#1 Offensive rebounds, again
The Atlanta Hawks controlled the glass throughout their win over the Boston Celtics. They secured 17 offensive rebounds. Some came via missed communications, others by lucky bounces, and some were created via physicality and hustle. Regardless of how they occurred, the Celtics must do a better job of controlling their glass.
28 of the Hawks’ 123 points came via 2nd-chance scenarios. Limiting even half of those would have vastly altered the game’s flow. Clint Capela is a force on the glass. His presence and success will give the coaching staff some additional film to watch and learn from. Nevertheless, the Celtics need to tighten up their defensive rebounding quickly.
#2 Testing out a switching defense
Dejounte Murray found some success when hunting Kristaps Porzingis and attacking him off the dribble. Throughout the season, Porzingis has primarily been used as a drop defender. He’s also covered the corners at times and operated as a helper. What he hasn’t done much of is switch. So, it makes sense that with the first seed in the bank, Joe Mazzulla wanted to gather data on how the big man would fare.
It certainly felt like Murray was having his way with Porzingis when getting the switch over time. However, throughout the game, Porzingis held Murray to 4-of-10 shooting when the pair were matched up or when the Celtics big man rotated over to contest his shot.
We’re not going to see much of Porzingis operating in a switch 1-through-5 system — it’s not how the Celtics have built their defense this year. However, knowing that the coaching staff are working on developing and refining how that would work is a nice touch, especially as there’s not much else to play for right now.
#3 Tatum’s miss to force OT
The shot isn’t ideal. Firing off a moving three with two defenders in your face is the definition of a Hail Mary. However, the Hawks did a great job of defending this action. They adjusted their pick-up points, they sat in the passing lane to Jrue Holiday and they denied the pass to Jaylen Brown in the corner.
What other options did Tatum have other than to get the shot off? They were denying the drive, too. Yes, there should have potentially been a timeout call before it got to this point. And yes, there are other ways to attack the defense — with someone else handling the ball being a primary choice.
Tatum’s shot was a bad one. He was in a tough position. The process needs re-evaluating, and that’s on the coaching staff as much as it is on Tatum and the rest of the roster.
#4 Defense needs to lock in
Watching this game, it was clear that the offense was ticking throughout the game. Actions were working. The Celtics used a lot of little pin-in screens after faking wide pin-downs. Their Horns actions were working perfectly. Yet, on the other end of the floor, Boston’s defensive efforts were questionable at best.
The Hawks continually found gaps to attack. They got the mismatches they wanted. And they got their shots off at will. I get that these games hold little weight for the Celtics. And I get that everybody is trying to ensure they stay healthy. However, there’s a fine line between taking your foot off the gas and opening the door for bad habits to develop.
Mazzulla will need to ensure his team stays focused enough that when the playoffs begin, they can slide back into their elite defensive system and produce the effort level we’ve become accustomed to from them.
#5 Thriving in transition
The Celtics generated 27 points in transition as opposed to the Hawks 2 points. They pressured the ball on defense, clogged the passing lane, and look to attack at pace whenever they forced a mistake.
I’m all for generating easy offense in transition. I’m also down with the Celtics looking to get up the court quickly after an inbounds. Still, I would prefer a more robust defensive game plan that shuts down actions in the halfcourt rather than trying to force turnovers at every opportunity.
After all, the Celtics have been a top-two defense this season without being a team that forces many turnovers. Stick to what’s been working.
Final thoughts
I’m late getting to these today. I’ve kept it short for that reason. It’s not my usual level of analysis by any stretch, and I apologize. I will be back to normal against the Pelicans. Until then, have an awesome day.
