The Boston Celtics played one of their best halves of the season on Friday, having a big advantage against the Atlanta Hawks at half-time and holding the straight for a 121-109 victory.
Five conclusions to make the Celtics look a little more like the team they hope to become at the end of the year.
Kemba Walker had an excellent first half.
The Celtics had an early lead led by Walker, who separated Atlanta. Walker buried 3 points outside the dribble, sneaked into layups and distributed six assists, including a pair of beauties dipping into the painting as the defense collapsed. Walker’s final statistics line included 28 points in the 10-to-16 shot and plucked three steals.
Walker had some success attacking the big ones around the edge of pick-and-roll in the second half – kicks that were being eliminated earlier in the season.
As always, the Celtics don’t need Walker to be a superstar. They just need him to be good. On Friday, he was very good.
“You can see that he’s really coming,” said Brad Stevens after the game.
The Celtics’ struggles in the fourth period continued.
The Celtics, one of the worst teams in the fourth quarter of the NBA, came in fourth with a 25 point advantage on Friday. With 4:50 left in the period, Trae Young buried a deep 3-point that reduced Boston’s lead to nine, and Brad Stevens angrily called for a break, applauding his team.
The Celtics comfortably moved away again and won double digits in their strength from their giants (more on them in a minute), but Boston ended up with their starters on the ground – a painful result with a day game against the New Orleans Pelicans imminent on Sunday. Jaylen Brown’s knee probably needed a break. Kemba Walker’s knee almost certainly needed a break. The Celtics played for three quarters as a team desperate to win a basketball game, then let Atlanta return to the game.
Still, the explosions are very difficult to complete and the Hawks are no longer a simple task. The Celtics showed many positive points on Friday.
The Celtics greats were excellent.
Perhaps no piece sums up Robert Williams’ experience better than this one.
🙅🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/t5IKgpkjzB
– Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 20, 2021
Williams bit Clint Capela’s fake bomb and almost got out of the play, but his second jump was so fast that he managed to deflect Capela’s kick anyway.
Williams had a big impact on the offensive side, finishing with 12 points from 6-in-8 shots. Still, the Celtics still don’t seem to trust him – or at least don’t trust him as much as Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson.
On Friday, that was the right decision, with Thompson and Theis rewarding Stevens for their continued faith. Stevens returned to the much-maligned double formation, and the duo combined to shoot a rainy 15-to-18 from the field, scoring 31 points.
The Celtics’ big rotation is still very crowded, but Stevens seemed to find a good balance on Friday.
“Both Theis and Tristan were excellent when they played together today, I thought,” said Stevens.
Jayson Tatum turned the ball slightly.
A disadvantage on a successful night: Tatum struggled to hold the ball, ending with six moves to the end with his six assists. Tatum can be a bit prone to twists with his cable, and the Hawks stripped him off four times on Friday.
As defenders increasingly seek to take the ball out of Tatum’s hands with aggressive defensive schemes, he will need to figure out how to maintain tighter control – he’s averaging 2.4 spins per game this season to keep up with the increase in assists. (4.7).
Once again, Stevens shortened his rotation.
The Celtics played well this season with a reduced rotation. On Friday, Stevens played mostly with only nine players (Javonte Green finished in just four minutes). Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards were among the players who received DNP-CDs, while Aaron Nesmith once again played double digits minutes before hobbling into the locker room in the second half (he returned to the bench shortly after, and Brad Stevens later said the game that he managed to return).
Boston certainly hasn’t attached anything yet, but every time Stevens shortens the rope it looks illuminating.
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