The Celtics’ Statement Win Showed A Recipe For Playoff Success
Updated: Jun 29, 2023
To cap off an inconsistent month, the Celtics silenced a lot of the doubt around them with a massive 140-99 win over Milwaukee. Beyond the mere scoreline, the Celtics showed multiple sustainable aspects that, if they can keep it going in the playoffs, can bring them back in position to contend for a title.
Balance Between The Dynamic Duo
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have both had excellent seasons, arguably career-best seasons. Either with load management or injuries, the Celtics haven’t always had the right synergy between the two. There has often either been an imbalance or an inefficiency in their play together, as would be expected when two all-stars take the field together. Often, the talent level was enough to compensate for that, and both would still have good games.
However, last night was an example of how Tatum and Brown, when having the right balance, can go from threatening to nearly unstoppable. They combined for 70 points while having similar usage and shot counts. More than the stats, the play calling looked significantly improved from previous games, and both were used in ways that didn’t interfere with each other or the team as a whole. More of this and beating the Celtics four times out of seven becomes extremely tough.
Important Playmakers Go Into The Shadows
There’s a saying (admittedly in an anime, Kuroko no Basket) that posits: “The brighter the light, the stronger the shadow”. Every Celtic has their own contributions and talents, and a number of players have made an individual name for themselves with those contributions. But, like last year, approaching playoff time, each player is starting to understand the role they play in a winning combination. The unbelievably bright presence of Tatum and Brown allows the rest of the Celtics roster to do their job in an almost undetected fashion.
When looking at yesterday’s final stat lines, it was almost impossible to believe the following point totals: 14 for Brogdon, 8 for White, 10 for Smart, 7 for Robert Williams. All I could think about during the game was that those four were flying all over the court and making big play after big play. It became clear when rewatching phases of the game that Brogdon’s impact was felt not just when he was shooting, but also with his role as a facilitator and decoy for the others, as a defensive presence who made critical steals. He had a +/- of +41, and that number captured an unavoidable truth: the Celtics were miles better with him on the court.
Smart’s court vision allowed him to not only make eight assists, but also make pre-assist passes at speeds and efficiencies that broke through the Milwaukee defense. His coordination with Tatum and Brown boosted both of their effectiveness, with the same types of thread-the-needle passes that helped the Celtics win big playoff games in 2022. White has been huge all year, but yesterday, was more of an all-around presence than a big scorer.
Williams was just a rock on the inside, making timely point-blank shots without missing, dominating on the glass with seven rebounds and four blocks, and making a wall on both sides. Overall, the Celtics were much more harmonious than they have been in past games where these same contributors have tried to take the game into their own hands.
An Impossible-To-Misdirect Defense
The Bucks offense fell below their usual level in every possible statistical category. They had 99 points as opposed to their average of 117 on much poorer shooting (they made 13 less shots than Boston on 10 more shots) than normal, making only 37.6% of their shots. The normally physical team that gets 23 free throw attempts a game met a disciplined defense that only allowed 13.
For most of the game, the Celtics played a pretty typical zone defense, but it was the way they executed it that was particularly impressive. Robert Williams held up the inside, allowing for an almost one-in, four-out scheme. To cover the midrange and account for all possibilities, the rest would stay inside the three-point line, but close enough to the inside to cover it, while staying close enough to their main mark to account for a three. This is already impressive enough, but this is where having players like Derrick White, Marcus Smart, and Grant Williams who have unique defensive senses and the surprising wingspan of Jayson Tatum, among other factors, can lead to a thoroughly positive result.
Throughout the game, the Celtics got the spacing just right and kept their eyes on the progression of the play. Because they were constantly covering all possibilities for the play, passes couldn’t break through regardless of the speed, and the Bucks struggled mightily to get open looks until the game was well out of reach. While Giannis’ strength and overwhelming talent made it impossible to stop him completely, the constant attention on the inside lowered his effectiveness, and forced him to try and get things done on the outside, which he wasn’t able to do. Keeping him to 24 points on 11-27 shooting and just seven rebounds is a scenario that the Celtics will take seven days a week.
The Bottom Line
The best version of the Bucks, with Giannis, Khris Middleton, and their entire starting lineup wasn’t able to come close to Boston’s best group in a game that made a major statement. It’s just one game, and this is absolutely not a reason to get complacent, nor are the Bucks an easy playoff prospect. However, the Celtics can take lessons from this game to evolve as a whole.
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