The late-game offence, which still raises concerns, is the one aspect of this game that can be seriously taken out. They used a similar play idea just a few days after losing despite squandering a 30-point lead.
Mazzulla commanded, “Give JT the ball and have him make a play for us
.”Tatum is one of the best players in the world. There are few players he can’t take one-on-one. His scoring arsenal is up there with the best in the NBA. But with the amount of talent on this Celtics team, the bare minimum should be to at least run some sort of action with Tatum at the center.
Perhaps Boston is saving their best stuff for the playoffs. Or perhaps they are completely fine living and dying with Tatum. But the latter seems crazy.
“I know I’ve missed a couple this year,” Tatum said of his end-of-game shots. “So I was like, ‘Damn, I gotta be due for one.’ I’ve hit a bunch of them in my career so far, but that’s part of it. Make or miss league. But I really do enjoy being in those situations.”
Tatum absolutely deserves some blame for the plays. He could go faster, he could drive harder, he could work to find his spots more effectively. But at the same time, if the play is just to let him do his thing, that’s not ideal.
So, in overtime, Boston switched it up. They gave the ball to Kristaps Porzingis in the post, and he found Jaylen Brown at the elbow. Brown still had to take a tough shot, as most shots in the final 30 seconds are going to be contested, but he sunk it.
Keeping the floor spaced is one thing, but having four All-Star-caliber players standing around while one plays pick-up basketball in the middle of the floor seems like a waste of talent.
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