C’s overcoming 3-point woes is great sign for title chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics often lived and died by the 3-point shot throughout the regular season. The Orlando Magic forced the reigning NBA champions to play a different style out of the gate in the playoffs, and they passed their first test with flying colors.
Boston clinched the first-round series 4-1 despite struggling against Orlando’s stingy 3-point defense. After making only nine 3s in Games 3 and 4, the C’s prevailed with a 120-89 Game 5 victory after shooting 0-for-6 from distance in the first half.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla preached throughout the series about the importance of winning on the margins: rebounding, taking care of the basketball, and defending without fouling. Those proved key to Boston’s wins and were evident in the second half of Tuesday’s blowout.
“Yeah, we didn’t turn it over in the third quarter,” Mazzulla said. “It’s that simple. Occam’s Razor.”
Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests the simplest explanation is usually the best. In this case, that’s true.
The Celtics actually didn’t turn the ball over at all in the entire second half after tallying nine turnovers in the first. They outrebounded the Magic 20-17 and had seven fouls to Orlando’s 10 — including star Paolo Banchero’s game-changing fifth foul — over the final 24 minutes.
Boston ended up with more made more 3s (13) than Orlando (eight) but were -14 in 3-point attempts (24 to 38). That is by far the C’s worst margin of the season, with their previous worst of -8 coming against the Brooklyn Nets on March 15.
“Orlando did a good job of trying to make us play a different style of ball, and I think we adjusted to that well,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “They wanted to take away our 3-point shooting. … I think it was a great challenge for us, and I think it’s a great step for us moving forward.”
Brown capped off his solid series with 23 points (9-18 FG) and six rebounds. His co-star Jayson Tatum erupted for a game-high 35 points (10-16 FG, 4-5 3-PT) with 10 assists and eight rebounds, making NBA playoff history in the process.
The tandem will look to carry that momentum into the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will meet either the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks. Regardless of who they face, Mazzulla is sticking with the same keys to victory.
“The margins,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to rebound. We’ve got to be able to defend without fouling. We’ve got to take care of the basketball.”
The Celtics may not be able to get away with poor 3-point shooting against the Knicks or the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom ranked top five in offensive rating. Still, it’s encouraging that they won’t have to rely solely on 3s falling to have a shot at their second straight NBA title.
The Knicks have a 3-2 series lead heading into Thursday’s Game 6 in Detroit. The Celtics will rest up with the second-round series likely to start early next week.
C’s overcoming 3-point woes is great sign for title chances
The Celtics showed their ability to make adjustments in their first-round series against Orlando.
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics often lived and died by the 3-point shot throughout the regular season. The Orlando Magic forced the reigning NBA champions to play a different style out of the gate in the playoffs, and they passed their first test with flying colors.
Boston clinched the first-round series 4-1 despite struggling against Orlando’s stingy 3-point defense. After making only nine 3s in Games 3 and 4, the C’s prevailed with a 120-89 Game 5 victory after shooting 0-for-6 from distance in the first half.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla preached throughout the series about the importance of winning on the margins: rebounding, taking care of the basketball, and defending without fouling. Those proved key to Boston’s wins and were evident in the second half of Tuesday’s blowout.
SIGN UP HERE “Yeah, we didn’t turn it over in the third quarter,” Mazzulla said. “It’s that simple. Occam’s Razor.”
Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests the simplest explanation is usually the best. In this case, that’s true.
The Celtics actually didn’t turn the ball over at all in the entire second half after tallying nine turnovers in the first. They outrebounded the Magic 20-17 and had seven fouls to Orlando’s 10 — including star Paolo Banchero’s game-changing fifth foul — over the final 24 minutes.
Boston ended up with more made more 3s (13) than Orlando (eight) but were -14 in 3-point attempts (24 to 38). That is by far the C’s worst margin of the season, with their previous worst of -8 coming against the Brooklyn Nets on March 15.
“Orlando did a good job of trying to make us play a different style of ball, and I think we adjusted to that well,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “They wanted to take away our 3-point shooting. … I think it was a great challenge for us, and I think it’s a great step for us moving forward.”
Brown capped off his solid series with 23 points (9-18 FG) and six rebounds. His co-star Jayson Tatum erupted for a game-high 35 points (10-16 FG, 4-5 3-PT) with 10 assists and eight rebounds, making NBA playoff history in the process.
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The tandem will look to carry that momentum into the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will meet either the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks. Regardless of who they face, Mazzulla is sticking with the same keys to victory.
“The margins,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to rebound. We’ve got to be able to defend without fouling. We’ve got to take care of the basketball.”
The Celtics may not be able to get away with poor 3-point shooting against the Knicks or the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom ranked top five in offensive rating. Still, it’s encouraging that they won’t have to rely solely on 3s falling to have a shot at their second straight NBA title.
The Knicks have a 3-2 series lead heading into Thursday’s Game 6 in Detroit. The Celtics will rest up with the second-round series likely to start early next week.
