Why the Boston Celtics Can Make the Playoffs
It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics have had their troubles being both consistent and successful since the departures of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, and now with Rajon Rondo out of the fold, things seem to be looking even less bright for a young team looking to make a name for themselves.
Head coach Brad Stevens certainly has a difficult task in front of him, as younger squads very rarely make any noise in the NBA playoffs, but his team has a chance to do just that because of their offensive chemistry and brand of basketball.
The Eastern Conference has been weak for a few years now, and has only seemed to have gotten weaker as a whole. The teams at the top are very good, but there is a huge discrepancy between the top and the bottom of the conference.
Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks are historically bad, and the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic haven’t exactly been shining stars either.
With most of the conference being average at best, this leaves the door open for a lot of mediocre teams to have a chance at getting to the playoffs. Unless your team is losing at an incredible pace like the 76ers or Knicks, it is possible for a bottom feeder to actually make it into the playoffs (think the NFC South division right now if you are an NFL fan).
The Celtics actually have one of the better teams out of those basement dwellers, and a lot of that is due to Stevens’ coaching style and schemes.
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Stevens is a coach that truly cares about his players and manages their minutes as fairly as possible. His ability to keep his team happy and upbeat is a major reason why they haven’t quit on the season and actually believe they can have an impact in the playoff picture.
Stevens’ offensive style is the same kind of setup that he had when he was the coach at Butler University. The ball is supposed to move as fast as possible at all times, with shooters and versatile big men spreading out the floor, leaving driving lanes for guards and wing players to wreak havoc in the lane.
This offensive system is how basketball is meant to be played because it does not feature virtually any one-on-one sets. It is very rare that Stevens will call for the Celtics to run an isolation play, as players are generally able to get good looks off of the other plays that Stevens calls.
Stevens also has the right personnel to run the kind of offense that he wants to, as he can have a lineup out there that features four to five shooters consistently.
Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk can shoot the three ball with some of the best big shooters in the league, and Tyler Zeller is an interesting pick-and-pop option in the mid-range.
Couple that with shooters in the backcourt like Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Marcus Thornton and Jameer Nelson, and the options are virtually endless for Stevens to spread the floor and let the ball fly for an easy perimeter shot.
When point guards Marcus Smart and Phil Pressey have their shots falling from the outside, then the Celtics become really tough to guard because the team plays at such a fast pace that they are used to setting up for three point attempts in both the transition and half court game.
The Celtics play at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, which comes in handy considering the abundance of youth Stevens has at his disposal. Even though their defense is pitiful to say the least, this team always seems to find a way to put points on the board, as evidenced by their 103.3 points per game scoring average, which ranks seventh in the league.
With nearly five players averaging at least 10 points per game and nine averaging at least eight, it’s clear that the Celtics do an excellent job at sharing the ball and truly playing unselfishly night in and night out. It can be tough sometimes to get young players to buy into such a system, especially considering the fact that their coach is largely unproven at this level.
Stevens is a different breed of coach, however. The way he commands his guys’ attention at all times is astounding, given the fact that he is such a young coach himself. His players believe in him and his system, and it has worked to a degree so far, even if the team may have to go back to the drawing board on defense.
Offensive execution and scoring points is going to be huge for this team going forward. The Eastern Conference has never had a lot of teams that can put up huge point totals night after night, so if Boston can continue to be a major threat on that end of the floor, then they have a real shot at breaking through and making it into the postseason.
The playoff race is wide open in the East, but don’t be surprised if the Celtics make it in. Great coaching and offensive execution can go a long way in establishing a team’s identity and level of success. Right now, the Celtics have both of those things going for them, only making them that much more of a dangerous team.
*Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Basketball-Reference.