Virtually every advanced metric will tell you that this year’s Boston Celtics are far and away the best team in basketball.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla’s group ranks first in offense (122.5 rating), second in defense (110.7), and currently holds the third-largest average point differential (net rating) in NBA history at 11.8, trailing only Michael Jordan’s 1996 and ‘97 Chicago Bulls.
On most nights, the Celtics have been utterly dominant against bad teams, winning the games they’re supposed to in convincing fashion. They have more blowout wins than any other team in the league.
Against the Eastern Conference’s other potential playoff contenders they’ve been impressive as well, going 4-0 against the Knicks, 3-0 against the Heat, 3-1 against the 76ers, 2-1 against the Bucks, 2-1 against the Magic, and 2-1 against the Cavs.
At 57-15 overall, Boston holds a substantial 10.5 game lead over the No. 2 Bucks and has already locked up the top seed in the East. The C’s have had two win streaks of nine games or more and have only dropped consecutive games twice all season.
As has been the case most of the season, they remain the perennial favorite to hoist their first Larry O’Brien Trophy since 2008 this June.
But as great as this revamped Celtics team has been, there are still some glaring concerns that have resurfaced at times throughout the regular season. and on Monday night, it happened again.
Pitted against a Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks team, Boston built as big as a 30-point lead in the first half only to watch it evaporate in a 120-118 setback. It was the biggest blown lead in the NBA this season … and the biggest for a Celtics team since 1996.
Those that didn’t tune into the unfortunate collapse probably won’t think too much of it, chalking it up as an anomaly in a season full of triumphs. While there’s perhaps some truth in that, any loss of that magnitude can’t be overlooked — especially for a team with championship aspirations.
So what went wrong? For all intents and purposes, it’s really as simple as the Celtics took their foot off the gas thinking they already had the ‘W’ in the bag. But for me, it wasn’t the miraculous comeback that was triggering; it was Boston’s poor execution down the stretch of what was still a close, winnable game.
For whatever reason, when things go awry Boston tends to revert back to the difficult-to-watch, 1-on-1, hero ball-type action in crunch time: give the ball to Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, spread the floor and hope they make the right play.
Now, both Tatum and Brown are unquestionably premier talents and have earned the right to go out and win tight games by themselves. I’ve been particularly impressed with Brown’s exponential growth in all phases of his game this winter.
But when Boston is looking like an unstoppable force bound for a title, it moves the ball effectively, gets everyone involved and generates high percentage shots — whether it ends up in the hands of Tatum, Brown or any of the other capable players on the floor.
When you have such a deep and talented roster, spreading the wealth and playing to your strengths is key.
At times, Boston shies away from that. We saw it happen in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals loss against Miami. In fact, we’ve seen it happen time and time again throughout the Tatum-Brown era.
In recent years, the Celtics have often been labeled as ‘soft’ with a lack of mental toughness. While I believe they’ve grown and somewhat silenced the critics for the time being, that inefficiency still lingers inside their DNA.
From a pure talent and depth perspective, nobody — not even the reigning champion Denver Nuggets — can compare to Boston. But winning in the playoffs always comes down to the little things: playing hard, playing smart, and executing at a high level in crunch time.
It’s no secret that Boston has struggled in close games against good teams, and that reality remains a concern as they inch closer to the postseason.
Until they prove us otherwise in the playoffs, nothing — certainly not a championship — is a guarantee. The Celtics will remain a favorite based on their superstar prowess, balanced personnel and dominant regular season. But they have yet to prove anything.
In all honesty, I could see them cruising to the NBA Finals with just one or two playoff losses along the way. But I could also see them being out-toughed and out-coached by a dangerous team like Miami or the Knicks, failing to reach their potential yet again.
Only time will tell.
Nick Giannino covers the Boston Celtics for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at ngiannino@gloucestertimes.com and follow him on Twitter/X at @NickGiannino_GT.