Boston Celtics: Playing the full 48 minutes

The Boston Celtics have had an impressive season so far, sitting a half-game behind the Toronto Raptors in second place with a 40-18 record. One issue however, is the Celtics’ inability to play the full 48 minutes.

Some of the best basketball games are ones involving comebacks. However, if you’re the one playing — or even the fan cheering for a specific team that’s playing — from behind, it can be stressful. Anytime you go out and play a game, you’re hoping that you’re in sync and can crush the competition.

There are a lot of headlines that surround the Boston Celtics team and some of those include injuries and scoring. One thing that doesn’t get enough attention has been the team’s inability to play the full 48 minutes. This issue has been overshadowed due to the Celtics winning games and all the other headlines.

Last season the team had a lot of buzz when it came to fourth quarter comebacks. Isaiah Thomas was the leader of those stories, coming away with many impressive fourth quarter wins. This season, all the fourth quarter talk has shifted towards the new sheriff in town, Kyrie Irving.

This is not to disparage the amount of talent it takes to come from behind and have a 40-18 record. However, it’s a call for some concern moving forward as the playoffs inch closer. Playing from behind may work in the regular season or against lesser opponents, but when you’re playing the best teams in the league, mixed with playoff adrenaline, that type of of play won’t fly.

We know the type of style the Celtics play by and that’s through their defense. They’re currently ranked No. 1 in defensive rating. Beyond Irving, the team has really struggled at times to score the ball. According to NBA.com, the Celtics rank 26th in the NBA in points scoring with an average of 97.4 points per game. They also rank 21st in offensive rating.

Too many times do the Celtics trail at the end of the first half by a large margin. Several times they’ve been down by 15 points or more. We’ve seen the Celtics lose three times in February so far and all three of those losses are a primed example of this:

• Toronto Raptors loss: Trailed 58-37 (-21)
• Indiana Pacers loss: 59-38 (-21)
• Cleveland Cavaliers loss: 64-52 (-12)

It’s so hard to win in this league if you’re constantly playing from behind, especially considering that all three of those teams are in the run for the playoffs. This just illustrates the issue even further that Boston cannot fall behind to teams like this.

Below, we can see how the Celtics fare offensively and defensively when you compare the team’s first half to the fourth quarter. It’s hard to look at totals because one involves two quarters, whereas is only one, but it’s the ranks that really tell the story. The Celtics’ third quarter is a little above-average, but when comparing the first half to the fourth quarter, that’s when you really start to notice the difference in their play:

First half:

• Offensive rating: 100.0 (29th)
• Defensive rating: 101.5 (6th)
• Points scored: 49.7 (29th)

Fourth quarter:

• Offensive Rating: 110.4 (3rd)
• Defensive Rating: 102.4 (3rd)
• Points Scored: 26.0 (11th)

The Celtics are a great defensive team, so there’s no shock when you look at their defensive rating and you see a small jump of improvement in the fourth quarter. However, it’s the offense that’s scary for a team that’s considered a Finals contender and for the majority of the season has led the Eastern Conference standings. It’s an ugly spread between the two comparisons.

A team that can’t score in the first half will more than likely be playing from behind. It’s just really jaw-dropping to see that the team ranks second to last in offense for the first half of games. Boston has been considered a great fourth quarter team, and the stats back that up. They’re nearly in the top-10 in points scored, and rank third in offensive rating.

Next: 2017-18 Week 18 NBA Power Rankings

If the Celtics want to be able to make a deep run in the playoffs, then it will start with playing the full 48 minutes. Boston will struggle to win games if it continues to play from behind.