevens rise at the school of some 4,500 undergrads on the north side of town.

“With those two Final Fours, those two back-to-back title games, it just kind of took us to that next level — and obviously he was a big part of that,” Barlow says during a pregame chat.

“We had some really good players, but he was kind of the face of that with being a young coach and taking us (that far). We’re probably not in the Big East if it wasn’t for those two Final Four teams. Brad’s played an instrumental role in the rise of Butler. He’s loved here.”


A short while later, Darrell Peigh is standing with grandson Cam in front of the wall version of Stevens as Cam’s father, Kyle, snaps a photo. The Peighs grew up in Terre Haute, but Kyle’s branch of the family tree has moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he works in the golf course industry and owns a turf grass company.

For them, Brad Stevens represents both Butler glory and a bridge from Indiana to Massachusetts. It’s a bridge that helps define the quiet man unflinchingly directing the Celtic fortunes.


Bob


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https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/2/21/24075801/jaylen-brown-jrue-holiday-trade-nba-salary-cap-restrictions-boston-celtics

willjr wrote:https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/2/21/24075801/jaylen-brown-jrue-holiday-trade-nba-salary-cap-restrictions-boston-celtics

The reason why the GSW have won 4 titles is because they have kept their core together. It has been a very expensive proposition for them.

Team owners Joe Lacob (majority) and Peter Guber have been willing to spend to win.

Therefore, the undeniable result must be to win.

There is no crystal ball to look into. The NBA anticipates a big increase in revenue and that will impact future salary CAP numbers. The Celtics remain well positioned to stay competitive well into the future. Their focus is to win now and win in the future.

Bob



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dboss wrote:

willjr wrote:https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/2/21/24075801/jaylen-brown-jrue-holiday-trade-nba-salary-cap-restrictions-boston-celtics

The reason why the GSW have won 4 titles is because they have kept their core  together.  It has been a very expensive proposition for them.

Team owners Joe Lacob (majority) and Peter Guber have been willing to spend to win.  

Therefore, the undeniable result must be to win.  

There is no crystal ball to look into.  The NBA anticipates a big increase in revenue and that will impact future salary CAP numbers.  The Celtics remain well positioned to stay competitive well into the future.   Their focus is to win now and win in the future.

Two of those titles were because of very fortuitous circumstances. They had signed Curry to a multi-year below market extension and Klay signed a max BEFORE the salary cap jumped. So they had these two foundational players at way-below-market value. The salary cap jump opened up a max slot to sign KD putting together an unfair team. It was injuries that came in between them and 5 titles.

And yes, they have been able to parlay their good fortune, through good management, into real fortune. They were able to move the team to SF, leverage the euphoria in this rich locality to basically fund and own their arena (season ticket rights in the new arena required people to pony up approx. $30K in a 30-year interest free loan disguised as rights fee) and as a result, have a huge ability to absorb extra salary.

https://theathletic.com/5306882/2024/02/29/celtics-winning-streak-stats/?source=freeweeklyemail&campaign=602288&userId=13921316


MY NOTE:  This is a day late, the winning streak is now 10, but considering last night was a 138-110 blowtorching I have to believe most of these numbers are even better today.



Celtics by the numbers: 9 telling stats for 9-game winning streak


By Jay King

Feb 29, 2024



The Boston Celtics stretched their winning streak to nine games Tuesday night by running away from the Philadelphia 76ers.  What has gone into the recent success? I dove into the numbers to find nine telling stats, one for each win.


True shooting percentage: 65.1

I could have chosen another statistic to highlight the Celtics’ dominant offense throughout this stretch, but their true shooting percentage during the winning streak (65.1) might best express their next-level efficiency right now. Among all players with at least 5,200 NBA points scored, only two have surpassed this true shooting percentage for their careers: Rudy Gobert and Jarrett Allen. They take dunks and layups almost exclusively. That means over the last nine games the Celtics, as a team, have nearly been as efficient as the most hyper-efficient guys who shoot from nowhere else but the rim.

That’s a weird comparison. The Celtics should be judged against modern teams, not individual big men. The Thunder (61.3-percent true shooting) are on pace to break the single-season record. The last nine games only represent a small sample for Boston, but the offense has been relentless lately, albeit against several iffy and/or compromised defenses.
MY NOTE:  Our True Shooting Percentage last night was 69.2%.  So it went up from when this article was written.


