The NBA is a copycat league. When someone proves a concept works, others will look to duplicate that process. The Boston Celtics won the NBA title in convincing fashion after a dominant regular season. So of course the question that many teams and their fans are asking is “how can we do that?”
My Boston biased and slightly sardonic answer is “well, you can’t.” Because no two situations are truly alike. Many teams will see the formula of volume 3 point shooting and defense and rush to apply that to their own team. But that formula is a vast oversimplification of what made the Celtics successful this year.
Your team might have two top-tier, two-way, selfless wings that can carry the load on offense while locking in on defense (Clippers …when healthy). Your team might have a brilliant GM who’s great at finding high character, low ego, reliable support players to fit around your stars (Sam Presti). Your team might have a coach who gets buy-in from the entire organization (Spoelstra). Your team might have owners willing to spend to compete (Warriors). But can you get all of those things on one team in the same year?
The Celtics proved that it isn’t impossible, but it takes a rare convergence of circumstances. There are clearly other ways to win the title, as the Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, and Raptors proved in the last 5 years. But we’re talking about duplicating the Celtics model. So lets break it down into categories that other teams can focus on.
Owners that get it
It starts at the top, doesn’t it? Some ownership groups treat their franchise like any other bottom line business and the on court product suffers. Other groups are willing to throw good money after bad, but are so focused on quick fixes that they make mistakes that cost their franchise for years. Some meddle too much in basketball decisions when they don’t have a background in the game.
The Celtics owners made a point of empowering smart basketball people to make wise franchise decisions. First it was Danny Ainge, who had the job security he needed to make unconventional and sometimes unpopular decisions. Then it was Brad Stevens, who we’ll get to in a minute. Wyc Grousbeck and the ownership team have stepped in when they were needed, but were wise enough to not get in the way. That’s a delicate balance but one that other owners should study and learn from.
A smart GM that is empowered
So many teams cycle through coaches like they are iPhones. Ditching last year’s model for the newer one with a slightly better camera. But if the carrier doesn’t have good coverage or is unreliable, then the end product will still be bad. So it is with having the right General Manager (or President of Basketball Ops or whatever fancy title they come up with).
Brad Stevens didn’t throw all his future picks at the next star player that hit the market. He also didn’t hoard his picks for some future undefined opportunity. He trusted in his star players’ growth and surrounded them with complimentary pieces through smart deals. In retrospect most of his moves look like no-brainers, but at the time they required foresight and a willingness to accept some risk.
A coach that gets full buy-in
Just about any NBA coach can draw up X’s and O’s and outline defensive coverage schemes. Everyone steals from everyone else anyway. And if the head coach isn’t elite in that area, there are no shortage of assistant coaches that they can hire to round out their skillset.
What seems to set Joe Mazzulla apart is an unwavering confidence in his philosophy, a thoughtful approach to communicating that philosophy, and a sincere passion for connecting with each of his players and coaches. You can’t fake that and it is really hard to duplicate.
Of course on some level it also requires receptive players as well. Which brings us to the next point.
Selfless superstars
Just getting to the NBA requires an obsessive dedication and an endless supply of unwavering self confidence. Climbing to the top of the NBA amplifies those qualities even more. It is only natural for those kinds of people to believe that the best option for winning is to call their own number as often as possible. Most championship teams are built around an MVP level player supported by one or two other star players that have accepted a clear hierarchy behind that MVP level player.
However, the last two Celtics titles proved that something special can happen when superstars sacrifice their (well earned) ego for the greater good and share the limelight with their teammates. It is easy to make pronouncements about sacrifice in the Fall, but living that life all season long and sticking to it deep into the playoffs is what’s really rare.
High end, versatile role players
The right GM who is blessed with the right superstars is still tasked with surrounding them with the right role players. Just going with the best talent available doesn’t always create the right fit. Usually you can only find role players with one or two special talents, which leaves weaknesses that opponents can attack.
Finding smart, versatile, selfless players that can defend and shoot is very, very hard (despite Brad Stevens’ apparent knack for it). Fitting them into a salary cap that is already stretched by superstars on max contracts is even harder.
Yes, now you can focus on great shooting and great defense
Once you have all the above pieces in place, then you can lean in and focus on Mazzulla-ball. The math advantage of having plus shooters at all 5 positions is a great formula for winning. Focusing on elite defense that can succeed against many different types of offensive attacks is mandatory for winning a title. Then you need to understand that one flows into the other. Good decisions on offense create better transition positioning on defense. Good defense leads to advantages on offense.
But it all breaks down if you don’t have the right people in place from top to bottom.
No shortcuts
The bottom line is that there’s no quick fix, no secret formula, no shortcuts. In fact, sometimes you can have all of the above in place, and you get bad injury luck or a ball bounces the wrong way on a key possession and everything goes up in smoke. At least in the near term.
However, if you are looking to duplicate the Celtics road to success, look for the elements above, buy in with long term patience, and prepare yourself to live with the many failures and setbacks along the road to success.
