The Boston Celtics Are Setting a New Trend on How Teams Should Play in the NBA

The Boston Celtics almost won 70 games this year on their way to the NBA Finals. Finishing the season with a record of 64-18 was enough to secure the best record in the league. Right now in the NBA Finals, the Celtics are running circles on the Western Conference team that many thought stood a chance versus this Boston barrage. So far, that has not been the case. What has happened so far was the display of two teams in two different tiers. Something the Brooklyn Nets can learn from all of this is whether or not they should change the way they play to keep up.

In Game 1, the Celtics attempted 42 threes, which was 15 more attempts than the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1. Boston managed to capitalize on these opportunities by making 38% of those threes. In Game 2, Boston attempted 39 threes, which was 13 more attempts than Dallas in Game 2. The Celtics shot poorly in Game 2 for their standards but managed to shoot better than Dallas from beyond the arc. Boston ended Game 2 shooting 26% from downtown while the Mavericks shot 23%.

Having bigs like Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford unlocked a different gear for the Celtics going into this season. Last year, Robert Williams excelled as a rim protector, but he was never stretching the floor the way Horford did. Former All-Star Porzingis is stretching it better than Horford because of a combination of his range and efficiency, which makes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's jobs easier on the offensive end as the primary shot creators. Luke Kornet, a Celtics big man who has played more since William's departure, has always been knocking down the three at a high clip. Although he has not been on the court for Boston much during this playoff run, he has always provided that necessary spacing when he does.

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