Total plus-minus: plus-163

OK, so winning by 50 points against the Nets helped the Celtics’ scoring margin during this streak. Plus, almost by definition, a team on a long winning streak will pile up some gaudy numbers.

Boston has still bashed most opponents recently. The Celtics have won their last four games alone by 99 combined points. Five of the nine consecutive wins have come by double digits and two were by eight points apiece. The Celtics have needed to play just six total crunchtime minutes during the streak (when a game is within five points during the final five minutes). They have won those minutes 18-7.
MY NOTE:  After the 28 point beatdown last night this number is now +191.


Horford-White-Brown net rating: plus-6.5 points per 100 poss.

Among the Celtics’ 19 most-used three-man combinations during this streak, Al Horford–Derrick White–Jaylen Brown is the only trio without a double-digit net rating. The team’s success hasn’t come from one lineup, but from consistent production (at least from the standpoint of outscoring the opposition) top to bottom. Almost everything has worked. Almost every lineup has been successful. The lowest net rating among the other 18 most-used three-man combos? Plus-14.1.

Horford, White and Brown should be ashamed of themselves. (Not really.) Seriously, the team’s depth, once looked at as a question mark, has not disappointed yet. The Celtics have a net rating of plus-20.4 over Sam Hauser’s 169 minutes during the streak.


We might be seeing new addition Xavier Tillman a bit more once he’s healthy instead of Luke Kornet. (Jim Dedmon / USA Today)


Minutes with Kornet next to Horford: 46

Why am I tracking this? The Celtics acquired Xavier Tillman to provide frontcourt versatility. They touted how he should be able to fit next to any of their other big men. He has only played three minutes for his new team so far, partly because a knee issue sidelined him until after the All-Star break. It’s not clear yet how the playing time will shake out between Tillman and Luke Kornet, but I’m curious if the Celtics will soon give Tillman more of a chance to play next to Horford.

Why? Over 171 minutes played with Kornet next to Horford this season, the Celtics defense has given up 120.2 points per 100 possessions. That’s sub-Wizards and sub-Pistons bad. Boston has won those minutes thanks to never-ending offensive production, but the inability to produce stops has been apparent, especially compared to the Celtics’ normal defensive standard. While that’s a small sample size, it’s not exactly a stretch to believe that a frontcourt with Horford and Kornet would be susceptible on the perimeter.

The Celtics have won the Horford-Kornet minutes lately, but the defensive numbers remain shaky. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tillman get some extended run soon but Mazzulla will need to figure out how to use him.


Opponent turnover rate: 12.4 percent

As good as they have been so far, the Celtics have a glaring flaw: the inability to force opponents into turnovers. They rank last in that category for the whole season and haven’t been much better during the streak. It hasn’t mattered yet but the Celtics, even with all of their defensive talent, just still haven’t learned how to force turnovers.
MY NOTE:  Only 7 turnovers for Dallas, but as Jay King says it doesn't seem to matter.


Transition offense frequency: 12.4 percent

The lack of forced turnovers shows up in the transition stats. Over this stretch, only one team has played in transition less frequently than Boston, according to Cleaning the Glass: the Portland Trail Blazers. They have ranked last in offensive efficiency during that period. The Celtics offense has ranked first — by miles. They have lapped the rest of the league.

That speaks to the ruthless efficiency Boston has managed in the half court. Overall, the Celtics have scored 126.7 points per 100 possessions during the streak, pushing them past the Pacers for the top mark over the entire regular season.


Opponent points in the paint: 44.3 points per 100 poss.

The Celtics have protected the paint well all season. They have been even stingier lately, allowing a league-best 44.3 points in the paint per 100 possessions over their last nine games. Their entire starting lineup can block shots, including their point guard (heck, especially their point guard). Off the bench, Horford and Kornet have contributed two combined blocks per game during the streak. It’s just hard to score on the Celtics from inside the paint. And it’s been harder lately. Inside five feet, opponents have shot a league-worst 56.5 percent against Boston over the last five games.


