INDIANAPOLIS — The Celtics' late-game execution has been a topic of some concern over the past few seasons. Their willingness to slow down when they’ve built leads is no secret, and it’s cost them in past seasons.
They found their way to some blown leads this season, but they were 21-12 in clutch situations, which was the fourth-best winning percentage in the league. Granted, some of those games became clutch situations when they shouldn’t have been, but they managed to hold onto those wins.
As much as those games were problematic for some, they have been learning experiences for the Celtics, and those have shown up in the playoffs, where they are 3-0.
The Celtics played perhaps their best fourth quarter of the season in Game 3, executing on both ends of the floor and spreading the wealth.
The numbers speak for themselves. Boston won the quarter by 12, shooting 11-19 from the field to Indiana’s 8-21. The total shots taken was the only margin Boston lost, but their defense, and a little bit of shooting regression to the mean for Indy, helped make up that difference. The Celtics took and made more 3-pointers and free throws, They had more offensive rebounds and total rebounds, they had twice as many assists, and they were even on turnovers.
The beauty of Boston’s fourth quarter is that no one took more than four shots, even though the Celtics put up 19 of them (Jayson Tatum took five free throws, so he technically tried to shoot more than four times, but the point stands). The Celtics had eight assists in the fourth, four of them by Tatum who drew defenders and trusted his shooters.
“We made the right play at the rim, extra pass, good screening, I thought it was high-level execution on both ends of the floor,” Joe Mazzulla said. “The thing I liked the most was we talk about it all the time, it takes what it takes, every game is going to be different, and I felt like in the first half, it kind of caught us by surprise that we were down by that much, and I kind of told them, like, ‘Fellas, it’s going to happen, it might not be the last time we’re down by double digits.’ So I liked the way we handled that, and it was just a test of mindset and toughness, and I thought the guys came through big time.”
They're going to need this execution when they (presumably) face the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. The Mavs lead their series 3-0 despite trailing in the last five minutes of every game, and they’ve done it behind magical performances from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. If we see a clutch situation in that series, it will be a battle of contrasting styles. The Mavs are at their best when their two stars are going off while the Celtics are at their best when all five guys are flowing.
It’s tough to get to that place when all the outside noise is about ‘when will Boston’s superstars start taking over?’ The group-think narrative is that Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to match Doncic and Irving shot for shot. The reality is that Boston’s epiphany late in the third quarter of Game 3 set the stage for a perfect close to the game.
Mazzulla admitted there is something to celebrate there. Boston figuring out how to get of their own way and right the ship was one of those small wins that shows real growth. That turnaround and stretch run showed incredible maturity. But he also says that this might not be the last time they need a reminder to stop feeling sorry for themselves.
“It may take another timeout … It really doesn't matter where it happens. The fact is that it has to happen,” Mazzulla said. “And at the end of the day, we're playing against another team that's fighting for their life just as much as we should be. And so I think saying like, ‘Okay, we got it, now we're not going to need a timeout or you know, a meeting or whatever the case may be,’ it's just not how it should go. It’s just gonna go the way it goes … we have to make a choice to do it over and over again, for however long we have an opportunity to play.”
Game 4 is an opportunity to put this all to the test. The Pacers will come out with real passion in Game 4, and Boston will have to take that shot and return fire. This close-out game is the toughest one to get because the adrenaline is pumping for one team while the other feels a bit more comfortable. They have to make one more choice to make so they can get 10 more days off before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
There is always room to grow in an NBA season, and the Celtics are proving that right now. The best of their lessons might just be hitting at the right time.
