NBA: The Boston Celtics And Portland Trail Blazers Have Found Unorthodox Success

In an NBA fueled by superstars, the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers have found unorthodox success this season.

The headlines littering the NBA ticker on your smart phone; “Warriors continue to dominate,” “Spurs remain undefeated at home,” “LeBron James questions if the Cavs have enough to win title.”

You’ve seen these bullet points the entire year and the narratives are unlikely to change as the league enters the fourth quarter of the 2015-16 odyssey.

But one, well, two important teams have casually flown under the radar. And these particular stories reflect a broader changing of the guard in the NBA.

While the unheralded success of small-ball basketball in Golden State is taking the league by storm and drawing the ire of post-game purists, the play of the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers should catch basketball fans’ attention. For they present a more replicable model for instant success in the NBA.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

The squads have been on a torrid pace over the past two months, rising up their respective conferences with a bullet. Boston is 19-8 since mid-January while Portland is 18-7 over a similar time frame. The success has been instant, Boston starting their push immediately after losing multiple super stars two seasons ago while Portland continues to win while in “rebuild mode” following the loss of four starters.

Offensively, the two teams mirror each other. Boston is fourth in the NBA in scoring (yes, you read that right) bucketing about 106 points per game while Portland is 8th with 103.

Both teams crash the glass well, averaging 11 offensive rebounds per game. Boston does play better team ball, averaging three more assists than Portland, but both teams shoot a high rate of three pointers and aren’t exceptionally aggressive in the post.

By themselves, the numbers impress but do not shock. Statistically speaking, Boston and Portland are two of the top 10 offensive teams in the league, but so are eight other teams.

What makes them so special? For starters, neither possesses a major superstar. Between the two squads, Isaiah Thomas, formerly a last pick in the NBA draft, was the only player to earn a trip to the Toronto All-Star game. So, it indicates that success can be found without the use of an elite player.

Secondly, neither team is buying success. The Boston Celtics currently have the 15th lowest team salary at $77 million a year. Portland has the cheapest team with a cap at $67 million. The most expensive players on either team; for Boston its Amir Johnson and Al-Fourq Aminu for Portland. Not exactly household names.

Now you might be thinking, “so what, teams without an All-Star that efficiently use cap space have been good for years.” Well, not quite. For the sake of the argument, let’s say Thomas wasn’t an All-Star this year. It’s not a major reach. Many thought either Kemba Walker or Pau Gasol would get in over him.

With that hypothetical in mind, there have only been a handful of teams without an all-star and not one of the 15 highest payrolls in the league to make the playoffs in the last five seasons. They are Indiana in 2011, Utah in 2012, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Denver in 2013, Charlotte in 2014 along with Boston and Milwaukee last year.

And only three of those teams, Indiana and Atlanta, made return trips to the playoffs the next season. What that indicates is teams that low payroll teams with an all-star rarely experience sustained success.

So, let’s see a hand of all the GMs that want stay relevant. OK, that looks like everybody. Then, take note of what’s happening in Boston and Portland

Again, pretending that Thomas missed cut this year, there are two teams in 2015-16 that are not only on a b-line for bonus basketball, but have been scorching teams over the past two months. And built similarly, Boston and Portland present a blueprint for other teams to follow.

The two teams are constructed similarly; young, athletic squads with deep backcourts. Boston is captained by all-star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who paces the offense with 21.8 pts per game. Portland point guard guard Damian Lilliard is averaging 25.8 a contest. Both studs are surrounded by talent.

Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley are vultures on defense for Boston, nearly impossible to pick while being scholarly readers of the passing lane. They also rebound at rapid rates for guards, ultimately leaving Thomas to focus on what he does best, creating points. And for Portland, C.J. McCollum is the little-brother version of Lilliard, a master a creating shots of the dribble and keeping double teams away from big bro.

Both teams are loaded with athletic, yet relatively unknown big men. Jae Crowder and Jared Sullinger do the heavy lifting for Boston while the trio of Miles Plumlee, Myers Leonard and Ed Davis protect the post for Portland.

You won’t see these five players scoring in the teens on a nightly basis, but each is efficient and physical with the ability to play a specific role. Leonard, for example, is one of the top, outside shooting big men in the NBA. Ed Davis’s advanced statistics are sky high while Jae Crowder can be a ball handler if need be. But each of these players allows their athletic guards star on offense.

So we have elusive, scoring guards paired with efficient, obscure big men playing on teams with below average payrolls that are statistically comparable and tearing through the NBA. They’re physical, fast and athletic. Most importantly, both teams play smart, efficient basketball that’s in line with their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.