Usual starters’ field goal percentage: 53.3 percent

Jayson Tatum has shot 49.2 percent from the field over the last nine games. He’s the only Celtics starter shooting less than  White’s 53.2 percent from the field during that span. Kristaps Porziņģis (54.3 percent), Jaylen Brown (55.9 percent) and Jrue Holiday (58.7 percent) have all shot even more accurately than White.

Except for Brown, who’s 11 of 33 from downtown during this stretch, all of the starters have made multiple 3-pointers per game during the winning streak. Brown said he has focused on getting to the basket because that’s what his team needs.

“For sure I think we are very good at shooting 3s and I think a part of my job, my responsibility is to get to the paint to collapse the defense to make sure we get open looks,” Brown said. “Sometimes I’ll pass up 3s in order to try to get a paint touch because we need a little bit more of those to help our 3-point shooting even more. A lot of times I take it upon myself just to try to get to the paint, even if I do have a wide-open shot because I know if the defense collapses, then we’ll be able to get some open 3s down the line.”

Brown, who has played in seven of the nine consecutive wins, has made 61 of 78 2-pointers (65.4 percent) throughout the streak. The Celtics offense has not shown many flaws lately.
MY NOTE:  The starters were 38-69 (55%) last night.


Third-quarter net rating: plus-32.3

For much of the season, third quarters have been a problem for the Celtics, relatively speaking. On Feb. 3, they ranked 14th in third-quarter net rating at plus-2.4. That was significantly worse than they performed in any other quarter. For whatever reason, they just weren’t as sharp coming out of halftime earlier in the season.

The Celtics have stormed out of the break like destroyers lately. During this winning streak, they have outscored opponents 280-213 during third quarters. Asked about the recent turnaround, Tatum said the Celtics recognized a problem and addressed it.

“Just understanding what we were struggling with or not as good at,” Tatum said. “And that being a focus point on our off days, during practice or watching film. And just understanding that in real time when we come out of halftime, wanting to get off to a good start and kind of build off that the rest of the game.”

The Celtics should see some heightened competition soon. They open March with home games against Dallas and Golden State before embarking on a five-game road trip that includes stops in Cleveland, Denver and Phoenix. If Boston makes it through that gauntlet with the winning streak intact, the hype around the team should reach a fever pitch. For now, the streak is one more sign of how well the Celtics have handled business during the regular season.


Bob


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It was good to see them give those minutes to Tillman last night, he could be a force under the basket, now if Ray Allen could teach him how to shoot, he would be a big plus. I was impressed with that win last night, everytime Dallas made a run, the Celtics just turned on the juice and pushed the further and further away. It was so much fun to watcch. NOW...GSW is waiting in the wings for their butt kicking (I hope I saw that Russell Westbrook broke his hand, (as did Scottie Barnes) I wonder what effect that will have o/n the Clippers. He is a great defense minded guard so I believe they will miss him alot

Cameron Tabatabaie @CTabatabaie
about 24 minutes ago
The Celtics have 21 more games on the calendar 8 of them are against DET, WAS, POR, and CHA


Bob
MY NOTE:  First of all the Celtics have 23 games left on the calendar, not 21.  We're 47-12, that's 59 total.  82-59=23.  Good thing he's a sportswriter, because he can't subtract for shite.  Those 4 teams have a combined W-L record of 49-188 (.206).  Portland has the best record of them and they only have 16 wins.  Detroit and Washington both only have 9 wins.  You know they suck when they have fewer wins than we have losses and we have the fewest losses in the league.

9 of our remaining games are against playoff teams, 6 against play-in teams, 8 against the above bottom-feeders.  3 of the play-in games are against the #9 and #10 seeds.  Those are teams that wouldn't even have a chance at the playoffs before this new "play-in" tournament was created, they'd be out.  So, put another way, 48% of our remaining games are against teams that just two years ago wouldn't be in the post-season at all.



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BobH

There is a Podcast called Celtics Lab that I watch on youtube sometimes and Cam Tabatabaie is on there along with a couple of other guys.

In a recent session Alex Goldberg was discussing our open roster spot and possible guys currently in Maine that could fill that spot.  He named Queta, Tony Snell and Jordan Walsh.  My head almost exploded because he apparently does not know that Walsh is already on our 15 man roster.

