On paper, this season for the Boston Celtics is the best since their ‘07/08 and ‘08/09 seasons, where they earned one championship with the big three of Pierce, KG, and Allen. Now, the new big three of Tatum, Brown, and Smart seek to raise a banner themselves.
However, unlike the ‘7/08/09 teams, this Celts squad seems to have a big problem that can’t be represented on a stat sheet: they fail to perform in big games.
Last Year’s Finals
The playoff run for the Celtics last year was incredible to watch, until it wasn’t. After sweeping the Nets and beating both the Bucks and the Heat in seven games, I really thought that this team had the grit it takes to win a chip. Then the Warriors came along and silenced those dreams whilst painfully rubbing it in our faces.
From Draymond playing football on the hardwood and not getting called on anything, to Jordan Poole nailing half court shots at the buzzer, to Steph putting our fans to sleep, this series was infuriating to watch every step of the way. The worst part was, we were up 2-1 before blowing it, and all the blame can be placed on our players. Sure, Steph played well, but he wasn’t going ballistic. We even kept Klay quiet nearly all series. Now, lets get into where our problems stemmed from:
Jason Tatum’s Performances in Big Games
If I were to tell you that Tatum had 100 turnovers in the postseason alone, you’d probably think I was kidding. Unfortunately, I am not, those were his exact numbers. His playoff performance was underwhelming from a supposed “superstar” and padawan of the late great Kobe Bryant.
Tatum looks like he has the opposite of a Mamba mentality when the lights shine on him. In the finals, JT averaged 21.5 points per game, 36.7% for field goals, 65.6% for free throws, and 3.8 turnovers per game. That stat line is unforgivable, and makes me place most of the blame on him for the loss.
This season, Tatum has struggled yet again against the Warriors, making them look like his Kryptonite. In their two meetings, he averaged 26 points, 4.5 turnovers, and 30.9% on field goals. Not great from the team leader and someone who is a top three favorite to win this season’s MVP.
Marcus Smart’s Play-style shift
Marcus Smart’s play-style completely changes in when prime time rolls around. He was last season’s defensive player of the year, but when the finals rolled around he was acting like he’d won MVP.
Sure, in traditional basketball the ball should be brought up and the offense operated through the point guard. Smart is not a traditional point guard in the slightest though, being only the second point guard to win the DPOY award. So tell me why was he taking just seven less shots per game than Tatum and six less than Jaylen Brown?
Looking back at this series, something that always seems to come to mind is not just how many shots Smart would take, but when he would take them. When the Celts needed a bucket in desperate times, the ball wouldn’t go to Tatum or Brown, it would somehow find its way into Marcus’ hands for a poor three or post move down low. In order for the Celts to come out on top this year, players have to know their roles. Smart, Tatum and Brown most of all.
Jaylen Brown’s Turnover Problems
I didn’t have many problems with Jaylen’s game last year, but he struggled to hold onto the ball when driving in the paint. In the finals, he averaged 3.3 turnovers, and all of them seemed to occur near the free throw line.
His main issues were that he was picking up the ball early, or keeping the ball too low and in easy reach of defenders. This year, it seems like he’s fixed those issues. Brown is averaging only three turnovers per game (still too high, but better), while upping his points per game to a career high 26.8.
Final Note
If Tatum can unleash the dawg we saw in him when he dunked on Lebron, if Smart can make his name proud on the offensive side of the floor, and if Jaylen can keep his turnovers low and production high, the Celtics can surely win it all.