The Boston Celtics Are Running Out Of Options

Game three between the Bucks and Celtics was ugly. We had poor officiating, missed shots, and some Greek dominance on the side. After the dust settled, the Bucks took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven contest. And if you’re a Celtics fan, there’s a lot of cause for concern.

From their defensive scheming against the 2x MVP to Jayson Tatum’s continued struggles, Boston’s dominance has been stopped in its tracks. And if they’re not careful, their season may be ending prematurely. Here’s what they’re doing wrong and how they can fix things.

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Giannis “Defense”

Boston’s defense with the Greek Freak has been ever-changing. In game one, they overhelped whenever Giannis got the ball. In game two, they stayed more at home. Last night, in game three? Well…

Boston’s switching-oriented defense works against most teams. With all their length, it’s impossible to escape them. That changes when Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the equation. Game two was the perfect Giannis-stopping game for the Celtics. It was the perfect blend of stopping his scoring and his playmaking.

But a crucial development came out of that game, Giannis’ struggles be damned. Instead of isoing Giannis – anticipating the Celtics to overhelp – the Bucks simply ran more screens in game two. They forced Al Horford and, in particular, the smaller Grant Williams to cover more ground. And it worked.

Giannis had 7 screen assists in game two, compared to just three in game one. So, what did the Bucks do in game three? I’ll give you a hint;

A WHOLE LOTTA SCREENS

And the Celtics couldn’t do a thing about it. Here’s what I saw.

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Stupid Switches

Again, Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t a player you can switch off of. If you have more than one defender to throw at him, hallelujah. In Boston’s case, they have three. It makes you wonder why Giannis had so many field goal attempts that weren’t against Grant Williams, Robert Williams, or Al Horford.

In game three, Giannis shot the ball 30 times. Of those 30 times, he got seven “free” shots. 7 times Giannis avoided the three names I listed above. That doesn’t seem like much, but down the stretch of the fourth quarter, they happened too often;

Again, Giannis didn’t get too many looks against the non-qualified Giannis stoppers. But, two of those attempts came at the most crucial point in the game. The thing that frustrates me the most is the ease at which Boston allows these to happen. It’s like they’re not even trying.

And believe me, Giannis garnered a lot more switches than the two I showed you. These switches happen a lot more often, with the Bucks failing to capitalize. Still, the Celtics can’t continue on with this gameplan and hope to win.

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Giannis The Screener

If he wasn’t receiving a screen, Giannis was the screener himself. I watched every Bucks possession in this game. Here’s what I found about Giannis the Screener;

• 17 screens set (8 in the 4th Quarter alone)
  
• 13 shots created for teammates (2/13 shooting – 15%)
  
• 3 shots created for himself (0/3 shooting)
  
• 5 handoffs (0/5 shooting)
  
• 2 Indirect Shots (2/2 shooting)
  
• 1 Turnover

Giannis screens came primarily for Jrue Holiday. While Holiday couldn’t create much in the scoring column, the Celtics defense bent under the pressure of trying to stop a full-speed Giannis rumbling to the rim.

This is something the Bucks aren’t going to go away from, no matter what. These Giannis screens usually create good looks, and they did again in game three. This play spells worry for the Celtics;

So sure, in theory, Giannis screen-and-rolls were not that big of a problem for the Celtics in game three. But, these looks can always be generating simply because of the attention Giannis draws. This is a problem that’s harder to solve than simply saying, ‘let’s not switch.’

If the Bucks can’t stop Giannis the Screener, then they’re in for a long series.

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The Jayson Tatum Dilemma

Jayson Tatum hasn’t been as dominant during the postseason. After cruising past Brooklyn, the 3x All-Star has struggled against Milwaukee’s rough and tumble unit. To be fair, all of the Celtics have, but Tatum in particular has struggled.

