Celtics notes: How the Celtics built their seven-game win streak, Jaylen Brown's return, & losing Chris Ford

The Golden State Warriors really made a mess of the place the last time they were here. With clear disregard of the building’s no smoking rule, they brazenly befouled the TD Garden with the stench of cigars and spilled cheap beer. And they were really noisy too. It was just rude. 

They also made a bit of a mess of the Celtics' season a month ago when they handed Boston a convincing and disheartening loss. The Celtics came into that game at 21-5, flexing one of the best offenses the National Basketball Association has ever seen. They left the game heading down a 5-7 slide that challenged the notion of who they were as a team. 

“Whatever happens is supposed to happen and you kind of have to figure it out,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I’m glad we go through stuff like that, because it teaches you and you have to know how to navigate that … we need those opportunities to be able to grow.”

The Celtics used that 12-game stretch to figure a few things out about themselves. The loss to Oklahoma City was rock bottom for the team. They didn’t just lose, they were humiliated, and it seemed to adjust their attitudes a bit. 

“I feel like we've improved as a team over the last month, so I'm pretty encouraged to see where our group is today,” Al Horford said after a rare practice on Wednesday afternoon. “Just getting back to good old Celtics basketball. At the end of the day, you have to be able to defend, have to rebound. It helps a lot to have (Robert Williams) back, and defensively, our group, I feel like our guys, we've all picked it up on that end as well.”

The NBA season is a process, and a long one at that. Things can go well for a while, poorly for a while, and meh for a while, all with the same team for a variety of reasons. And how the team is perceived might simply be a matter of which of those things comes first. 

The Celtics have gone through three distinct segments of the season so far. They were 21-5 in the first segment of the season, a .807 winning percentage. Between the December 10 Warriors loss and the January 3 loss to OKC, they put up a .416 winning percentage. Obviously, they’ve won all their games since then. 

And those wins have come in a variety of ways, as opposed to the first 21 of the season, which mostly were shooting clinics. In that opening run, Boston shot 41.3% on 3-pointers in wins, and 35% in losses. In this current winning streak, the Celtics are hitting 36.7% from deep. 

“I think earlier in the year, our defense wasn’t where it needed to be,” Mazzulla said. “I think our offensive rebounding has improved, forcing turnovers has improved, winning the free throw battle has improved and so I think all those things kind of go into winning. You have to be that well-balanced team on all areas of offense and then both sides of the ball.”

Mazzulla is a fan of the four factors (effective field goal percentage, free throw rate, turnover percentage, and offensive rebound percentage), and everything he mentioned can be seen in the stats. 

Their opening run saw Boston put up an EFG of 58.9%, compared to opponents 52.8%, a +6.1 differential. The Celtics dipped to a -3.8 difference in their 12-game swoon, but have since recovered to +4.8%. Their EFG is now 56.4%, a drop from the earlier season smoldering shooting, but not as bad as the 52% they put in in that middle 12 game stretch. 

The free throw battle was almost even (25% vs. 24.2% for opponents) to start the season but is now 23.4% to 20.8% in the last seven games. Yes, Boston’s rate has dropped a little, but opponents are going to the line even less. 

That's a sign that the defense is stepping up in meaningful ways. Opponents are being held to their lowest EFG of the season over the past seven games, and the opponent .208 free throw rate would lead the league by a mile. 

Teams aren’t able to get out and run as much against the Celtics either because Boston’s turnovers dropped from a rate of 13.7% over the first 26 to 11.1% in the last seven. And perhaps most importantly, what was a -3.6% disadvantage in offensive rebounding percentage during the team’s 21-5 run is now a +6.4% advantage. 

The Celtics have learned how to win in a lot of different ways, and now the Warriors are back in town. It’s almost like knowing you’re going to be at the same party as your ex and you’ve been in the gym and eating right over the past five weeks. They have a chance now to show how much better they are at some of these things. 

