Fast pace, great ball movement, very few corner threes, terrific defense-to-offense transition, improved shot selection.
Celtics fans saw little of this type of play early in the season, but all of that was on display in Boston's 129-106 rout of the Brooklyn Nets.
October saw The Green ranked 20th in Offensive Rating and 21st in Defensive rating. Last night, Boston was 4th in OR and 6th in DR. Since the Fall, the defense just kept improving, but not the offense. That changed last night.
The Celtics shot 54% on field goals and 40% on 3-pointers. Who was the main marksman from beyond the arc? None other than the much-maligned Marcus Smart who took all of his shots from deep, making 83% (5-of-6) of them.
There were a lot of 3s taken, but they were launched in the flow of the game. There was little hanging out idly in corners. Things were moving too fast for that. Both Boston bigs, Rob Williams and Al Horford, came away with double-doubles, and Al played close to 32 minutes and looked ready for the post-season.
It appears that Ime Udoka may have been preaching this type of play all season, and his troops have finally bought in. Easy hoops are more plentiful lately, and the crisp ball movement (at least last night) seemed as sharp as the ever-switching defense. Things are looking up for the Boston Celtics.
Comments
Post a Comment