The Autopsy of the Boston Celtics is Fascinating
With any autopsy, you’re looking to find the cause of death of a person. In the case of the Celtics, it’s a little bit of everything.
Whenever someone or something dies, it’s good to know how they died. The autopsy of the Boston Celtics is nothing short of fascinating. All of the red flags we saw during the regular season were ignored. The national media (and myself) assumed this team would get things right in time for the playoffs. With a chance to go back to the Finals against the vastly inferior Heat, Boston has been emasculated.
Now in an inescapable 0-3 hole in the conference finals, it’s time to examine what went so wrong.
Let’s Talk About Joe Mazzulla
All year long, Joe Mazzulla has drawn the ire of Celtics fans. And, for the most part, it’s been warranted. While Mazzulla has a great story, his inexperience has been painfully obvious this season. Ime Udoka was the calm voice of reason that this team needed last year. He was refreshing after Brad Stevens’ messaging had grown stale.
And while Mazzulla has done a great job unlocking this team’s offense (or just told them to shoot more threes), his inability to control his players has been jarring. The Celtics have again struggled to close out games or hold leads. Their ability to be focused for four quarters has been poor.
Last season, Boston’s elite defense was their backbone. This season, that defense has taken a step back. It has been less disciplined and focused. Part of a coach’s job is to get his players to play hard and get the little things right. Time and time again, we’ve seen Mazzulla not do that. This Celtics team is less polished than what we saw last season, and this team is far more talented than last year’s iteration.
But here’s the thing. All of those negatives I just listed aren’t unique to Joe Mazzulla. Boston also struggled to close out games last season under Ime Udoka. Under Brad Stevens, Boston’s defense was lethargic despite housing great individual defenders.
At some point, it goes beyond coaching. I’m by no means defending Mazzulla, who has been criminal in his mismanagement at times (call a timeout, for crying out loud!), but all of these problems didn’t randomly appear this season. They’ve been here for a while.
Still, I would be lying if I said the man shouldn’t be criticized. The Celtics should’ve swept the Hawks and instead had to play six games. In the semi-finals against the 76ers, Boston was begging for an upset but finally won the series in seven games. And against Miami?
Erik Spoelstra has confused and outcoached Mazzulla with each passing game. It’s almost like Miami, an eighth seed, by the way, are the heavy favorite in this series, not the Celtics. This is a great time to remind you that Tyler Herro has played one game this postseason! While Miami attacks Boston’s weaknesses relentlessly, Boston seems to be pulling punches.
For a team that was so hurt by their finals loss last season, that hunger to get back to the Finals just hasn’t been there. Mazzulla and his coaching staff have been slow to make adjustments or changes. The effort has been questionable. All of those concerns we saw throughout the regular season has culminated in this ugly series.
What Went Wrong in this Series?
I predicted that the Celtics would win this series. So did everybody else. Some computer models gave Boston a 97% chance to go to the NBA Finals. But what those computers couldn’t comprehend was the stupidity of the Celtics. From the outset of this series, the Heat have looked like the more composed, poised squad.
That stupidity started in game one. The Celtics decided to keep Robert Williams in the starting lineup, which was confusing for a few reasons. While Timelord helped turn the tide in the Philly series, he didn’t seem like the right matchup for the quicker, more space-oriented Heat. Kevin Love would help draw Williams onto the perimeter, where he’s far less effective.
Granted, when the Celtics (inexplicably) went back to Derrick White in game three, Jimmy Butler ran him off the floor. In any sense, Jimmy Butler roasted the Celtics for 35 points, and Miami won comfortably. It was another home loss for a Celtics team that has consistently underperformed at home in the postseason.
In game two, the Celtics failed to rally around Grant Williams. For most of the night, the Celtics looked like themselves again. They were focused on both ends and led most of the way. But, after Williams and Butler got forehead-to-forehead, the Celtics wilted like a flower. The Heat closed the game on a 22-9 run, essentially ending the series. Some people reprimanded Williams for daring to go after Jimmy Butler, who has arguably been the best player in these playoffs. But, I thought what Williams did was what the Celtics needed.
Last season, the Celtics were the bully. The big kid in the schoolyard who pushes everybody around. This team hasn’t had that same edge, and Williams doing something like that brought back the flair of last year’s team. Instead of riding that wave to a 1-1 series tie, the Celtics tripped over themselves and drunkenly stumbled to a 0-2 hole.
Game three was a disaster from the opening tip. Derrick White stuck out like a sore thumb as Butler continually attacked a dude who just made second-team All-Defense. Boston jacked up mediocre threes, while Miami couldn’t miss. Boston’s POA defense was downright horrendous, to the point where Duncan frickin’ Robinson was blowing by his defender consistently.
