ATLANTA — Threes. Threes. Threes. The Atlanta Hawks decided to put two on the ball early and often on Saturday night, and the Boston Celtics responded by… well, accepting that reality.
Whether it was doubling Anfernee Simons in the pick-and-roll, sending extra pressure at Jaylen Brown, or just playing drop coverage in general, Atlanta’s game plan was to give the Celtics space at the three-point line and close out.
Though they didn’t do a great job at that last part.
Sam Hauser had seven threes (7-of-8) in the first half alone, taking full advantage of the space Atlanta gave him (and everyone else). Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown’s 18 first-quarter points came by way of brute force, as he stayed aggressive even when the shots weren’t falling to open the game.
By the time it was mid-way through the third quarter, the Celtics had amassed a 40-point lead over the Hawks. It was too late. The damage had been done.
Were the Celtics on fire from three-point land? Absolutely. But it was the Hawks’ doing. Giving Boston that much space to shoot is inevitably going to lead to the results that unfolded on Saturday night.
Big winner: Sam Hauser. Sometimes, the obvious answer is just the correct answer. When he hit his seventh and final three of the first half, Hauser already had the Celtics’ bench going nuts.
Atlanta decided to put a ton of pressure on the Celtics’ ball-handlers all night, which freed Hauser up on almost every other possession. All he had to do was shoot. No thinking. Just threes.
When the fourth quarter came around, Hauser and the Celtics had one goal in mind: History. Triple after triple, he inched closer to Marcus Smart's single-game Celtics record of 11 three-pointers in a single game, which he accomplished on January 18, 2020, in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of history, Hauser tanked his three-point percentage, as Corey Kispert began face-guarding him mid-way through the final frame. He ended the game a ridiculous 10-of-21 from long range, one three short of Smart's Celtics record.
Ouch, tough one: Whenever it’s hard to think of a rough spot in a game, that’s a pretty good indicator of how it went. The only real issue Boston had throughout the course of this one was fouling. They played elite defense, but there were a few too many possessions where they fouled unnecessarily, mostly at the end of the first quarter.
That, combined with a few too many Hawks offensive boards, was the only real reason Joe Mazzulla had to call timeouts on Saturday.
The big picture: What is there to take from this game? Honestly, probably less than you think. This is exactly what the Celtics have done all season.
Whenever they play a below-500 team, they almost always fare well. (And when a team gives them the opportunity to shoot a bunch of open threes, it always helps.) It’s the NBA’s cream of the crop that gives them trouble, and that makes sense.
This year’s team has objectively less talent than last year’s. But they’ve made up for it with elite coaching, constant hustle, a great game plan, and Brown’s MVP-caliber season. As a result, they almost always take care of business against subpar opponents (the Indiana Pacers being a recent exception).
It’s squads like the San Antonio Spurs that play them well. Championship-caliber teams.
If nothing else, this game in Atlanta provided the Celtics with a perfect opportunity to re-find their rhythm after an up-and-down home stretch last week. They did not waste the opportunity.
