The Boston Celtics now have a name for their first-round opponent in the 2023 NBA Playoffs after the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Miami Heat on April 11.
During his post-game press conference, All-Star guard Trae Young was questioned on the upcoming series against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions and chose to give a diplomatic response.
“Obviously, Boston has a really good team, but I haven’t really looked like too far ahead,” Young said. “I mean, obviously, I’ve watched them all year playing; they’ve been playing really well. But I was really focused on tonight and making sure we won. I know Jimmy (Butler) guaranteed a dub, so I was really focused on making sure that didn’t happen.”
Young had a big night for the Hawks during their win-or-go-home contest against Miami, recording 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field and 88.9% from the free throw line.
Al Horford Wants Boston’s Defense to Improve
While the Hawks were gearing up for a chance to make the playoffs, the Celtics were getting in a full practice session, working on areas to improve, and consuming some film to pinpoint previous errors.
Upon the completion of that practice, Al Horford spoke with the media, where he noted how the team had to improve on the defensive end, which had been a focus during their workout.
“This is one of those real practices that you get to, you know, work on things as a team,” Horford said. “Things that you want to do. Things that we need to be better at on the defensive end. And saw some film before working on some things offensively and try to go out there and do those things. So today, it was more about us.”
Horford has been an integral part of the Celtics rotation this year, ending the regular season with a statline of 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while shooting 47.6% from the field and 44.6% from deep despite being in his age-36 season.
Celtics Warned to Diversify Their Offense
almost time to drain some threes 💫
In an April 11 article, Bleacher Report’s Mo Dakhil discussed how the Celtics must diversify their offensive approach if they wish to return to the NBA Finals later this year, noting their propensity to live from three-point range could be a potential issue they will need to navigate.
“Being a heavy three-point shooting team means the Celtics do not take a lot of two-point field goals. Boston is 29th in two-point field goal attempts,” Dakhil wrote. “Even more troublesome, the Celtics do not take a lot of shots at the rim. According to Cleaning the Glass, they are 25th in attempts at the rim. Averaging so many more threes than twos makes the team easier to defend. If multiple Celtics hit a cold streak from deep, that could spell doom for Boston’s hopes of getting to the Finals again.”
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Trae Young Issues Statement After Drawing Celtics in The Playoffs