All of his jump shots seem to have a good contest from the likes of Wesley Matthews or Jrue Holiday. His drives to the rim seem few and far between. The culmination of his struggles was on full display in game three, where Tatum did this;

41 minutes
4/19 shooting (21%)
0/6 3-PT
10 points
3 Turnovers
0.7 Gamescore – 2nd worst playoff game ever

When guarded by Wes Matthews, Tatum shot 0/10 from the field. Despite being the catalyst of Boston’s offense, Tatum was invisible yesterday. There were long periods down the stretch where you forgot he was on the court. Al Horford and Jaylen Brown spurred the C’s comeback – not Tatum.

So, what gives? Why is one of the brightest young superstars in the game struggling?

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Settling

I know Jayson Tatum doesn’t like us to talk about his shot selection, but guess what? It’s one of the reasons he’s struggling. For years, Tatum has had the nasty habit of settling for jumpers. Even when he’s cold, it’s almost like he’s flipping the bird at all the naysayers. He refuses to drive at times – even though that’s the most potent part of his game.

In this series, Tatum has attempted 57 shots. Of those 57, only 17 of them have come in the restricted area. To add to that, Tatum is shooting just 47% at the rim – well below league average. This is how the Bucks’ defense is designed, but Tatum can’t give in that easily.

Driving the ball doesn’t mean shooting. Tatum’s improved playmaking could be used to find shot shooters – something that the Bucks are content with giving up. Instead, Tatum is doing none of that. He’s doing this;

I get that Brook Lopez is playing way off this screen, but come on, Jayson. Couldn’t you have at least taken one to two steps inside the arc instead of settling for a contested jump shot? Milwaukee is perfectly fine with this shot. Jrue Holiday made a great contest. 

Jayson Tatum is at his best when he’s driving the ball. He hasn’t done that in this series, and it’s very worrying. He’s playing into Milwaukee’s hands, and it’s perhaps the biggest reason why he’s struggling.

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Jayson Tatum Screens

*tumbleweed*

nothinghere.exe

*tumbleweed*

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The Fixes

Listing out all of these problems wouldn’t be helpful. Yes, I know the Celtics have a lot of work to do. Think of me as Margot Robbie in a bathtub in The Big Short. I’m here to explain some stuff. Firstly, let’s talk about Boston’s defense.

Not to repeat the obvious, but they have to change things up. Giannis scoring 42 points isn’t the reason I’m saying this. I’m saying this because the Celtics are giving Giannis what he wants. The Bucks will continue to set a crap-ton of screens for him. As we saw earlier, the Celtics just let these switches happen.

I don’t want to see Jaylen Brown or Payton Pritchard on Giannis. Hell, even Jayson Tatum has gotten thrown around in this series when he guards Giannis. The Celtics have too many defenders for Giannis to simply throw away their advantage with a simple brush screen from Pat Connaughton. It just can’t happen.

Speaking of Tatum, he has to play better. I don’t want to see him continue to settle for outside shots. In this series, he’s taken just 16 free throws. He looks indifferent about going into the lane. But Tatum can’t curl up into a ball right now – not when the Celtics need him the most.

To win this series, the Celtics need January – April Tatum. The one who puts his head down and attacks the rim relentlessly. Hell, Tatum doesn’t even have to score when he does this. He could miss all the layups in the world. But you know what? I would rather have that than have him take 1000 jump shots.

I would also like to see the Celtics use Tatum more as a screener. In my predictions for this series, I noted that the Bucks don’t have the lack of size in the backcourt that the Nets did in round one. But, that doesn’t mean the Celtics should go away from it completely.

Trying to get rid of Wesley Matthews as much as possible is needed to get Tatum going. For the first time in months, this Celtics bunch has their backs to the wall. For the past few months, they’ve dominated every team in their path.

We knew the defending champions would be their toughest test to date – Khris Middleton or not. With game four on the horizon, it’s time to ask ourselves;

Is This Team Up For The Challenge?

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Are The Celtics In Trouble? Leave A Comment Down Below!

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