NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
Two preseason games. Two totally different lineups and rotations. Two wins. There’s a lot to like about how this Boston Celtics team has approached its preseason preparations and the tweaks we’ve seen.
Getting one over the Philadelphia 76ers, short-handed or not, is always welcome, too.
Advertisement
The Winning Formula
This time last year, we heard a lot of scuttlebutt about playing at a higher pace. However, once the season got underway, that scuttlebutt quickly dissipated and was replaced by the league’s slowest, most methodical offense. Half-court possessions featured entry actions followed by isolation or matchup hunting.
Don’t get me wrong, it was effective. The Celtics overcame all expectations to finish the regular season as the second seed.
This summer, we’ve heard very little regarding the pace of play. Yet, on Saturday, we saw the Celtics take control of the tempo and push the rock at will. From rapid decision-making to running the floor in transition, Joe Mazzulla’s team looked to beat the Sixers both up the floor and when they were in rotation.
Advertisement
The result was 35 assists on 50 made shots. The shots were high quality and came from multiple areas of the floor. Most importantly, though, it helped get multiple guys in rhythm, and from there, the Celtics never looked back. Playing fast created a free-flowing offense that supported Boston’s perimeter-based game, with 45.8% from deep.
According to CourtSketch, only seven of Jayson Tatum’s 23 points came unassisted. Eight of Payton Pritchard’s 25 were registered without a defender attached. In fact, only Paul George (10) and Derrick White (11) were in double digits in unassisted points that night.
As a result, the Celtics were finding ways to make their passes count. Their decision to swing the rock not only created defensive rotations and quality scoring opportunities, but also led to points being put on the board with rabid efficiency. Tatum (11), Pritchard (20), and Baylor Scheierman (20) all had double-digit numbers in the ‘points created off assists’ category.
There’s another upside to the ball swinging around on offense, too—everyone becomes…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/laying-foundations-takeaways-celtics-sixers-121145513.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-10-11 12:11:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
