After their most recent outing, the Boston Celtics are officially 3-3. In their last game against the Pistons, the Celtics struggled mightily in the fourth quarter. To say they have been inconsistent this year would be accurate: however, there are reasons for that. Their two young stars are adjusting to carrying the offensive load, and having Kemba Walker out deprives them of clutch shotmaking at the guard position.
Despite their middling record, Celtics coach Brad Stevens isn’t worried about his team’s performance, especially in the fourth quarter. Sometimes, the best thing to do is continue the course, and improve on the basics.
Brad Stevens: "In retrospect, I don’t think we’ll look at (the last four minutes) with as much need for improvement as far as the quality of the shots as we will the start of the game."
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) January 2, 2021
Brad Steens is right: sometimes, players can get too complacent and start the game off in a bad manner. It’s important to get good shots and get into a rhythm at the start of the game, rather than taking difficult shots off the dribble. While Marcus Smart is a willing passer, he can’t set up an offense by himself: no other teammate had more than 3 assists in the Pistons game.
The Celtics simply have too much talent to be treading water with a middling record. They will most likely bounce back, but it is going to take better execution overall. Brad Stevens will still lead the Celtics to a good record, and Kemba Walker should bolster their ranks when he’s back from injury.
