For the first time since March 7, the Celtics had their preferred starting five back on the floor together on Thursday night.
Given how dominant that lineup has been this season and the fact that the Celtics had blown a 30-point lead to this same Hawks team on Monday night, many fans were likely expecting a blowout.
That wasn’t the case.
Behind 44 points from Dejounte Murray, including the dagger – a 21-foot pullup jumper with Jrue Holiday draped all over him with 0.1 seconds remaining in overtime– the Hawks completed the sweep of the two-game miniseries with their 123-122 victory.
Although Murray finished with a career-high 44 points, that number is a bit deceiving. Murray didn’t necessarily torch the Celtics. The 27-year-old needed 44 shots to reach 44 points, which is relatively inefficient. Nineteen of his 44 attempts were three-pointers, as he became only the second player in NBA history to take at least 44 shots and attempt 19 threes, joining Kobe Bryant – who did so in his final career game on April 11, 2016.
“We played great defense on him,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame.
Nonetheless, Murray’s team escaped with the win, and he scored all 11 of Atlanta’s points in overtime, singlehandedly outscoring the Celtics in the extra period. While he was inefficient for the game, overtime was a different story, as he shot 5-of-8 (62.5), a better mark than the Celtics as a team 3-of-7 (42.9%).
To open overtime, Murray switched on to Kristaps Porzingis and got him in isolation on each of Atlanta’s first three possessions, and each time, he knocked down a jumper over the 7-foot-2 big man from the free throw line. Yet, the Celtics didn’t adjust.
“Those are good reps for us. We went to that on purpose,” Mazzulla said after the game. “We have an opportunity to practice stuff that we’re going to need to get to. We haven’t done a lot of 15 – 1-through-5 switching with KP on the floor, so I thought that was a good opportunity for us to just work on that, get reps, and get that on film.”
The Celtics have been trying different things for weeks. Whether that be mixing up substitution patterns, using more double-big lineups, or even using lineups without a point guard (a result of rest), it’s not anything new. After lapping the rest of the Eastern Conference, that’s a luxury the Celtics have earned.
Only this time, it was a little more evident because it was late in the game and was one of the deciding factors.
Considering they have already clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the only box left to check for the Celtics is to win four of their final nine games to clinch the best record in the NBA, which would grant them homecourt advantage throughout the Finals.
It’s worth noting that Boston has one of the easiest remaining schedules, with opponents posting a combined winning percentage of .454. For what it’s worth, the Celtics are 26-3 against teams with a losing record.
In reality, the Celtics have positioned themselves to experiment with new strategies. They understand what works and now have the luxury to build upon that foundation.
Don’t get it twisted: experimenting isn’t the sole reason for their loss in this game. Their execution in the clutch was inconsistent, and they got killed on the glass, as they were outrebounded 53-43. Seventeen of those 43 boards came on the offensive glass, which resulted in 28 points for the hosts.
“That, to me, is the game right there. Offensive rebounds, second-chance points,” Mazzulla said postgame. “I thought we played a hell of a game outside of that component.”
However, the Celtics find themselves in a unique position to explore different strategies and fine-tune their approach, a luxury not often afforded to teams.
Getting these experiments on film enables them to look at tweaks or see that it won’t work, especially in the clutch, which is a situation you can’t simulate in practice, which will go a long way in the postseason.
“I think it’s been good,” Jaylen Brown said on the road trip to Atlanta. “Definintley some good information we can learn from.”
“These are definitely learning experiences where when it comes down to crunch time and make plays and just see what we’re made of,” Holiday added. “I’d rather do it now and get it out the way now than when we get into the playoffs.”
It may not be the average fan’s favorite approach, and the goal is and should be to win every game. But, the Celtics are making the most of this rare opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t to better prepare for the postseason — where things really matter.