See the 31:31 mark of the podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCUByuiVwK8&list=PLv1Zsk99iuxCcSHEyNsSxapFRkPIDmDa1&index=1

At the very least you would expect some attention to detail if you expect to be a credible sports journalist and or pundit.

I really don’t know how you watch those podcasts   Just one and I was done.  Guys who think they know it all and really know nothing.  I find it almost as bad as reading Bleacher Reports, Hardware Houdini, and others.  These are just a bunch of young guys who want everyone to believe they know what they are talking about.  After a while it really is hard to find stories that are true. Keith Smith, Wojo, maybe Bulpett, when he is in a good mood!!!  I am not a big Gary Washburn fan, but read Adam whatever his name!!!  Good way to get a following even if it is a bunch of baloney I guess

It's easy.

I go into youtube and type in Celtics and magically a selection of real, fake and in between pods are available to watch.  

I watch some and not others.  

There are some young podders on that have zero historical reference to draw upon.

I get it but at the same time accuracy this very day should be expected.

Stupidity does not bother me all that much as I can get a good laugh.

https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar-2024304-tatum-takes-home-potm-brown-banks-potw







Tatum Takes Home POTM, Brown Banks POTW


Taylor Snow
Sr. Writer

March 4, 20245:43 PM EST


The NBA handed out both its weekly and monthly player awards Monday afternoon and the Boston Celtics went 2-for-2.

Jayson Tatum was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in February, and Jaylen Brown was recognized as the East’s Player of the Week for games played from Feb. 26 through March 3. For both of them, it marked the fourth time winning each award.

Tatum strengthened his MVP case with his second POTM nod of the season, making him the only player in either conference with multiple such wins. He also earned the award for games played in October/November.

With it being his fourth POTM recognition in total, Tatum trails only Bird’s seven wins for an entire Celtics career.

JT helped to lead the C’s to an NBA-best 9-1 February record while averaging 27.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He also committed just 2.1 turnovers per game despite averaging 79.2 touches and posting a usage rate of 29.6 percent.

It marked the ninth instance of a Celtic averaging at least 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 3-point attempts per game over a single month. All nine of those occurrences Tatum has been responsible for.


It was one of the best playmaking stretches of Tatum’s career, as it marked the first time he’s averaged more than 6.0 assists over the course of a single month. He tallied at least five rebounds and five assists in nine straight games from Feb. 4 to Feb. 27, a span during which Boston went 9-0. The only Celtics who have logged a longer such stretch are Larry Bird, John Havlicek, and Bill Russell.

Tatum’s best game came during a 118-110 win on Feb. 13 in Brooklyn, during which he logged month-highs of 41 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists, two steals, and a block. It made him just the fifth player in NBA history to log at least 40 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five 3-point field goals, and two steals, joining DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.

"He wants to win more than anything else,” C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla said after that effort against the Nets. “I think that's part of his growth as a player is he understands he has to be great for us every night, but it looks different every night."

JT came close to logging a triple-double on several occasions, including a 35-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist game against Washington, a 26-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist performance in Miami, and a 29-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist effort against Philadelphia.

As for Brown, he continued the tear that he’s been on since the All-Star break.

JB helped to lead the Celtics to a 3-0 week with blowout wins over Philadelphia (117-99), Dallas (138-110), and Golden State (140-88), while averaging 28.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. During that stretch, he shot 62.3 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent from long range.


Brown was incredibly consistent from a shot-making standpoint, making exactly 11 field goals in all three contests.

His most efficient effort came right off the bat with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting against Philly. It made him the first Celtic to score more than 30 points while attempting fewer than 15 shots at TD Garden since Pierce in 2008.

The All-Star wing followed that up with his most well-rounded performance of the week: a 25-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, one-steal, zero-turnover effort against Dallas. He served as Luka Doncic’s primary defender that night and was extremely successful, limiting the MVP candidate to just six points during the 23.7 possessions in which he guarded him.

