Court Vision: Celtics Stutter in Loss to Kings

The Boston Celtics had another 2nd half collapse against a Western Conference foe.

11 and 8. That’s the Boston Celtics record over their last 19 games.

That record tells us they’ve been an average team since December. Yet, this 19-game stretch is far more complex than wins and losses.

During this inconsistent run, the Celtics have ranked third in defensive rating and fourth in offensive rating — making them third in the NBA for NetRating. You know what that means? For all of the team’s flaws these past six or seven weeks, they remain one of the most balanced rosters in the league.

Out of their eight losses during this stretch, only three have been by more than 10 points. Four of them have come on the second night of back-to-backs — The Celtics were also short-handed in those four losses, too.

Despite all of these numbers indicating that the Celtics have been one of the better teams in the NBA since Dec. 1, the eye test tells us something different. It shows that defenses have figured out how to rattle the Celtics' perimeter-based offense and manipulate Joe Mazzulla’s defensive system.

Our eyes are telling us something isn’t right. And last night, my eyes told me that Boston’s ‘find the best shot’ mentality is on the fritz.

Last season, the above drive from Jaylen Brown would result in a kick out to Derrick White once the corner defender rotated over. White was wide open. The best-shot mentality says to kick it out and let him shoot off the catch. White is shooting 47% from the corners this season and is hitting 38% from deep when wide open.

Yet, Brown chose to try and finish the reverse layup with three defenders on him, painting a similar picture to a possession we saw from his against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

See the similarities? This time, Brown looks off Jrue Holiday, who is wide open in the weakside corner and was the best corner shooter in the NBA last season. Once again, Brown tries to power his way through contact and get the finish. And once again, he missed.

This isn’t me picking on Brown.

This is me using two plays from one of the Celtics’ best players to illustrate a point: How can you expect the team to abide by the ‘best shot mentality’ when one of your three stars calls his own number in the clutch?

Here’s another example of Boston’s poor offensive process — only this one came early in the game. Pritchard has been reliable when creating off the bounce, especially when nash dribbling under the rim and swinging the rock to slot cutter or someone spacing the floor who is ready to shoot or attack off the catch.

Instead, the Celtics clear out, leaving Pritchard to ISO, with Horford, who is well-defended, as his best release valve in the weakside corner. No hammer screen. No cutters and no pick-and-roll option. Pritchard was tasked with doing it all himself. This possession isn’t the brand of Celtics basketball we’ve become accustomed to.

What makes the Celtics so dynamic is that regardless of who has the ball, if a better-quality shot presents itself, the rock gets swung. If a shot isn’t available, actions are taken to create an opportunity. Standing around and watching someone pound the air out of the ball hasn’t been the approach for a while.

Instead, you win as a collective, and you play the advantages. That’s been the mantra since Mazzulla took over as head coach.

For the second time in the last three games, the Celtics have moved away from that mantra. As a result, they were ice-cold during the second half after their opponent made some adjustments.

White went 0-for-4. Holiday 1-for-2. Pritchard 0-for-3. Horford didn’t take a shot. And Tatum didn’t get a single attempt in the fourth quarter after sitting throughout the Kings surge.

“The inconsistencies on the offensive end are putting pressure on the defense,” Mazzulla said. “A 42-point half puts pressure. You’ve gotta be able to score, and you’ve gotta be able to defend. Just those inconsistencies on the offensive end. Whether it’s shot-making, whether it’s execution or whether it’s spacing, I would just sum it up to that.”

Some of the second-half struggles can be 100% attributed to a stuttering offense that isn’t adhering to the plan. However, other parts of the offensive struggles are due to teams following a blueprint the Golden State Warriors laid out on Nov. 6: Implement high pick-up points, trap high on the pick-and-roll, close down shooters early to take away their airspace and force the team to beat you on the drive.

