Just a three-pointer can t be made? The Celtics chaotic second half

This is the final score of the Celtics in the first two games of the second round. They established a 20-point lead in the middle and late third quarters in two consecutive games, but were tragically reversed at the last moment. The defending team once set the most embarrassing scene in the history of the playoffs, which made people surprised such moments. The sluggish three-point shooting percentage is certainly one of the reasons for being reversed, but it has also been proved in the series facing the Magic that the Celtics do not need a large number of three-pointers to win. But in the first two games against the Knicks, the situation was very different from when facing the Magic. The large number of three-pointers really exposed the opportunity the Knicks to the Celtics, but was it just the Celtics themselves that they didn't seize it?

In this article, we briefly discuss the two main aspects of the Celtics' tragic reversal after a 20-point lead.

Shot selection and offensive continuity

The first game was 5 minutes and 47 seconds in the third quarter, and White scored the 9th three-pointer on the spot, and the difference reached 20 points. At that time, the Celtics made 9 of 32 three-pointers, which seemed to have improved a little in the third quarter compared to 5 of 23 shots in the first half.

The next to the end of the third quarter, the Celtics' last attack on the offensive end were all at the three-point line, with a total of 3 of 10 shots. The 7 goals lost by White, except for White, who took the ball and attacked against the defense, the time for other players to shoot the first shot was actually created, and some of them were even completely empty. If they didn't make it, it was really a problem with the Celtics' feel. Until the fourth quarter, they were 9 points ahead of the Knicks.

The Celtics made a total of 21 shots in the fourth quarter, of which 15 were three-pointers and 2 shots were hit.

Connet missed the end at the beginning, and two consecutive offensive rebounds created open spaces for White and Holiday, but neither of them was sure. After this wave of attacks, the Celtics' half-court offense gradually became monotonous. Brown failed to face Towns' misalignment with the ball for two consecutive times. The team's offensive rhythm was not driven at all. Instead, the Knicks got the opportunity to switch back due to the mistake.

Facing the Knicks' double towers, the Celtics always start with a high pick-and-roll, and finally leave the players to attack with their own ball-holding ability. The offense has no subsequent continuity at all.

Pritchard took a step back and jump shot. In the middle, Mazula called a timeout, but Tatum came up or took a step back and jump shot.

7 minutes and 50 seconds in the fourth quarter are the goals that I personally think are the most worthy of consideration in this game. When Hart failed to make a three-pointer, the Celtics wanted to push, but the Knicks retreated in time. The position on the field was shown in the figure below:

The offensive time was still 19 seconds, and there was almost no one in the penalty area. As a result, White actually forced a move in front of Hart after receiving the ball, and had no choice to break through the penalty area to attract Anunobi's assisting defense, creating Holiday's open opportunity.

The shooting rhythm was poor and the shooting rate was not ideal. When Towns was constrained on the periphery, the Celtics still had no desire to attack the basket. They all started at a high position, set up a cover without the ball and looked for a three-pointer to make a mobile phone. Finally, they were reversed and the score was already behind, and they began to try to break through the penalty area and find three-point opportunities through breaking points.

When the Celtics' offense enters a monotonous situation, there is no threat to the Knicks. Under the slower offensive rhythm, they often only launch an attack when the offensive time reaches 14 or 15 seconds. The situation of holding the ball to pull the defense is far less than expected, and they rarely design running tactics on the weak side. Various problems begin to be exposed, and in the end they can only complete low-quality shots at the countdown.

Overall, the Celtics got quite a few open shots, but the monotonous half-time offense in the fourth quarter until the overtime game was unable to create an ideal mobile phone chance, which is one of the direct reasons for the Celtics being reversed.

came to the second game, and Porzingis shot into the Celtics' seventh three-pointer on the spot at 3 minutes and 12 seconds in the third quarter, and they scored a 20-point lead.

The first half of this game was similar to the first game, with only 5 of 21 three-pointers, and his condition was not ideal, and his feel also rebounded in the third quarter. But at this point in time, the Celtics' offensive rhythm was disrupted by themselves again.

Brown made a turnover and missed ball, Tatum's offensive reading problem, Posses' offensive foul, White got a long rebound and was eager to make a three-pointer. After leading by 20 points, the Celtics made 3 mistakes and 1 offensive foul in just 3 minutes. At the end of the third quarter, the lead difference reached 12 points.

As for the fourth quarter, they really created open spaces, but they just couldn't make a shot. Compared with the first game, there were obviously more open spaces. A large part of the reason was attributed to them not making three-pointers.

According to post-match statistics, the Celtics made 40 three-pointers in the second game, with 24 open spots, but the shooting percentage was only 20.8%. But if you spread the content of the game, you can see that the Celtics players want to find the feel of the peripherals too much and do not read the game correctly, creating a more reasonable shooting opportunity.

The above picture is used as an example. You can see that the two people on the strong side commonly used by the Celtics to pile up the others on the weak side. However, how should White deal with this ball in the end?

The answer is to directly shoot a three-pointer.

Of course, Towns has chosen to retreat and break through to defend, so it is not impossible to directly make a three-pointer, but before this round, the Celtics have lost all 6 shots, no score in the past 3 minutes, and there are 14 seconds left in the remaining offensive time. If White tries to break through the penalty area from the left, is it possible to attract double-teams on the weak side and create an all-in-one connection for Connett's first shot or the opportunity for Holiday on the other side to take action?

This picture is also a flaw in the judgment of the game. The Knicks turned to area + staring at the time. Facing the misaligned Brunson, Tatum did not choose to turn around and break through from the right side, attract Miro to double-team, and create Horford's open position. Instead, it just means to hold the ball against Brunson. Hart never moved the position in the whole process. After Tatum gave the ball to White, he immediately went to the position.. In the first two games of the

series, as long as the Celtics grasp some open three-pointers, they can win and solve the problem, but the game is an unexpected state of inaccurate outside lines. The players' offensive choices and unclear coaching tactical designs, allowing the players to rely on their personal abilities to deal with the problem are the direct reasons for losing the game in the last quarter of the two games.