Even though the Boston Celtics got routed in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, 122-84, on Friday, they’re still one win away from winning their 18th world championship. Doing so would break the tie they have with the Los Angeles Lakers right now in total titles.
It is one thing that has made this offseason, at least so far, that much more frustrating for Lakers fans after their team fell well short of expectations and its potential this year.
Purple and Gold partisans may not want to admit it, but this year’s edition of the Celtics has apparently been one of the better teams the NBA has seen in recent years, at least statistically. During the regular season, Boston ranked second in points per game, 3-point shooting percentage and defensive rating while finishing first in offensive rating and blocked shots per game.
LeBron James has been a rival of the Celtics for much of his career, but it didn’t stop him from heaping praise on them and explaining why their offense is so deadly. He did just that on a recent episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast (h/t Lakers Nation).
“I think they do it with the pass that a lot of people don’t really give them credit for. I think they’re dribble penetration and once they see the defense start to rotate, they do it with the pass.
“To be honest, over the course of a 48-minute game they really only have two iso guys and that’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Obviously, Payton Pritchard has the ability to play a little iso ball as well but they just have two iso guys. The rest of those guys they move off the pass. They move off the defense shifting. They’ve loaded up on those two great wings in Jayson and Jaylen and then now that’s when their personnel really kicks in. That’s when Derrick White is playing on a closeout, that’s when Jrue Holiday is playing on a closeout, that’s when Payton Pritchard is playing on a closeout. Al Horford is playing on a closeout.
“And I think they don’t get enough credit for their ball movement when they’re driving the baseline or driving the 45, the slow and getting the defense rotating. That’s their superpower. Once that ball gets to popping and they got five guys around that perimeter that can all shoot the three…they all shooting high 30s, some of them in the 40s, but I don’t think they get enough credit for how they play with the pass and the body movement that they have.”
As James alluded to, the Celtics have found success by playing five-out on offense, and they’re able to do so because their top six players are all legitimate 3-point threats. Five-out offenses have proliferated across the NBA in recent years, and the Celtics are the latest team to utilize that scheme at a high level.
It is also a reminder to the Lakers that they need to not just be an efficient 3-point shooting team, but they need to have more legitimate 3-point threats and increase their volume of 3-point attempts and makes.
While Boston has gone cold from downtown at times during this championship series, its mere volume of attempts has made it difficult for the Mavs to match them in points off 3-pointers. It’s the exact same problem the Lakers had at various points this season.