To wrap up the week, Brown had his most prolific long-range effort and best point-per-minute performance with 29 points and five 3-point makes during just 22 minutes of action in a drubbing of the Dubs. Brown erupted for 19 points in the first seven minutes of the first quarter, marking the fourth time in five games coming out of the All-Star break in which he tallied at least 18 points before halftime.”

“I love what Jaylen’s doing,” Mazzulla told Celtics.com when asked about Brown’s hot starts. “I love the work he’s putting in, I love the poise he’s playing with on the offensive end, I love the way he’s getting different baskets. Whether he’s handling, whether it’s in transition, the poise he’s playing with in the post, he’s really reading the game and taking advantage of it.”

The win over Golden State marked the 11th straight victory for the Celtics, the longest win streak of any team in the NBA this season. The Jays have their team rolling at just the right time, hopefully preparing them to gather some more prestigious hardware down the line.


Bob


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Bob


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https://theathletic.com/5315474/2024/03/04/celtics-nba-future-three-point-shooters-sloan-analytics-conference/?source=freedailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=13921316



Are the Boston Celtics the NBA’s new future?





By John Hollinger

Mar 4, 2024


BOSTON — So … are the Celtics the anomaly, or are the Celtics the future?

I spent this past weekend in Beantown for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and while I was there, I watched Boston shred Dallas and utterly embarrass Golden State. The Celtics are 48-12, rank first in offense and second in defense and seem likely to end up with one of the top scoring margins of all time. The only thing stopping people from showering this team with more praise is the history of its last four postseasons, but right now, the Celtics seem completely unstoppable. Anointing any other team as the title favorite right now requires either wishful thinking or willful ignorance.

Having an analytics conference as the backdrop for these butt-kickings seemed oddly appropriate. The Celtics’ dominance is in part a result of the analytics revolution, and in equal part their being a peculiar outlier compared to what that revolution has done to the rest of the NBA.

Let’s start with the basic thing with which analytics impacted the NBA most heavily: Three is more than two. Basketball teams were incredibly slow to realize this and fully take advantage of it. As a result, for several years, a simple life hack stood available to any team interested in seizing it: increase 3-point attempts, and move up the offensive charts. Take away 3s, and move up the defensive charts. Three-point frequency correlated heavily with success at both ends.

Not anymore. We’ve now escalated to the point that the relationship has completely broken down. Everyone is launching 3s and spacing the floor now; if they’re not bombing away, it isn’t because of Neanderthal math; it’s because they suck at it. There are no more Brook Lopezes or Marc Gasols to suddenly unleash as 3-point shooters.

Teams are taking more 3s than ever, making up about 39.2 percent of total field goal attempts, but diminishing returns have hit hard. With league averages of 36.7 percent on 3s and 54.5 percent on 2s, we’ve roughly hit the threshold where a typical 3 no longer has a higher expected return than a typical 2. (A paper at this conference argued that once we account for the much higher free-throw rates on 2s, teams have actually already sailed past the equilibrium point here.)

In a related story, the relationship between frequency of 3s and overall offensive efficiency has broken down. The Memphis Grizzlies are third in 3-point rate and last by a mile in efficiency; on the flip side, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are second and third in offense, respectively, with below-average 3-point rates. (They still shoot 3s at rates that would have led the league as recently as 2016, mind you; they just haven’t needed to push the envelope any further.)

The more interesting story, however, is on the defensive end. The thing about stopping opposing 3-point attempts is that it turns out you literally can’t. Or at least, nobody has figured out how without opening the floodgates in other areas. While a few teams have had success with low opponent 3-point rates — Denver, Orlando and Minnesota — most of the teams at the top of this category are getting cooked.

The most notable example is Indiana, as any Pacers fan can attest; the Pacers have sold out on preventing 3s and give up just 28.6 per 100 possessions, by far the fewest of any team. They also rank 25th in defense, allowing a hailstorm of rim attempts and free throws as part of the bargain despite employing an elite rim protector in Myles Turner. Against most NBA teams, this strategy seems likely to backfire; protecting the basket remains the most critical part of defense, and even the best shot blockers can only “limit” an opponent to 65 percent or so shooting on rim attempts. Better to take those attempts away and surrender the rest to the whims of the 3-point variance gods.

