Boston Celtics: Heading into the second round, the offense needs work
The Boston Celtics will need an improved offense if they have any hopes of getting past the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the playoffs
The Boston Celtics didn’t have much trouble getting past the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. However, if they have any plans on making a deeper playoff run in the Eastern Conference, they’re going to have to be much better on the offensive end with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on deck.
Boston finished the regular season with a top 10 offense and defense this year, but during the playoffs, perhaps in large part to the credit of Indiana’s defense, the Celtics struggled on the offensive end.
Amongst playoff teams, the Celtics have the sixth worst offense. In fact, amongst all teams expected to advance to the second round of the post-season, the Celtics will have the worst offensive rating among them.
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On the other hand, the Celtics have been superb on the defensive end. No one could argue with the results that they’ve seen on that end of the floor. During the regular season, the Celtics had the sixth ranked defensive rating. They’ve carried that momentum into the playoffs, as Boston has the second best defensive rating amongst teams in the playoffs.
Ironically, the only team in the playoffs with a better defensive mark than the Celtics is – and you probably could’ve guessed it – the Milwaukee Bucks.
Which presents a number of potential issues in a probable second-round matchup between the two clubs, well more so if you’re the Celtics.
The Bucks have been the better team for the majority of the season. Milwaukee has essentially been the team – and have had the season – that many thought the Celtics were going to have. Milwaukee has sat atop the Eastern Conference for much of the season and have had the almost unanimous MVP on their roster.
Giannis has consistently been the best player in the Eastern Conference this season, and might be on the verge of becoming the best player in the NBA as a whole. And they’ve showed exactly that during their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.
Through their first three games against the Pistons, the Bucks have beaten the Pistons by double-digits in every game. In fact, they’ve averaging a 24-point victory per game in the series. Milwaukee should close the series out Monday night, being only the second team in the playoffs – behind the Celtics – to sweep their opponent in the first round, setting up the second-round clash with the Celtics.
To hammer down the point, the Bucks have had the best offensive and defensive rating during the playoffs. In the regular season, the Bucks had the fourth-best offense and best overall defense. What Milwaukee has been doing in the playoffs, isn’t foreign. Which should be a warning shot at the Celtics.
Boston has been playing the level of defense that will no question test the Bucks. There’s no doubt about that. However, when it comes to the other end of the floor, the level of play that the Bucks are playing on the offensive end blows what the Celtics have been doing.
In the end, it might not be as simple as the Celtics’ up and down offensive game that will potentially doom them against the Bucks in the playoffs. There are so many other variables, including the health of Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirtoic, that could come into play.
At the same time, to sit here and suggest that Boston’s inconsistent offense in the playoffs thus far won’t be a factor is almost equally flawed.
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Perhaps this is not the right time to rain down on the Celtics’ parade after sweeping the Pacers. After all, heading into the playoffs, many viewed Boston as a team that could potentially get upset in the first round. Nevertheless, if the Celtics are going to compete with the Bucks, they’re going to have to play much better on the offensive end of the floor heading into the next round.
Boston did enough to get past the Pacers, but just enough won’t work against the Bucks.