This story first appeared in Court Sense, a biweekly Celtics newsletter from Boston Globe Sports.Click here to join the fun.
Welcome back to Court Sense 🍀 A newsletter that loves a good mid-range jumper
And so we gather here today to celebrate and honor the memory of the phrase “potential NBA Finals preview,” which has served us so well these last few weeks but which must now ride off into the sunset.
The Celtics closed out the season’s toughest stretch on Wednesday, one which saw them host three Western Conference contenders in the space of 11 days, and the schedule saved the best for last.
The West-leading Thunder and their league-dominating defense came to TD Garden and took down the champs, with 34 points from presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helping Oklahoma City sweep the season series.
The Celtics didn’t quite crater under the pressure of the Thunder’s suffocating defense (more on that later!) as they did in the latter stages of the January matchup between these two teams, but they again struggled to hang with Oklahoma City down the stretch, entering the fourth quarter tied but faltering in the final minutes.
Much of Boston’s downfall against Oklahoma could be tied to a 9-of-46 night from behind the 3-point line, so the Celtics decided to temper their approach in the rematch by hoisting an NBA record 36 3-pointers in the first half on Wednesday.
To be fair to Joe Mazzulla and Co., the shots were falling, with the Celtics hitting 15 of those 36 3-pointers (41.7) percent, but Boston cooled off in the second half while Gilgeous-Alexander heated up.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s penchant for, uh, let’s call it "seeking opportunities for contact to maximize his chances to shoot free throws" is certain to rub some the wrong way, but it’s also hard not to enjoy the throwback aspects to his game.
In a league where the mid-range jumper is dying, cast aside in favor of as many 3-pointers and layups as humanly possible, I do really enjoy the way Gilgeous-Alexander maneuvers inside 20 feet, gets to his spot regardless of what you throw at him, and hits with absurd consistency.
That said; phew, if we get a Celtics-Thunder Finals in June, he will be the most-hated man in Boston by halftime of Game 1.
The Thunder and their physical defense troubled the Celtics again Wednesday.
The Thunder and their physical defense troubled the Celtics again Wednesday.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points but could have used a little more help, particularly from Jaylen Brown, who picked an unfortunate time for one of his worst nights of the season.
Brown finished with just 10 points, finally seeming to remember how to play basketball midway through the fourth quarter, just in time to foul out in rather egregious fashion like 20 seconds later. Tough night!
Anyway, now that you’ve seen three of the West’s most likely Finals contenders (with apologies to the Grizzlies), which potential June opponent interests you most?
The star-studded Lakers, for the rivalry and historic implications? The defensively-dogged Thunder, for their exciting youth movement? The one-man wonder Nuggets, so I can write so much about Nikola Jokic that you all start emailing my bosses to complain?
Of course, the Celtics need to get there first. But there’s nothing wrong with getting ahead of ourselves; counting chickens before they hatch has never, ever backfired.
Let’s get into it.
ICYMI 🗞️
The Celtics would have their hands full with the Thunder in June.
The Celtics would have their hands full with the Thunder in June.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Forget about the Lakers. A Celtics-Thunder Finals matchup is the best the NBA has to offer.
By Christopher L. Gasper
The Celtics’ 60th 3-point attempt of an unrepentant night for their preferred shot was symbolic, an airball by Derrick White, a signature Celtics shot that fell short as they ultimately would.
The Celtics better hope that shot wasn’t a hoops harbinger of coming attractions if they were to tangle with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals – the Green falling short of defending their NBA championship.
Sure, a Celtics-Thunder NBA Finals lacks the poetic Shakespearean plotlines of the NBA’s two greatest houses, the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, renewing their fight for supremacy. It doesn’t have the juice of watching the last two NBA champions, the Celtics and the Denver Nuggets. It lacks the intrigue of the last team to repeat as NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors, trying to prevent the Celtics from matching that feat.
But if Wednesday night was any indication, Celtics-Thunder is the best the NBA has to offer for a Finals matchup.
