The Celtics have several strong suits, but efficient third-quarter offense has not been one of them.
After being a problem for quite some time, it was pleasant to see the Celtics dominate the Miami Heat in every way possible throughout the third quarter. After matching a season high of 77 points in the first half, Boston showed no signs of slowing down. After all, it was a highly competitive rivalry battle.
At 35-10, the Celtics have the most points in the first (31.3) and second (31.6) quarters of any NBA team this season. The Celtics’ offensive disappearance in the third quarter has been a consistent occurrence. They are 20th in third-quarter offensive rating (116).
This time, however, Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday set the tone early by making back-to-back three-pointers. The Cs couldn’t be stopped, scoring 23 points on 9-11 field goal shooting and going 100 percent from deep.
At 6’4, Holiday took advantage of the Heat’s smaller lineup, bullying guard Tyler Herro in the post and capitalizing on turnovers in transition. Speaking of Holiday, he is certainly a one-of-a-kind point guard. How many teams can claim to have a guard that can post up the majority of players in the paint?
With ice in their veins, this club went 13-19 (68.4 percent) from the field and 5-9 (55.6 percent) from downtown. Despite detractors pointing out Tatum’s recent dip, he made all three of his long-range shots, including two contested threes over Herro.
The most remarkable play occurred seven minutes into the third quarter, when Tatum blasted a three-pointer over Jimmy Butler against a 5-on-4 defense. He did it without any hesitation.
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“I think we all try to have the right intentions every time down the floor,” Tatum went on to say. “We discovered the mismatch or advantage that we were aiming to exploit. Finding those two-on-ones where you force the defense to make a decision. Many of our shots were open, indicating that we were playing with the proper mindset.”
Despite losing Kristaps Porzingis to an ankle injury midway through the third quarter, they defeated Miami 36-26. Luke Kornet continued his scoring outburst off the bench, finishing with 8 points and two rebounds in three minutes. Overall, he had 12 points and five rebounds in less than 20 minutes on the court.
Joe Mazzulla is clearly beginning to trust his bench guys more and more. With Tatum on the bench and Porzingis out, Brown continued to lead the second unit. Sure, the three-ball was magnificent, but from here on out, the Celtics found other ways to score.
Let’s go deeper into Kornet. Kornet, the C’s only big man, excelled at reading defensive coverages and setting strong screens. Jaylen Brown took the ball up himself three times alongside Kornet. With Miami’s tiny roster, the transition alley-oops from Brown to Kornet were flawlessly executed.
“Luke, 12 points, that came from recognizing the coverage versus him, and him playing plays in the seam,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I think Luke has been playing quite well. I think our bench is fantastic. Most significantly, it demonstrates how we can positively impact each other on both ends of the floor. That is the difficulty for us—can we continue to trust one other?”
A few plays later, with a 109-87 lead, Miami was caught dozing in the paint. Holiday’s double team on Bryant and Robinson at the baseline left Kornet wide open in the paint.
Brown took the ball up again, this time up 111-90, and ran the pick and roll with Kornet, only to be fouled by Robinson and Herro in the low post.
I’m not claiming the Celtics or this third quarter were perfect. The Heat shot 50% from three and attacked on offense. In a situation where the Celtics have struggled all season, they are learning to adjust and score against different defensive strategies.
The Celtics lead the NBA in three-point attempts per game (42.7), but learning to react while up 21 points is another level. Overall, the Celtics had a well-balanced offensive approach in the third quarter.
Tatum went into detail about the team’s obstacles and how they overcame them following the game. “It’s reading the game,” Tatum explained. “Being mindful of the matchups on the floor. Are they in the zone? Are they a man? Are they switching? Just be aware of it. “Not just going down and playing too freely.”
