The first speed bump: 10 takeaways from Celtics/Timberwolves

The Boston Celtics were defeated by the formidable Minnesota Timberwolves in their opening game of the season. Both teams were engaged in combat from the very first tip. Joe Mazzulla went with a double-big lineup against a squad that has a double-big scheme of their own, even without Derrick White.

The Celtics were below par for the second consecutive game and had to work hard to keep the score close in the closing minutes. Unfortunately, Boston looked out of sorts for the majority of the game due to a tough defense, and the Timberwolves took advantage of this by stepping up their effort levels and establishing some distance once overtime started.

First, no timeout

Jaylen Brown got the ball with around eight seconds remaining in the Celtics’ tie at 101-101. The Timberwolves scooped up Brown and Jayson Tatum close to the logo after applying a half-court push. Mazzulla had the option of a time-out. He decided against using it.

After settling into his position, Brown dribbled some space and blasted a three. brief.

Though there was a brief period of insanity that ensued, it was that miss that ultimately forced overtime in the game. It’s not unprecedented for Mazzulla to forgo a time-out in the closing moments. Last season, his desire to let the club work things out on its own was a legitimate talking point.

The idea behind not calling a timeout is to attack a defense in its current state instead of positioning themselves to face a half-court defense with all players in place.

The Timberwolves, however, were ready for defense. They were blocking the channels and applying pressure to the ball. In that particular instance, a timeout might have been the difference-maker. Maybe not. Mazzulla clearly has faith in his players to make the appropriate readings. To be fair, Brown’s final attempt was a sparingly contested three. All it did was not fall. However, it doesn’t mean Mazzulla’s choice won’t come up for discussion today.

#2 Jrue’s opening defeat

In his Celtics outfit, Jrue Holiday has had a great start to his career. He has made wise offensive choices, played excellent defense, and made his shots. He did, however, have his first bad game against the Timberwolves. It seemed like he was phoning his own number at times, failing to check for his buddies.

Throughout the second and third quarters, plays similar to the one above were frequently seen. When there were open shooters with open lanes for passing, Holiday would pressure the hoop, generate a crowd, and then attempt a difficult, closely contested shot. Holiday has Pritchard wide open in the corner with about 14 seconds left on the shot clock in the scenario depicted above. There was no reason to press the matter.

Here’s one more instance: After Holiday drives into an empty corner and Tatum pops, the veteran guard tries to shoot over two defenders in the paint instead of passing the ball to Tatum. A sequence to locate the open man might have been initiated by any pass. In a game where Boston needed ball movement to overcome Minnesota’s intense defense, it was all just tunnel vision.

Of course, he had several excellent plays, but his hustle and active hands stood out the most. Sadly, they were few and few between as he attempted to break free from a shooting slump. Here is an illustration of how Holiday might use his drive and enthusiasm to make a positive difference.

Holiday gave a terrible performance. It cannot be avoided. Despite having a solid beginning as Karl-Anthony Towns’ small defender, he struggled on both ends of the floor. He’ll have to improve going forward. Based on the available sample size, the subpar performance appears to be an outlier, thus there’s no need to become alarmed.

#3 Defying the Pressure

The way Minnesota applied pressure and put the Celtics offense in awkward positions was excellent. After the game, Brown spoke about how the Celtics found it difficult to execute their main plays and were frequently forced to play out of broken plays.

According to Brown, “They did a good job of trying to get us out of our sets and speed us up.” That seems to have been their main concern. made it difficult for us to get to the locations where we wanted to carry out our execution. We must battle for that. The first team to put us under that kind of pressure was them. They performed a fantastic job of trying to move us quickly and prevent us from starting our play right away. They performed admirably tonight.

The Celtics have been the high-pressure defensive unit in five of their six games played so far. Boston got a taste of their own medicine from Minnesota. Even though it ended in a loss, the coaching staff will have a wealth of game footage to help them improve the team’s performance in similar defensive environments in the future.

A club like Minnesota’s defense deserves a tip of the hat. It’s now a matter of drawing lessons from the past and devising strategies to offset that degree of intensity.

#4 Serious bench problems

Before the new season began, there were valid concerns about the bench rotation. The NBA’s best six teams are probably the Celtics. But after that, things start to go south really rapidly. Off the bench, Mazzulla went five deep. The court was observed by Lamar Stevens, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Svi Mykhailiuk.

Together, the five players shot just 4-of-15 from the field, with Sam Hauser accounting for three of those baskets. Simply said, there isn’t a single offensive player entering the game off the bench. When he is with that group, Pritchard, Hauser, and Al Horford are expected to be the players that bring intensity and impact.

The Celtics need to discover ways to get more out of their bench group in addition to figuring out their rotations and combinations. If not, tight games like this one will be difficult to win.

#5 Jaylen Brown’s opening frame

Jaylen Brown played a great game from beginning to end. He was possibly the Celtics’ finest player for extended periods of the game. However, the first quarter truly established the tone. While facing Anthony Edwards, a fellow native of Georgia, Brown was obviously trying to make an impression. He finished with seven rebounds, four assists, and twenty-six points.

In the first quarter, there were nine points, two rebounds, and one assist.

A fast break run-out slam set the whole thing off. Next, this enormous poster featuring Rudy Gobert. A three-pointer and a layup brought up five more points. In addition, Brown was flying around defending his yard. His quickness and athleticism occasionally seemed to be the ideal way to relieve pressure on Minnesota’s defense.

