Losing to stifling Timberwolves defense will make Celtics offense stronger

All Boston can do is take notes from Monday’s intense game between Minnesota and the Celtics.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla said, “That was awesome,” following the Boston Celtics’ opening-round defeat. What a contest. It was quite ill.

The Minnesota Timberwolves outplayed Boston on Monday night, falling 114-109 in overtime. Anthony Edwards dominated the Celtics, scoring 38 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out seven assists.

On the other side of the court, however, was the more interesting tale for Minnesota and, indirectly, Boston. The Timberwolves utterly suppressed the Celtics, who had the best offensive rating in the NBA going into the game.

The fact that the Celtics managed to force overtime despite shooting 39.1% from the floor and 28.2% from beyond the arc was astounding. Minnesota was able to totally block the lane and hinder the Celtics’ ability to take advantage of mismatches, which is how they score most of the time this season.

On Jayson Tatum, Jaden McDaniels played a brilliant game. He stopped Tatum from getting the ball, blocked his attempts to run the Celtics’ offense, and engaged in screen fights. The same is true for Rudy Gobert, who did a commendable job of reducing Kristaps Porzingis’ effectiveness, and Edwards, who checked Jaylen Brown.

Jrue Holiday welcomed a more expansive offensive role while Derrick White was still sidelined following the birth of his second child, but he only shot 4-for-16 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Mazzolla remarked, “Our opponents will always bring out the best in us.” “We competed at a high caliber, in my opinion. At times, their defensive tenacity was superior to our offensive toughness.

The Celtics forced overtime with a surge spearheaded by Tatum early in the fourth quarter, but after that, things bogged down again. The Timberwolves were content to let McDaniels and Edwards put Tatum and Brown in one-on-one situations, which limited the Celtics’ ability to score points.

In overtime, the Celtics shot 2-for-7, going 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc.

Turnovers added to Boston’s offensive woes, as the club finished the game with 16, six of which came from Tatum alone.

“We simply had an excessive amount of turnovers,” Tatum said. “I must perform better. Everyone must perform better.

One thing is evident from Tatum’s cheerful demeanor and Mazzulla’s optimism: the Celtics are viewing this game as a teaching moment.

During the final seconds, Mazzulla let the Celtics to run the offense independently rather than calling timeouts and setting up a play. After forming their new group, he seemed to have put player learning ahead of any group structure.

Tatum made a few mistakes with the ball, but he still finished the game 12-for-22. McDaniels limited his offensive dominance, but he now has something to refer to in case this problem resurfaces in a another game. He is able to accept the loss, develop from it, and move on.

There was never going to be an 82-0 season. Never is it. Furthermore, the Celtics’ offense ought to get better as a result of their defeat to a club that was impenetrable defensively.