With the Celtics looking to repeat, they’re leaning into some familiar failsafes.
Before Saturday night’s game against the Raptors, I dug into the previous thirteen box scores to see how the Celtics have been beating teams. and their 10-3 record had all of Boston’s hallmarks that raised Banner 18: threes and defense.
Here’s a rough statistical profile from this season.
Defensive rating under 110.0: 6-0
Over the last couple of games, the Celtics have ramped up their defense. After giving up 118 points to the Warriors over a week ago, they’ve given up 30 or less points in 12 out of the last 16 quarters of basketball. They’re right on pace at 110 points per 100 possessions to match last year’s defensive effort. The big difference is that this season, other teams, particularly younger teams, have really stepped it up on that side of the ball, too; the Thunder, Magic, Rockets, Warriors, and Grizzlies all rank ahead of Boston.
There’s obviously optimism that Boston will be better when Kristaps Porzingis returns. Neemias Queta and Luke Kornet have both found ways to contribute, but there’s nothing like having KP as your rim protector. Last season, the Celtics gave up 15.5 made field goals in the restricted area per game. That’s up to 17.9 this year without their 7’2 shot blocker in the paint.
Last season, there were 30-2 after registering a 110.0 defensive rating or less.
Holding opponents to 12 or fewer offensive rebounds: 10-0
In their championship season, the Celtics were one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the regular season. They grabbed 72.6% of their opponents’ misses, good for 7th in the NBA. It seems like an obvious stat to point — getting the ball after a miss is the period at the end of a good defensive sentence.
Again, without KP, they’ve taken a slight hit on the defensive glass. But in their three losses, it’s been their glaring Achilles heel. The Pacers, Warriors, and Hawks pulled down 16, 15, and 19 offensive rebounds respectively.
Last season, the Celtics finished 46-10 when giving up fewer than twelve offensive rebounds.
20 or more made 3s: 3-0
The Celtics have gone absolutely nuclear three times this year: on Opening Night against the Knicks and on the road in Detroit and Brooklyn. That’s Mazzulla ball.
They’ve pushed the envelope even further this season shooting just over 51 (!) threes a night vs. the 42.5 that seemed preposterous last year. They’re not making them at the same clip (38.8% vs. 37%), but don’t ever question Mazzulla about it. This is how the team was built and this is how they’ll play.
In 2023-2024, they completed that feat fifteen times and won every time. In fact, they won all 27 games when they hit at least eighteen triples.
In last night’s 126-123 overtime win over Toronto, the Raptors grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and recorded a 126.8 offensive rating. You can check off those first two benchmarks.
However, the Celtics 21st three that put them over the threshold? Tatum’s game winner:
JT called game @jaytatum0 at the buzzer for tonight’s @JetBlue Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/rRN2Uk2N3G
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 17, 2024
Through the first fourteen games, the Celtics have played well, but there is a sense that they’re not absolutely clicking on all cylinders just yet.
“It’s a new season. It’s a new thing. You’re always on a different path. We’re competing. We’re just not executing at the level that we need to. There’s a difference there,” Mazzulla said after the team improved their record in clutch games to 4-3.
“I like the mentality that we’ve had throughout the season. We had a great practice yesterday. We’re competing. We’re just not executing. When you can win games when you’re not at your best, that gives you the mindset of ‘we can get better.’ The guys have that. We just have to continue to work through it.”