This takes us back to the Celtics, because it turns out Boston is breaking this strategy. While the Celtics’ utter annihilation of the league this season gives them dominant stats on several levels, the kernel of it is that everybody can shoot, and thus opponents have no help defense. Boston’s top eight players all shoot over six 3-point attempts per 100 possessions, and all shoot at least 35 percent from distance; as a team, Boston has by far the highest 3-point rate (nearly every other shot) and ranks fourth in accuracy at 38.6 percent.

Thus, the core strategy against every other team — deny the rim, live with the 3s — is basically a death sentence against Boston, a 58 percent effective field goal percentage proposition. The distributed nature of the threat is the other problem and stood out in stark contrast to the Warriors on Sunday. While the Warriors surrounded two generational shooters with much more ordinary perimeter skill, Boston rotates eight guys who can burn you.

Ironically, the teams that seem to give Boston the most trouble are the ones that make the gamble on taking away 3s; a losing bet against everyone else, it gives you a fighting chance versus the Celtics. The Pacers, for instance, beat Boston twice; Detroit gives up the second-fewest 3s and has been pasted by everyone else but took the Celtics to overtime in Boston in their only meeting this season. Denver is third on the list and won in Boston (the two teams meet again Thursday in a potential NBA Finals preview, by the way); Minnesota is sixth, and both meetings with the Celtics went to overtime.

Otherwise, more desperate strategies come into play, such as Golden State’s first-quarter approach Sunday. To get their best help defender, Draymond Green, engaged in the play rather than marooned at the 3-point line, the Warriors adopted the radical strategy of putting Green on Boston’s worst 3-point shooter (Jaylen Brown, who would be the best shooter in a few other team’s lineups but is shooting a mere 35.2 percent from 3 this season) and having Green sag in the paint while letting Brown fire away. If he missed the first few, this Jedi mind trick might have worked; instead, Brown made five 3s in the first seven minutes and the rout was on.


Leave Jaylen Brown open? Jrue Holiday says Warriors tried 'mind game' on wrong person

The result of all this shooting and spacing isn’t just a splash fest from 3, however; it’s also a runway to the rim. Boston is third in the NBA in 2-point percentage at 57.6 percent precisely because of all the room.

Watch this play from the second quarter Sunday. Steph Curry picks up Jayson Tatum on a switch and is getting mashed by the bigger Tatum in the paint but manages to hold him up for four dribbles, normally more than enough time for a help defender to come.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/03/04104843/curry-tatum-help.mp4?_=1

But the help never comes, because it’s stationed in a perimeter outpost many leagues from the action. The other four Celtics are outside the 3-point line, and all of them can shoot. Kevon Looney is worried about Payton Pritchard at the upper wing, and Lester Quinones doesn’t want to leave Brown in the corner and finally makes a late, lame effort. (Had it been stronger, Tatum very likely spots Brown in the corner anyway.) An annoyed Curry motions for somebody, anybody, to come to his rescue as Tatum lays the ball in.

“That’s what we used to do to teams,” Curry lamented after the game. Indeed, it did feel a bit like a tactical changing of the guard. In terms of this past weekend’s nerd convention and where the game is going with 3s and spacing, Golden State brought a Commodore VIC-20 to a supercomputer fight.

What’s amazing is that the Warriors themselves are third in 3-point frequency. But because more than half of them come from two players, their spacing doesn’t stress defenses beyond their breaking point the way Boston’s distributed attack does. Curry is still amazing, and Klay Thompson can still make it rain, but Golden State is league average or worse in 2-point shooting, free throws and turnovers.

This takes us to the final question: Is this what the league will look like in five years? Or is it just too hard to build the kind of talent base Boston has, where eight guys can shoot 3s and switch on defense? I mean, by definition, only half the guys in the league can be above-average shooters, right?

In any case, look for imitators to spawn soon. The Celtics are awesome, and stopping them is an impossible question — especially with Kristaps Porziņģis around to mash the switches that have occasionally vexed Boston in previous postseasons. Finding an entire rotation of shooting threats is hard, but if the Celtics’ stampede continues through June, I’d expect plenty of their rivals to try it.


Bob
MY NOTE: When we play offense and defense like we did vs GSW nobody can beat us. NOBODY.


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