#6 Going nerdy: Exaggerating acts

The Timberwolves’ ability to neutralize several of the Celtics’ main scoring strategies was one of their strongest defensive plays. Boston countered some of Minnesota’s moves during the game. Both sides were putting in a lot of work on defense and were winning in spurts.

Still, I thought I’d showcase the moments the Celtics’ offense was blown out by the Timberwolves.

The first instance was when Al Horford blew up a Timberwolves “zoom” move. After reading the play, Horford moved to block the big man and curler in an attempt to start the handoff. Horford forced the theft after getting his hand on the rock, but as the Timberwolves rushed to stop the fast break, he turned the ball over a few seconds later.

The second noteworthy play came when Luke Kornet hit a perfect lob pass for Gobert right out of the air. The defense held firm the entire time, and Kyle Anderson couldn’t break free off the dribble until the ball was turned over and the Celtics were in a rotation. Anderson attempted a lob pass for Gobert, but Kornet intercepted it quickly since he knew their number.

JT’s fourth quarter at #7

Tatum had an incredible fourth quarter, much like Brown had a fantastic first. Tatum had been well contained by Jaden McDaniels during the whole game. But Tatum entered All-Star mode with a victory at stake and the lights beginning to shine a little brighter. Playing the entire quarter, he scored 12 points, putting the squad on his back.

Tatum created a platform for the Celtics to fight for a victory in the closing minutes by getting to the line, driving the lane, and hitting threes. With eight minutes left in the game, Boston took the lead thanks to a bucket that started the “empty side drag action” that Tatum described below.

Tatum was regrettably occasionally left out of the offense by the Celtics, which resulted in some haphazard possessions. When the game is on the line, it makes no sense to underfeed an All-Star who is performing well.

#8 A deep-rooted dud

Despite losing this game, the Celtics kept the Timberwolves close. Considering the squad had a clunker from the perimeter, that is a positive indicator. Throughout the entire game, Boston’s three-point percentage was 28.2%. Nevertheless, they managed to score points with mid-range shooting, rim pressure, and post-ups.

This game might have been a landslide if it had taken place in the midst of the previous campaign. The Celtics’ scoring profile has become more varied, and they were able to stay in the game against Minnesota all the way to the finish because they didn’t rely too much on the three-ball.

#9 The drawbacks of a double-large lineup

Kristaps Porzignis did a great job managing a challenging challenge. The large man from Boston dispersed the Timberwolves’ defense. He engaged in paint fighting and post fighting. Alongside Towns and Rudy Gobert, he engaged in rebounding combat. Throughout the game, he was among the Celtics’ most influential players.

Nothing can be taken away from Al Horford either. He ran the court, blocked shots, battled, and was an essential link on both ends of the game. However, there seems to be something about a double-big lineup that restricts the Celtics’ offensive flow and increases the frequency of offensive stalemate.

Similar difficulties were observed in the game against the Brooklyn Nets, another one in which Mazzulla used a double-big lineup. Ah, I see. On the court, Minnesota has two giants. Mismatches can be played with more consistency while using a single-big. But when the Celtics play with one large lineup, they appear even more formidable. Their defense can rotate more quickly and is more adaptable, with swaps happening nearly instantaneously.

With inverted screens, cutting, and off-ball movement, the offense is dynamic. It’s not like Horford and Porzingis can’t play together. Their skill sets work well together. Better fits with the roster’s total talent than the fluidity that a single-big lineup produces.

Although the sample size is modest, I have been following this observation since Mazzulla went to a double big with Robert Williams and Horford in the previous season.

#10 Static attack in the third

During the middle of the third quarter, the offensive play of the Celtics became very passive. The team’s field goal percentage dropped to 1 of 13, and their progress virtually stopped. One high pick-and-roll with shooters positioned all around the court became the offensive strategy. After one miss after another, the Timberwolves gained self-assurance as they continued to run after the misses.

The aforementioned possession is in perfect condition. It’s a reliable way to score points and is a staple of the NBA offense. But this isn’t the Celtics’ offensive that has been on display thus far this season. There’s not much movement, nobody cutting to take up defenders’ space, and no secondary actions. With no easy pass available to him, Brown is forced to drive the lane into the fangs of the defenders.

Here’s an additional instance from a couple additional possessions. Once more, there is just one high pick-and-roll; there is no cutting or secondary movement. All that’s left is Kornet rolling to the hoop and Payton Pritchard attempting to create off the dribble. This isn’t the Celtics basketball that we have witnessed thus far, and hopefully, it won’t be a common occurrence in the future.

There’s no doubt that Minnesota was exerting pressure on Boston, contributing to their stalling. The fact that the team lacked momentum was probably another factor. However, the easiest approach to get out of a rut is to continue with what works. Although the Timberwolves were difficult to stop once they got going, the Celtics soon returned to their typical offensive style.

Gazing Forward

The Celtics will play again on Wednesday, November 9. They have a game against the Philadelphia 76ers that they should be confident in winning. Boston often has success against the Sixers. The Celtics should start quickly and try to take the lead in order to avoid losing two straight games and having to deal with the questions that inevitably follow.

However, Philadelphia has performed admirably thus far this season. Out of the six games, they have won five. They are playing as a team under Nick Nurse, and Tyrese Maxey is becoming a real threat to Joel Embiid.

Rivalry games are still enjoyable! I’m eager to see how everything turns out!