What have you ever discovered from the playoffs this yr that would inform the Celtics offseason choices?
Mark Aboyoun
One factor the NBA playoffs jogged my memory of is that there are not any straightforward video games — regardless of the matchup. Quite a lot of followers most well-liked a collection 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 might need been very completely different.
What stood out all through the playoffs is that each group is able to getting back from a deficit. That makes it much more necessary to remain aggressive when you’ve gotten a lead. Trying again, I didn’t thoughts Boston settling for threes early within the collection towards New York as a result of most of them have been high quality appears to be like — they only didn’t fall. Nonetheless, a takeaway for the Celtics this offseason ought to be preserve offensive strain when forward, not simply coasting or counting on threes.
A technique to try this may very well be including extra bench scoring. Discovering somebody who can play alongside Payton Pritchard and convey an attacking mindset off the bench might assist maintain 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 discovered from the playoffs this yr is that constructing a tradition with a core group of gamers is a very powerful facet of being a championship caliber group. Have 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 company is a vital think about successful. a group 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.
Persistence is essential and groups shouldn’t be so fast to tug the set off on a star participant which may look good on paper. Construct from inside and you’ll find success
Mike Dynon
What I hope the Celtics discovered is that no lead is sufficiently big and they should keep aggressive and transfer the ball for 48 minutes. Not 36, not 42, all 48. They misplaced the Knicks collection 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 power. Within the fourth quarter of Recreation 1, Boston shot 4-21 (2-15 threes) and had simply 2 assists for 16 factors. We informed 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 may not simply run out the clock, but the Celtics habitually sluggish themselves down, with Tatum or Brown dribbling in place and nobody shifting. Or they attempt to velocity up and take a 3 after one go 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 strain 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 stored 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 shedding 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 huge takeaway from these yr’s playoffs is that I feel the Celtics leaned an excessive amount of into variance this season. They upped their three level charge, 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 collection. I’d implore Joe Mazzulla to concentrate on growing 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 tremendously. Extra possessions equals much less variance.
Jeff Clark
The Pacers proved which you can win with a high-paced, random offense, even within the playoffs the place historically the tempo has at all times slowed. The Celtics didn’t essentially have the personnel to repeatedly push the tempo like Haliburton does, however Boston might have and will 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 at all times be a extra deliberate participant, and he’s confirmed he can thrive with that model, however I feel as Brad Stevens reshapes his roster, he would possibly need to goal gamers that thrive in a extra motion primarily based offense. Likewise, I feel Joe Mazzulla ought to concentrate on emphasizing these motion appears to be like extra when the offense will get stagnant. Subsequent yr can be an excellent time to experiment and tinker. What they have been doing clearly labored final yr, however the recreation evolves and it’s important to maintain adapting too.
