The Boston Celtics are still the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference and head to the NBA Finals, even with the disappointing performance from the team in Game 2, a hefty 14-point loss to the Sixers in which rookie VJ Edgecombe tallied 30 points and star guard Tyrese Maxey had 29. Despite those obvious defensive struggles, though, this game was more about the shoddy offense of the Celtics than the permissive defense.
In fact, fans of the Celtics might have had some creeping deja vu in the midst of Game 2, because what we saw in that game is something we’ve seen all too often in the recent past of this Jayson Tatum–Jaylen Brown-led team. It’s not very good at dealing with success. In the first quarter, after the Sixers jumped to a 13-10 lead, the Celtics went on a 16-0 run that seemed to be a sign of Boston asserting its dominance. It was short-lived.
Instead, the Celtics reverted to an old standard of theirs, one that has been a danger even going back to before Joe Mazzulla was coach–even before Ime Udoka. One scout said of the Celtics, “It’s this terrible habit they have. Everything becomes the Jaylen and Jayson dribbling show, and they get these leads and just like that, the fall right into that habit again.”
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Habit Returns for Game 2
The encouraging thing for the Celtics is that we had not really seen the dribbling show this season. First, obviously, because Tatum was rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles tendon until early March. And then, when he came back, the Celtics mostly played crisp, ball-moving basketball that kept everyone involved.
Over the years, going back to when Tatum and Brown were first paired together under Brad Stevens, there was a tendency for the offense to break down at times, and revert to a my-turn/your-turn scenario, where Tatum and Brown would dominate the ball for different periods. It was frustrating, and certainly, the Celtics are not the only team to have wrestled with that issue.
But it appeared to be gone.
Celtics Shooting Struggles Are Rare
Said the scout: “The Celtics have always gone into these lulls where they are launching step-back 3-pointers or they’re forcing their way into bad midrange 2-point looks that, when you’re struggling to make shots, you don’t need that (expletive). You need to work to get to the (foul) line. You need to cut, get to the basket, get inside the defense.
“Sometimes, when things don’t go right for the Celtics, they just give it to one of (Tatum or Brown) and they put up a 3 or it’s a couple of passes around the perimeter for a 3. That’s where they can get in trouble. They can shoot their way into a loss.”
On Tuesday, the Celtics launched 50 3-pointers and only 13 of them went in. That’s not a winning formula.
Celtics Have Not Had Many Poor Shooting Nights Since Jayson Tatum Return
The good news is that the Celtics don’t frequently have those kinds of games. This season, they’ve taken 50 3-pointers 13 times, and they’re 11-2 in those games. They shot 26.0% from the 3-point line on the night, and they’re winless in games in which they shoot 26% or lower from the arc. But it’s a rare occurrence: It only happened five times this year.
The Celtics can make defensive adjustments, maybe by moving Jayson Tatum to the 5 at times to employ a smaller, switch-friendly defense, or by bringing center Neemias Queta up in coverage, instead of dropping him to the rim. Queta has been effective contesting outside and recovering.
Still, the overdribbling Tatum-Brown show is something worth monitoring. We’ve not seen it much since Tatum’s return, and the Celtics are hoping we don’t see it much more going forward.
Celtics Again Wrestle With ‘Terrible Habit’ After Game 2 Loss