The Celtics have spent a couple of games getting to the rim with ease against the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta was a little better at protecting the rim early, but they couldn't stop the barrage of paint points for long. Boston scored 54 points in the paint in Game 1 and then 64 in Game 2. The Celtics got 31 shots in the restricted area alone in Game 2, hitting 23 of them.
Still the Celtics could do better. When asked about improvements that could be made, Jayson Tatum highlighted "rim reads ... they did a little bit better job of protecting the rim I think and they had some blocked shots.”
How are the Celtics getting to the rim so consistently? Some of it is matchups, but some of it is some subtle creativity. This video breaks down some of the different ways the Celtics are getting layups and the little things that open things up. Also, one example of what Tatum was talking about when it comes to making better rim reads.