Turn on an NBA podcast or talk show – it can be ESPN’s The Hoop Collective or The Lowe Post, First Take or NBA Today, or virtually any platform that produces NBA content – and see how long it takes before someone mentions how bad the Celtics are in the clutch. Chances are, it’ll be within the first three minutes of the team’s name being mentioned. The Boston Celtics and “choking” have simply become synonymous over the past couple seasons.
In both of the prior two years, the Celtics have had negative net ratings in playoff clutch time (-11.4 last year and -14.2 the year before). Weirdly enough, Boston actually went 12-11 in clutch-time games during those two seasons. But the eye test told the story – they didn’t look good when it mattered most.
But this playoff run, it seems different. The Celtics have the best clutch net rating in the NBA and have a 4-0 record in those games. They have a better offensive rating, defensive rating, and assist percentage in the clutch this year than they did in either of the previous two years. And by a lot.
But why? Are they just finally making shots? Well, that’s always part of the equation – it’s a make-or-miss league, and Boston has a higher true shooting percentage this season than either of the previous two.
However, it’s also about their pace. The Celtics used to be the team that played fast for 43 minutes and then screeched to a halt for the final five. They stopped doing what was working for the entire game and went away from their identity. But Joe Mazzulla and the C’s have made a clear effort this year to keep pushing the pace down the stretch, and it has paid dividends for their crunch time offense – which, of course, helps your crunch time defense.
Here’s a typical crunch time possession from last season: isolation with 10 seconds on the clock, even though there’s still more than enough time to run an action and get a solid look. No screens, no off-ball movement, and then a poor decision to top it all off. Nothing remotely inspiring here.
And here, you’ve got the polar opposite. Sprinting the ball up the court, making quick decisions with the ball once it’s swung, and getting a great look with 16 seconds left on the shot clock.
People associate pace exclusively with fastbreaks, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s about getting the ball up the court quickly and starting your offense at 21 instead of 14. It’s about getting a pass on the wing and – instead of sitting with the ball and waiting for the defense to get back in position – going on the catch of the ball and attacking with force. That’s what the Celtics have done more of in clutch time this year.
Looking ahead
Boston has a preposterous 43.9 net rating in playoff clutch time this year. Let that sink in for a minute, because it’s far from normal. They’ve been the best crunch time team in the league during the most important games, and it’s not close.
But, in a potential matchup with the Mavericks, they’ll meet their match. The Mavericks have a playoff record of 6-2 in the clutch and have two of the coldest clutch players in the league. It’s tough to trust anyone with the ball in their hands at the end of a game more than Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They’ve shown it in the past, and they’ve shown it during this playoff run. The C’s will need to continue their stellar clutch-time play – and against far better competition than they’ve faced so far – if they want to take home Banner 18.
