We can often get caught up in basketball terminology and the complicated intricacies of the Celtics offense. We’ve also oversimplified it, called it Mazzulla Ball, and said it was just about shooting threes.
“Find the 2-on-1. Make the right play versus the 2-on-1. It’s that simple,” Mazzulla frustratingly told former CelticsBlogger Jack Simone during the preseason. “Could be a three, could be a layup. Find the two-on-one. I’ve answered that for two years now.”
In seasons past, the Celtics could hunt for mismatches and/or force opposing teams to pick their poison. Do they switch on screens and take their chances with Kristaps Porzingis backing down a smaller defender in the post? Is Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum attacking the rim more dangerous than letting Al Horford shoot an open three?
Without that championship frontcourt and fewer veteran ballhanders this year, Boston has to rely on more ball and man movement with multiple actions generating more scoring options per possession.
In their first five games, the Celtics were middle of the road in creating catch-and-shoot opportunities at 25 per game. By comparison, the Knicks are #1 at 35.5 and the 1-3 Magic average just 15.8. Here’s the kicker: Boston is dead last in FG% at 29.6% and 29.5% from behind the arc.
And that’s after the Celtics put up 125 points against the Cavaliers, last year’s Eastern Conference #1 seed. They didn’t exactly shoot lights out from behind the arc (21-of-57 for 36.8%), but throughout the game, Boston got good looks and consistently took advantage of what was the 6th best defense in the league. How? Creating 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 advantages by spacing the floor, setting productive screens, and limiting their turnovers to just eight.
After the game, Sam Hauser said, “It’s an adjustment: you’re expending more energy. When you don’t have your legs under you as much as maybe you’re used to, it’s harder to make shots. But you get a few games under your belt, you start to get used to it.”
Boston’s frantic pace and punishing early schedule of five-games-in-eight-nights has tested the team’s commitment to their playstyle after an 0-3 start. And while two wins won’t exactly catapult them up the power rankings, you can see the offensive system working. And for what it’s worth, the Celtics have a top-10 offense with a 118.2 rating.
The tracking data backs that up. They’re second in the league in generating open shots (closest defender 4-6 feet away) at 34.6 per game and 12th in creating wide open threes at 20.4. To Hauser’s point, yes, they’re working harder for those looks and only time will tell if they can maintain this pace for the entire 82-game marathon.
Yes, rebounding has been an issue. They’re 28th in defensive rebounding percentage at 62.9%. And they’re not exactly crushing the points off turnovers differential, scoring 16.2 points off turnovers vs. 15.4 opponents points off turnovers. Against Cleveland, they outrebounded the Cavaliers 53-42 and had a 23-20 edge on second chance points and they had five fewer turnovers and scored five more points of them. All in all, a win in the war of the trenches.
But Wednesday’s first home win was a good example that even though those margins didn’t win them this game, they proved that they can beat a contender with just solid fundamentals.
