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What have you ever realized from the playoffs this yr that might inform the Celtics offseason selections?
Mark Aboyoun
One factor the NBA playoffs jogged my memory of is that there aren’t any simple video games — irrespective of the matchup. Numerous followers most popular a sequence towards the Knicks as a result of Boston swept them within the common season, however the playoffs are a special beast. If the Celtics hadn’t let Recreation 1 and Recreation 2 slip away, the result may need been very completely different.
What stood out all through the playoffs is that each crew is able to getting back from a deficit. That makes it much more vital to remain aggressive when you might have a lead. Wanting again, I didn’t thoughts Boston settling for threes early within the sequence towards New York as a result of most of them have been high quality appears to be like — they simply didn’t fall. Nonetheless, a takeaway for the Celtics this offseason ought to be keep offensive stress when forward, not simply coasting or counting on threes.
A technique to try this might be including extra bench scoring. Discovering somebody who can play alongside Payton Pritchard and convey an attacking mindset off the bench may assist preserve momentum going, particularly in these moments when the starters are on the bench resting. It’s about ensuring the offense doesn’t stall — even with a lead.
Ian Inangelo
What I realized from the playoffs this yr is that constructing a tradition with a core group of gamers is crucial side of being a championship caliber crew. Take a look at the Pacers and Thunder. Final season each misplaced within the playoffs however with minor tweaks round a longtime younger core they ran it again and gained a championship.
I’m not saying buying and selling for the tremendous stars isn’t a good suggestion for a franchise however establishing chemistry and tradition inside a corporation is a vital think about profitable. Taking a look at a crew just like the Suns for instance who had a younger core make the finals however wished extra so that they traded for KD and Beal and abandoning the chemistry they constructed. Now they’re in purgatory.
Endurance is essential and groups shouldn’t be so fast to tug the set off on a star participant that may look good on paper. Construct from inside and you will discover success
Mike Dynon
What I hope the Celtics realized is that no lead is large enough and they should keep aggressive and transfer the ball for 48 minutes. Not 36, not 42, all 48. They misplaced the Knicks sequence as a result of they stopped doing what labored and blew 20-point leads two straight video games. Each instances, the Knicks have been the aggressors and the Celtics did not match that vitality. Within the fourth quarter of Recreation 1, Boston shot 4-21 (2-15 threes) and had simply 2 assists for 16 factors. We instructed ourselves that may not occur once more, however Recreation 2 was extra of the identical: 5-24 (2-11) with 2 assists, 17 factors.
On this three-point dominant period, you’ll be able to not simply run out the clock, but the Celtics habitually gradual themselves down, with Tatum or Brown dribbling in place and nobody shifting. Or they attempt to velocity up and take a 3 after one move or none in any respect. When the opponent has all of the momentum and you’ve got none, your threes simply don’t fall, and the stress will increase. We see it on a regular basis within the NBA, and that’s what occurred right here.
Distinction that to the Pacers’ fourth quarter of Recreation 6 versus the Knicks. They saved up the identical tempo that had given them the lead, attacked the paint and kicked to open shooters on the arc, or acquired middle-of-the-lane floaters from Haliburton. Their fourth quarter numbers: 13-20 (2-5), 7 assists, 33 factors. Indiana was by no means in peril of dropping their lead. The Celtics have to engrain that mentality into their system, and beef up the bench with gamers who’ve that mindset.
Jake Issenberg
My massive takeaway from these yr’s playoffs is that I believe the Celtics leaned an excessive amount of into variance this season. They upped their three level fee, and have been one of many slowest groups within the league. There have been apparent well being points with Porzingis and Jaylen that have been the largest components within the Knicks loss. However the Celtics ought to nonetheless have gained the sequence. I might implore Joe Mazzulla to give attention to rising the tempo and randomness of the long run Celtics offense. If they’ll grow to be 11% extra just like the Pacers on offense it could profit them vastly. Extra possessions equals much less variance.
Jeff Clark
The Pacers proved you could win with a high-paced, random offense, even within the playoffs the place historically the tempo has all the time slowed. The Celtics didn’t essentially have the personnel to repeatedly push the tempo like Haliburton does, however Boston may have and may have performed with extra motion to bend the protection extra. I do know they have been centered on mismatch searching, however there are extra methods to assault these mismatches than pure isolation. Jayson Tatum might all the time be a extra deliberate participant, and he’s confirmed he can thrive with that fashion, however I believe as Brad Stevens reshapes his roster, he may need to goal gamers that thrive in a extra motion primarily based offense. Likewise, I believe Joe Mazzulla ought to give attention to emphasizing these motion appears to be like extra when the offense will get stagnant. Subsequent yr can be time to experiment and tinker. What they have been doing clearly labored final yr, however the recreation evolves and you must preserve adapting too.
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