Fourth quarters no longer flummoxing the Boston Celtics

At their worst this season, the Boston Celtics were one of the NBA's worst-performing teams in the fourth quarter. Before the All-Star break, the Celtics ranked 20th in fourth-quarter field goal percentage (44.6%), had the 8th-worst fourth-quarter offensive rating (109), and third-worst net rating (-5.7).

"I’ve seen so many good things in so many games this year, but there are moments and quarters that have been a disaster - far below what we’re capable of doing," Danny Ainge said after the trade deadline. He noted the fourth quarters as one of the reasons why he acquired Evan Fournier.

And though Fournier's perfect 20-point fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets certainly helped make Boston's post-break numbers look a tiny bit better, the team has flipped the narrative over their recent hot streak.

"Just making the plays, really," Kemba Walker said after the win over Golden State. "Getting the stops that we really need. Making the shots that we really need down the stretch. I think, most importantly, just in our togetherness, our poise at the end of the games has been helping us a lot. Yeah man, that's really what it is."

The team as a whole is now shooting 47.7% in fourth quarters since the break, third-best in the league. Their offensive rating has jumped by nearly nine points and their +10 net rating is 7th best in the league. Their defensive rating has dropped from 114.7 to 107.8 in fourth quarters since the break.

They're shooting better, scoring more, and holding opponents to fewer points. That's a winning formula.

Before the break, Boston was outscored in fourth quarters 16 times, four of them by double digits. Since the break, Boston has only lost seven fourth quarters, and two by double digits. It's only happened twice in nine April games, and one of those was that wild Lakers finish against the third string, which was a complete aberration.

All of Boston's core four players (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Walker), have seen increases in their fourth-quarter shooting, especially in April.

"I think the number one reason for our little run here is we've been, for the most part, healthier," Brad Stevens said. "What we tried to do is stay afloat as well as we could and hope that we get to a time where we get a little bit healthier and put together some weeks of good basketball. Throughout all that our guys have done an incredible job of staying together. And when that happens, and then you get a little momentum, then you have a tendency to respond when you don't feel great"

Tatum shot 44.7% from the field in fourth quarters before the break, but is up to 56.3% in April, including a ridiculous 64.3% from 3. Brown's percentages jumped from 45.7% to 53.8%. Smart's rocketed from 28.9% to 46.7%. Walker's went from 32.4% to 43.8%.

Better certainly is one factor. Tatum is close to 100% after his COVID-19 diagnosis. Walker has been logging playoff-level minutes from time to time, including 38 against the Warriors. Smart has shaken off the rust from his calf injury.

But it's not just about these guys playing better because they feel better. It's probably more about these guys playing together because they feel better.

Walker returned to the lineup when Tatum went into the Health & Safety protocol. Tatum returned on the 25th and Walker was inactive because it was a back-to-back. Two games later, Marcus Smart strained his calf and was out for a month.

These guys only got a few minutes of fourth quarter crunch time together earlier this season. They've put together more than 40 since the break finally getting a level of continuity together on top of feeling fresher.

Some of these numbers will level off, but that's almost beside the point right now. After what we saw from this team earlier this season, coming through with some level of resolve and closing power is a big confirmation that this turnaround is legitimate.

Come playoff time when the only travel is to and from one city, and teams get the chance to practice and make adjustments, a lot of the issues that plagued Boston earlier this season may be eliminated. Dusting off what had been a hallmark of these Stevens Celtics teams is maybe the most positive development yet of this post-break resurgence.

"The only thing I’d say is that all the good teams that I’ve been around can come back and win," Stevens said after the team's most dominant fourth quarter last week against Denver. "That’s encouraging."