Boston Celtics: The C’s Are Starting To Find Their Identity
The Boston Celtics are finally looking like they have found their identity on both ends of the floor.
The Boston Celtics are now 11-8 after winning four out of their last five games, and the team is starting to find its groove. In their last five games, Boston has averaged 101 PPG on offense, and they have only allowed 92 PPG on defense.
The Celtics have been winning a lot of their games due to their defense by posting a defensive rating of 98.9, which is second best in the NBA right now. Boston is also leading the league in average margin of victory (16.9).
In their last game against the Sacramento Kings, everything was clicking on offense for the Celtics. The team put up 114 points, and they posted an offensive rating of 111.4. The Celtics also shot 42.4 from beyond the arc, which was their second best three-point shooting performance on the season.
More from Boston Celtics
- Why the new and improved Celtics are a major threat
- These two Celtics will be crucial to unlocking Kristaps Porzingis’ potential
- The new-look Celtics are closer than ever to an 18th title
- 3 Reasons Boston will regret trading Marcus Smart
- Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency
There were four players that scored more than 20 points against the Kings — Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, and Avery Bradley. The Celtics also assisted on 85 percent of their baskets against the Kings.
Boston is starting to show that they can get it done on both ends of the floor. The Celtics have become an elite defense, and this is not a typo. Before the season, nobody would have predicted that the Celtics would be second in NBA in defensive rating, and seventh in the NBA in opponents points per game (97.5).
The team is also averaging the most steals per game in the NBA (11.4) and forcing the most turnovers per game (18.4). The team did struggle a little bit in the first couple games without Marcus Smart (out for at least a couple weeks), but now coach Brad Stevens seems to be getting the most of out every player on both ends of the floor.
Future Outlook
After the loss to Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 22 and after the embarrassing loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 24, many players on the Celtics voiced their opinions on how the team needs to buy in and put in more effort. Coach Stevens was very upset with the effort of the Celtics, particularly after their loss to the Hawks, and this got the attention of the team.
Thomas on Stevens: "That's the most mad I've seen him in my time here." Said Stevens told them that's maddest he's been since first yr here
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 25, 2015
In their next game, they almost lost to the Philadelphia 76ers at home, which would have been a horrific loss for a much better Celtics team. That game was a wake-up call.
After that game, other than a loss to a tough Orlando Magic team on the road, the Celtics have looked like a complete and sometimes dominant team. In their last five games, Boston dominated the Washington Wizards, the Kings, and the team won a tough and gritty game against a good Miami Heat team.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 6
Boston’s season outlook is looking very bright now, seeing that they are starting to find their groove even without Marcus Smart in the lineup. The Celtics are a team that no one wants to play right now because if they get hot on offense, there is almost no chance of catching up. The Celtics now know how to close out games, and right now they are playing their best basketball of the season.