The Celtics Fall To 0-2, And Get A Reality Check
The Celtics are 0-2 heading into their first back-to-back of the season...
This wasn’t a tough loss; it was a reality check. Our first taste of how things could be when facing contending-level teams.
Let’s dive in.
Game 2: Celtics 95 — Knicks 105
📊 Key Stats
We have to start with rebounding — as will likely be a theme all season, or at least, until a trade is made. The Celtics gave up 21 offensive rebounds, in turn allowing a total of 21 second-chance points.
Overall, the Celtics were out-rebounded 53-37.
I’m stating the obvious here, but for as long as this team struggles to control its defensive glass, it will be susceptible to getting bullied in the paint.
Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 12 offensive boards between them, more than the entire Celtics team mustered throughout the game.
For a team that’s looking to play up-tempo basketball, the Celtics were humbled on the break. The Knicks outscored Boston 15-2 in fast-break points
Furthermore, the Celtics were also outscored on points off turnovers, losing that battle 16-23.
I’ve already touched on the difference between playing fast and playing with tempo — with the latter being more about decision making, movement, etc. But there is an intersection between those two areas, and that is where I would assume the Celtics want to live. However, in order to reach that intersection and maximize the upside that comes with it, they need to execute on their opportunities.
Joe Mazzulla altered the defensive approach against the Knicks. There was less gap help, as the team stayed home on New York’s myriad of offensive threats. Instead, Boston looked to switch more, and operated with higher pick-up points — sometimes being full court.
That change led to Boston getting notable contests on 39 of the Knicks' shots, compared to New York’s 29.
With the additional pressure of a switching defense, the Celtics managed to accumulate 18 deflections, which again is indicative of an active and engaged defense.
Unfortunately, the lack of genuine size in the paint, especially with Brown cross-matching on Towns for stretches, meant that when the Knicks got downhill, Boston either had to collapse or accept the (potential) mismatch around the rim — be it in talent, size, or skill.
I said this after opening night, but the one genuine glimmer of hope is that the Celtics won’t be this bad from deep for long. Derrick White (3-of-11), Anfernee Simons (1-of-4) and Payton Pritchard (1-of-7) will find their level at some point.
I’m not saying that having the trio of guards suddenly start making their shots is going to generate a win streak, but it will ensure the Celtics are in with a chance down the stretch. I can’t see that guard trio struggling from deep all year…
💫 Star of the Game
It’s gotta be the rook. Hugo Gonzalez was a genuine momentum shifter whenever he checked into the game.
Making your NBA debut can never be considered easy. Doing it at Madison Square Garden is like the NBA version of Dark Souls — life on hard mode.
Gonzalez ended the night with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in 22 minutes of playing time.
I really liked his 45-cut put-back early in the fourth quarter.
Gonzalez looks like he could be an impactful member of the bench rotation this season. His overall potential looks to be high, too. Solid late first-round pick-up by Brad Stevens — although I might be jumping the gun on that assessment. After all, it’s only one game.
📈 Improved Performer
Sam Hauser deserves the recognition here. In fairness, he wasn’t bad against the Philadelphia 76ers, and certainly can’t be considered an underperformer. However, his shooting, defense, and overall movement against the Knicks were key parts of the Celtics’ offense.
Hauser went 6-of-10 from three-point range, ensuring the Celtics had some perimeter gravity and a genuine floor-spacer to help manipulate the defense.
Of course, this “limitless range Hall of Fame badge” type shot was the highlight of Hauser’s performance.
📋 Playbook Observation
I was a big fan of how the Celtics used the principles of a Zoom action to create something new and random in the half-court.
I have the action labeled as “Inverted Reverse Zoom Get,” so let’s break this down. Here is the action in question.
The Celtics set up like a typical Zoom action, with Neemias Queta setting the pin-down screen for Sam Hauser.
The reason this action is inverted is that White is operating as the dribble hand-off threat, rather than the pin-down screener. Usually, the big is the hand-off guy.
Hauser comes off the Queta pin-down and suddenly, the Celtics flow into a reverse Zoom action.
By reversing the action, White kicks the rock to Queta, Hauser sets a pin-down, White comes off the Hauser screen and flows into a “Get DHO” (DHO = dribble hand-off) before turning the corner and getting the easy layup.
⚾ Curveball of the game
For me, the biggest curveball was that Josh Minott didn’t get any playing time.
I felt like this length, defensive switchability, and his athleticism could all have been beneficial in this matchup.
I do wonder whether we will see Minott and Gonzalez in the rotation together at times, as I think both deserve their spots.
💬 My Take on the Game
Yesterday, I posted a video to YouTube. It was pretty late in the day, so I chose not to run it as a podcast. Toward the end of that video, Billy and I went through the first 20 games of the Celtics’ schedule. We tried to predict what Boston’s record would be after game 20. Shockingly, and somewhat pessimistically, we landed on 3-17 or 2-18. I came away from that episode feeling like we had been too harsh on the Celtics; however, after yesterday’s game, we might not be too far off the mark…
Cold stretches, like the Celtics' 4-of-18 run in the second quarter, are inevitable, especially when a team doesn’t have much continuity or chemistry. The Celtics will improve on the offensive end, and water will eventually find its level from the perimeter. The same can be said defensively; however, I’m not sure why you would opt to have Queta guarding up on the perimeter.
Last season, the Celtics often ran a “switch 1-through-4 with the 5 in drop” defensive scheme. It allowed Boston to be a high-pressure defense with adjustable pick-up points while retaining some legitimate rim protection. I get that by cross-matching Brown onto Towns, Queta needed to be higher up the floor. However, there were times when Queta’s presence in the paint could have been beneficial.
Early-season games are ideal for experimentation. That’s why I found the decision to cross-match Towns interesting. The idea behind it, is that when Towns works as a screener in the PnR, Brown will switch onto the ball-handler, while Queta will likely switch onto Towns and show him some size as he either rolls or pops. We saw Jrue Holiday excel in that cross-matching role last season.
The difference is, Boston doesn’t have the other defensive pieces to ensure that system works this time around. Gap help feels like it could be essential with the current rotation, primarily due to the length and explosivness on offer. Yet, the Knicks had too many weapons, and that led to the Celtics struggling to contain drives for stretches of the game.
Looking ahead, the Celtics face another task this weekend, as they will face the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans on a back-to-back. There’s a chance they could come out of this 0-4. I’d settle for 1-3. Mazzulla has been open to toying with his rotations and lineup combinations. I would expect that to continue, especially as the Celtics have the youth to sustain back-to-back games at a high tempo.
Falling short against the Knicks was to be expected. They’re among the championship favorites for a reason. As long as the Celtics try to learn from the film — especially with guys calling their own number a little too much (Pritchard looked off White on a fair few possessions and Queta made some questionable decisions) — then the loss will be a worthwhile growing experience.
This season was always about incremental developments, from Jaylen Brown all the way down to Max Shulga. Going 0-2 to start the season isn’t a reason to worry. However, with each loss, the “tank for a lottery pick” crowd will grow louder. I’m just wondering what decibel level they will reach by the All-Star break…