Boston’s decision to not double Jimmy Butler until the second quarter of game three was stupid. Their decision to not hunt Gabe Vincent or Robinson on the other end is even stupider. Remember, Robinson couldn’t even crack the rotation of a team who won 44 games in the regular season. And now he’s torching the #2-seeded Celtics. That’s inexcusable.
While Miami passes, drives, and moves like a well-oiled machine, the Celtics look like they’re learning to play with one another. The turnovers and the sloppiness don’t speak to a team with title aspirations.
Miami barely snuck into the playoffs. They were mediocre and had one of the worst offenses in the league. But they’ve torched Boston in this series without any resistance. It’s something that I’ve never seen before. There is equal blame on Mazzulla and all the players for their lack of pride and preparedness.
Of course, the series is not over. Boston, like the Lakers, has a chance to comeback. But, not only has a team never recovered from such a deficit, it doesn’t seem like these Celtics have the resolve to comeback.
What’s Next For This Team?
Before their game 7 showdown with the 76ers, I pondered this team’s future. I think it’s a good time to re-open those discussions. Let’s start with Jaylen Brown. While Brown is now eligible for a supermax extension, it’ll be interesting to see if the Celtics want to keep him.
Brown is a great wing player, and he fits well alongside Tatum. But does Brad Stevens think this duo has hit its ceiling? I mean, both Brown and Tatum need the ball to be successful. Brown has been subpar this postseason, although part of that may be due to his hand injury that I suspect is still bothering him. Still, getting outplayed by Caleb Martin isn’t great.
By signing Brown to that massive extension, the Celtics would be paying him and Tatum a boatload of money. Trying to make the team better becomes harder after that financial commitment. You don’t do that unless you believe the duo can win a title together.
If the answer to that question is no, what could a Brown trade look like? Send him to Portland for a package centered around the 3rd overall pick? To Toronto for Scottie Barnes or Pascal Siakam? I don’t love any of those options.
Jayson Tatum is another guy who struggled in these playoffs. I’m not suggesting the Celtics trade their centerpiece, but Boston has to find ways to make him as successful as possible. Some of that falls on Tatum to be better in that superstar role (he’s not quite there yet, although he’s as close as one can be).
Should the Celtics fire Mazzulla? Honestly, in most years, I wouldn’t recommend doing that. But, with how many options are available, there’s never been a better time to need a coach. Nick Nurse seems like the best candidate, but guys like Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer seem like upgrades over Mazzulla.
Grant Williams is a restricted free agent. Mazzulla didn’t use him as much as Ime Udoka did, and Williams took a step back from his breakout campaign in 2022. The Celtics should look to keep him, considering his age and his role in their fragile frontcourt. Al Horford is only getting older, and Robert Williams can’t stay healthy.
Still, it must be discouraging for this organization to know that they got a lot better this season, and they still couldn’t win a title. If adding Malcolm Brogdon and career seasons from Tatum, Brown, and Derrick White wasn’t enough to get to the promise land, what will be?
The Celtics aren’t on the verge of an implosion. As long as Tatum (and Brown, assuming they don’t trade him) are on this team, the Celtics are a guaranteed playoff team in the East. That much is certain. But the pieces around them clearly need some reworking.
If you want to take the glass-half-full way of thinking, it’s not like the Celtics lost because they lacked talent. Looking at this roster, it’s on par with the teams who will be playing for the title this season. The more concerning part, however, is that there are problems everywhere else.
Things like effort and focus shouldn’t be a problem for a team this good. We aren’t talking about the Pistons or the Rockets here. These are the Celtics. One of the most storied and successful franchises in league history. Where the bar is set a little bit higher than good.
Over the offseason, this team will have to become tougher physically and mentally. They’ll have to mature. And most importantly, they’ll have to learn how to play together. Because nothing about this team feels like a team. Success, like development, isn’t linear.
This Celtics team is too good to allow something like this to happen. To break through, there will have to be some tough conversations and even tougher decisions made in the coming months to fix this broken team.
What’s Next for the Celtics? Leave a Comment Down Below!
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Honestly the Turnovers especially by JB are a huge downfall, we play with basically no intensity on defense, JT and JB started off so well but have gone back to the your turn my turn type of basketball, Joe Mazzulla just isn’t making the right adjustments at the right times to be honest. I don’t think Tatum has realized he is almost unstoppable when he drives to the rim whether he gets fouled which he does a lot or not and JB needs to be way smarter with his drives and IQ he needs to slow down sometimes and protect the ball and not be careless and off ball I’ve noticed that JB and JT don’t move the Celtics are so stagnant on offense nobody really moves. They need to get back to their drive and kick and fast ball movement with good shot selections they are so much better. As for defense we don’t have the intensity we are so slow and we tend to give up sometimes or not care. In all after tonight’s game this whole team needs to take a good look and find their pride and get back to playing with heart and playing like every chance is their last.