Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The Boston Celtics have transformed into a fairly strong Clutch Time performer , but in the f inal five minutes of games with a differential of five points or less , they have a glaring weakness compared to the Denver Nuggets. That weakness for Boston lies in their shooting percentage in Clutch Time. The Denver Nuggets hold first place in that category, hitting at a 53.0% clip from the field - while the Celtics are in a distant 11th spot at 46.2%.  Let's take a look at Boston's 109-115 loss to Denver last night. Clutch time began at the 3:15 mark of the fourth quarter with the score at 102-107 in favor of the Nuggets . From that point, the Celtics hit on only 2-of-8 from the field (25.0%) while the Nuggets were 3-of-6 (50%). Granted, overall Boston does quite well in close games this season sitting in 6th place with a winning percentage of 64.3%. Denver , however, is in 4th place with a WP of 65.6%. Regardless of whether or not these two teams compete in the 2024 Fina...

  The Boston Celtics are flawed. Yes, it's true . But that single flaw may be about to be attenuated.  The Green are ranked 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding - averaging a mere 8.3 per game . But is that really an issue? According to USAToday's Jeff Zillgitt , part of the reason for the low ranking in that category is that Boston does not miss many shots. They currently are ranked 4th in the League in field goal accuracy (49.3%) and first in 3-point percentage (40.0%). Regardless, help may be on the way in the healthy body of one Robert Williams III . Last season, the super-athletic C/F took down 9.6 rebounds per game, with 3.9 of them on the offensive boards . Rob is a difference maker out there, and offensive boards are part of that. And one more thing on Williams III's return. He shot 73.6% from the field last season , so he won't be hurting Boston's high-ranking in that category anytime soon.

 My recent article on Tommy Heinsohn's take on the low field goal percentages of the 50's and 60's, including the following tweet: This isn't a perfect comparison. But I wondered after reading your article, how many readers realize this approach (basketball is a math problem, pace is important, put up as many shots as possible without overly worrying about quality) aptly describes the modern game? — Genuine Samo (@Samothecat) January 5, 2022 Another tweet proposed that the breakaway rims may have a positive effect on accuracy . I decided to research that idea a bit. Either way, players today hit some ridiculous shots. Can't argue with that. One other thought that I'd love to see someone go in-depth on: the breakaway rim didn't come in until the late '70s/early '80s. As an expert in brickology, I can tell you, more forgiving rims are nice. — Mike (@finedayforabeer) January 4, 2022 The first breakaway rim was introduced to the NBA in the 1981-82 seaso...