Continue reading
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The Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week
Congrats to Joe Mazzulla, now a six-time (I think, I don’t know, I’m losing count) winner of the Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week.
It was a big week for the Mazzulla family, with Joe welcoming his younger brother Justin, an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, to TD Garden on Monday.
And how special must that have been for an older brother, who rose from a back-of-the-bench assistant to become an NBA champion head coach, to see his younger brother forging his own path as a coach in the league. It had to have been an emotional, memorable evening for Joe and his entire family.
Anyway, let’s see what he had to say when he was asked about it:
“Yeah, I mean, he works for the other team.”
Thanks, Joe. Couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Friday Film
Much has been made of the defense of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and for good reason. While Oklahoma City’s defensive rating has slipped slightly from the historic stinginess the Thunder displayed before the All-Star break, they still boast the best mark of the last few seasons and are comfortably the strongest defensive team in the league.
What makes Oklahoma City’s defense so special, and how did Boston attack it on Wednesday? Let’s break out the Court Sense Clipboard and find out.
The Thunder employ some of the smallest lineups in the league, with their typical starting five boasting just one player taller than 6-foot-5, as Oklahoma City has gone all in on speed at the heart of its defense.
Nobody rotates as quickly as the Thunder, who often seem to be just as fast as the ball as they close out on shooters. The Celtics' response was to fire the ball around even faster, as Boston slung 319 passes on the night - the Celtics average 272 per contest, and hadn’t thrown that many passes in any of their last 15 games - to test Oklahoma City’s speed on the perimeter.
Watch as Boston throws five passes in five seconds, with every Celtic getting a touch before it swings back to Derrick White.
It was pretty effective early on as Boston got plenty of decent looks, eventually throwing up an NBA record 36 3-pointers in the first half and hitting 15 (41.7 percent) of them.
But those looks dried up in the second half, when the Celtics shot just 5 of 27 (18.5 percent) from deep. Even with the Thunder defense not quite at its hellacious best, missing two of its best wing defenders in Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City - which holds opponents to a league-best 33.5 percent 3-point shooting - dialed in its rotations.
According to the NBA’s tracking data, Boston had 21 open 3-point attempts - the nearest defender at least 6 feet away - in the first half, but just 12 in the second half.
The looks became a little more like this, as the Thunder quickly recovered from a collapse on White to close out Al Horford, then Jrue Holiday, before Jayson Tatum settles for a contested brick.
Despite the Thunder going small and lacking anything approaching an elite rim protector, Oklahoma City is still the league’s stingiest team around the basket. No team gives up fewer makes or attempts inside 6 feet, and the Thunder concede a league-low 43.5 points per game in the paint.
How? By doubling down on their length and speed. The Thunder are so well-tethered defensively, quick to help and collapse on dribble drives because they have faith in their ability to rotate and recover.
Jaylen Brown, the Celtics' primary interior scorer found that out the hard way on Wednesday. He had a very forgettable night with 10 points on 5 of 15 shooting; when he got a matchup he liked, like this one against Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace was there to disrupt Brown’s drive and force a tough shot.
Even when Brown did beat his man clean, spinning past Wallace into the lane, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were already collapsing, overwhelming Brown at the rim for a Holmgren block.
It was like this all night for Brown, who had his worst scoring night of the season.
Boston managed 112 points on Wednesday, a much-improved showing from the 92 points mustered in Oklahoma City in January. It still wasn’t enough, with presumptive MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going for 34 as the visitors showed who the biggest threat to a championship repeat might be.
The Celtics, healthy and at their best, proved their status last season as an unstoppable force. This Thunder defense, however, might just be an immovable object.
Up next ☘️
The Celtics are on the road Friday to face the Heat (7 p.m., NBC Sports Boston). Here’s your preview.
See the full Celtics schedule here.
This story first appeared in Court Sense, a biweekly Celtics newsletter from Boston Globe Sports.Click here to join the fun.
Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.