However, buried in all this good stuff like a league-best 66.4% assist percentage over the past seven games (3.2% better than their opening run) is the hint that they can still shoot the hell out of the ball, it’s just a little different now. Because despite all that has been said (and that I’ve written) about the Celtics winning without shooting, is a little blistering-hot shooting nugget:

The Celtics opened up the season shooting 41.1% on corner 3-pointers but dipped to 34.4% over the next 12 games. During the streak, they're up to 47.1%, including 51.4% from the left corner (where they shot 27.3% in the Warriors-Thunder stretch). The ball movement has resulted in more drive-and-kicks and better looks from the most coveted spot on the floor. 

It’s appropriate that Golden State is back in town now. This is a chance for the Celtics to exorcize a demon from this season while continuing their growth into a more well-rounded winner. 

Also, maybe they can hand Steph Curry a cleaning bill on the way out. 

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Jaylen Brown was on the court and in practice gear when the doors opened Wednesday afternoon. 

Mazzulla said Brown, who missed the last three games with a groin injury, went through the full practice. 

“Feeling good. We’ll see how I feel after this today. Got a good workout in, good lift, got some live action going. Got moving a little bit,” Brown said. “I think I'm all right, think I’m good. So I'll be looking forward to tomorrow.”

Brown is officially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but whether he’s upgraded might just be a matter of seeing how he recovers from today’s full workout. 

“I guess today would be like a soreness check, I guess how sore I am after the workout I just did,” Brown said. “I'm 'bout to do some more stuff in the weight room and check to see what's the level of soreness …, I might do some sprint testing. But I think overall, everything is on track so far. So I think I'm gonna be fine.”

As for the nature of the injury, which he suffered during the course of his 41-point game against New Orleans, he said “I kind of felt it kind of flare up and, after the game, it was super sore. So I went and got an MRI, just to be kind of cautious, you know? And I guess it came up there was a lot of fluid in there, like a Grade 1 strain.” 

The team took a cautious approach to the injury, especially since Brown has dealt with soft tissue injuries before. It seems to have paid off, but Brown says facing the Warriors tomorrow night has nothing to do with the timing of his return … at least from the team. 

“From me side, it's yes. I think that tomorrow it could be a big one for us to continue to keep things rolling,” Brown said. “But, from the organization side, there's no incentive for them to get me back tomorrow. They want to make sure that I'm just healthy, overall, in general. But, if I can go, I'm going.”

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Chris Ford has passed away.

Former Celtics player and coach Chris Ford died yesterday at the age of 74. He oversaw the end of the Big 3 era after seven years as a Celtics assistant. He was head coach of the Celtics for five seasons from 1990-91 to 1994-95. He then had head coaching stints in Milwaukee, with the Clippers in Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. 

He spent four seasons in Boston, winning a championship in 1981, and famously hitting the first 3-pointer in NBA history. 

Ford Family Statement:

“The Ford family is sad to announce the passing of Chris on January 17, 2023. Chris was beloved by his family, friends, and teammates. He had a great love for his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the entire Celtics family. He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life.”

Boston Celtics Statement:

“As a player and coach, Chris Ford’s career spanned over a decade of Celtics basketball, and he made his mark every step of the way. He was a member of three NBA World Championship Boston Celtics teams, one as a key player on the 1981 Champions, and subsequently as an assistant coach for the 1984 and 1986 champs. Ford went on to become the team’s eleventh head coach, leading his former teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to multiple playoff appearances in the trio’s final days together. ‘Doc,’ as he was affectionately known by his teammates, was a fundamentally versatile all-around guard. He was voted the team’s MVP in his first season with the Celtics, and he is famously credited with scoring the NBA’s first three-point basket. Ford joined an elite group of Celtics’ personnel (Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and K.C. Jones) who have earned championship rings as both a player and coach with the organization. The Boston Celtics sends their deepest sympathies to the Ford family and their many friends.”