This was an early possession in that game against the Warriors’, when the Celtics looked to shut down Tatum’s impact in space. Since then, teams have implemented that style of coverage against the entire Celtics roster, which, of course, means a heavy focus on JT.

Even though the above clip is in transition, you can see the similarities. Keon Ellis looks to pick Tatum up at the logo. Luke Kornet springs him free with a drag screen. However, Sabonis steps up to kill any potential drive from Tatum, allowing Ellis to get back into the possession. From there, Tatum is under pressure and winds up losing the ball, which was one of his eight turnovers.

Here’s another example, this time with Tatum as the screener. Once again, the Kings pick them up at the logo, hedge the pick-and-roll, and kill any potential advantage. On the weak side, the Celtics are running a floppy action for Sam Hauser. Sacramento does a great job of pressuring Hauser’s cut, closing out quickly and forcing Hauser to put the ball on the floor.

A forced pick-up leads to a get action between Hauser and Kornet, where the Kings once again trap. Some smart movement from Kornet on the slip screen allows the two-man game between him and Hauser to generate a bucket. Still, the Kings forced Boston to burn the entire shot clock. They slowed them down and made them grind out a bucket. Those defensive possessions add up, and they can generate momentum.

Speaking of momentum, Domantas Sabonis put on a rebounding clinic against the Celtics, pulling down 28 total boards — 8 of them coming on the offensive glass. That's the most rebounds any player has grabbed against Boston since Ben Wallace was terrorizing the paint in a Detroit Pistons jersey. When you're giving up that type of production on the glass, you're asking for trouble.

The Celtics know this, too. Since December 1, they've been the 7th-best rebounding team in the NBA, and sit 11th on the season. Yet, Sacramento dominated them on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 56-43. That's the type of margin that speaks to effort and execution, especially when you consider how many of those rebounds came off contested shots that Boston's defense had forced. You can play perfect defense for 20 seconds, but if you don't finish the possession, none of it matters.

“If you’re having empty possession after empty possession, and then they’re scoring, that takes a toll on you,” Mazzulla said. “It’s not a long-term effort thing, but in the short-term, yeah, I think our inefficient offense put pressure on our defense…Definitely a short-term (lack of effort) without a doubt.”

Sticking with the concept of momentum…Sacramento made 20 more shot attempts than Boston, courtesy of those extra possessions from offensive rebounds and the Celtics' inability to take care of the rock (15 total turnovers, with the Kings generating 16 points). Then there's the shooting. Boston connected on just 26.8% of their threes, continuing a concerning trend that's seen them fall to 14th in three-point percentage on the season and 22nd since December 1.

For a team that's built its offensive identity around spacing and perimeter shooting, those numbers should set off alarm bells. The Celtics aren't just missing shots — they're missing the types of shots their offense is designed to generate. When you combine cold shooting with poor rebounding and questionable shot selection, you get exactly what we saw last night: a team that looks nothing like the juggernaut we saw last season.

The good news is that these issues are fixable. The Celtics have shown they can be an elite team on both ends of the floor—their NetRating proves that. But elite teams don't just dominate the statistical categories; they execute when it matters most. They make the right reads, take the right shots, and, most importantly, stick to their identity even when things get tough.

Perhaps the hunger of short last season has faded slightly. It's natural – the grind of the regular season can dull even the sharpest competitive edge, especially when there’s a fresh banner hanging in the rafters. But now is the time to rediscover that killer whale mentality. Now is the time to shake off these creeping bad habits before they become hardwired into the team's DNA for the rest of the season — and we all know how that story usually ends.

Right now, the Celtics are drifting from what made them special. And while there's plenty of time to course correct before the playoffs, these recent struggles serve as a reminder: having a talented roster isn't enough. You need to maximize that talent by committing to playing the right way, especially when opponents have figured out how to make life difficult. The numbers tell us they're still elite, but our eyes show us there’s somewhat of a disconnect – and in the NBA, that gap can be the difference between contending and competing.