When the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 140-88 earlier this month, they exorcised some of the demons of the 2022 NBA finals while also adding glitter to what is shaping up to be a historically successful regular season.
Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum scored 27 on his 26th birthday, giving the Celtics the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history and their third 50-point win of the season, an NBA record. It was also their 11th consecutive win, during which they outscored their opponents by an average of 22 points, an NBA record margin of victory for a single-season winning streak of ten or more games.
Boston’s record increased to 48-12 with the win, and they limited Stephen Curry to just four points in a stunning victory that forced Golden State coach Steve Kerr to bench his starters for the entire second half after the Celtics had raced to a 44-point halftime lead.
However, as fast as the Celtics proclaimed their championship credentials against the Warriors, defeats in their next two games highlighted many of the weaknesses that have caused recent postseason campaigns to end in disappointment.
First, in what Brown called a “mentality loss,” they blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 105-104 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. The loss could have been dismissed as a glitch amid a hectic schedule.
One of the most common critiques levelled at the Celtics in the postseason over the last two years has been their tendency to slack down late in close games. The Celtics haven’t played many truly close games this season, but when they have, the same old issues have resurfaced. Overall, Boston ranks 18th in the league in terms of pace, which is defined as the average number of plays per 48 minutes. In crucial situations, such as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points, the Celtics’ pace ranks 30th.
With the game on the line against the Cavaliers, head coach Joe Mazzulla chose not to call a timeout to draw up a designed play, which is another common accusation levelled at the Celtics in the playoffs. Instead, the Celtics handed the ball to their best player, Tatum, and let him go to work. However, this led in the All-NBA forward dribbling down the clock and attempting a low-percentage, ultimately failing fall-away jump shot.
