After being bested by the Heat in seven games, it might be natural for some Celtics fans to bash them, but for Miami shooting to take such a massive drop in the Finals – in sweeping the Gentlemen, they made just 33.8% of triples. After achieving 43.4% against Boston – leads to wondering minds. “What if” began to flow through the heads of Bostonians wishing their team had competed for a championship.
But the most important question to ask is, were the Celtics able to beat the Nuggets?
Historically speaking, yes.
The Celtics have gone 5-1 against the Nuggets over the past three seasons, including a 1-1 record this past year. Boston got the best of Denver in November, while the Nuggets turned the script around on New Year’s Day.
Boston has solid pieces to throw at Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Grant Williams earned the nickname “Batman” for his efforts at slowing down “The Joker,” and Al Horford is one of the best fullbacks in the league when it comes to guarding the big-bodied positions.
The two games this season have been decided largely by three-point shooting.
Read: If the Celtics hit the ball well from deep, they win. If they didn’t, they didn’t.
In their win over Denver on November 11, the Celtics shot 43.2% from distance, and even though the Nuggets were just as hot, it didn’t matter. Boston slowed Jamal Murray, and their three-point shooting sealed the win, which they lost by 131 points.
However, in their loss on January 1, the Celtics shot just 27.3% from three-pointers, while the Nuggets were billowing all over.
It was one of nineteen games in total Boston shot at less than 30% depth, four of which were in the postseason (all of which were against Miami). In those games, the Celtics went just 7-12.
So, based on history, the Celtics had an absolute chance against the Nuggets. They played Denver well, and if their three-point shot was there, it was golden.
But realistically? Mostly not.
Jokic had one of the most impressive games in NBA history. This may sound dramatic, but he recently became the first player to record 500 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in the post-season.
This is obscene.
No one has been able to decipher the Jokic-Murray two-man game, and given that Boston was struggling to defend a Miami offense that failed to put up 100 points in five of their last eight games, Denver would have had it. They run in circles.
Murray’s shot creation combined with Jokic’s mastery of the position would give Joe Mazzola the Celtics brain spasms, while Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell Pope drained the same threes Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent were making.
And if you thought the Celtics did a terrible job defending against a sore back from Duncan Robinson with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler passing him the ball, imagine the horror of having to watch Boston run Aaron Gordon, Christian Brown, Jeff Green or Bruce Brown into the frame with Jokic seeing them set up. for easy lobes.
In terms of the Nuggets defense, it was solid, but the problem would have been self-inflicted cuts, as they have been since the All-Star break.
The whole part about “if their three-point shot existed, it was golden” is very true, but unfortunately, that’s exactly why Boston lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Defensively, they left a lot to be desired, but in 2023 the Celtics lost a series in which their opponent scored 111 points or fewer in five out of seven games, including four games that scored less than 105.
Boston, a team that averaged 117.9 points and shot 37.7% of depth in the regular season, put up just 105.3 points per game and shot 30.3% of depth in the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ve scored less than 30% in four of their seven games, with the lone win coming via miracle scorer Derrick White.
The Celtics’ inconsistencies and inability to win when the three-point shot doesn’t fall is the polar opposite of what the Nuggets were about in their first year.
Denver has been defined by its unrelenting consistency.
The Nuggets have scored at least 100 points in all but two of their 20 games, and have lost at least 108 points in all but two of their games. They held their opponent under 100 points six times and only allowed 115 or more points three times.
In terms of three-point shooting, the Nuggets have only shot worse than 30% from depth in four games, and they won all of them including Game 5 last night when they hit just 5 of 28 from behind the arc. They only shot worse than 44% from the field twice, and again, they won both games.
And they only had one game with more than 15 turnovers. (Yes, they win that, too.)
Jokic has only failed to break the 20-point mark in a single game this postseason, and that was the first game in the playoffs that the Nuggets won. Minnesota Timberwolves by 29 points.
He shot 50% or better from the field in 14 of 20 games, grabbed 10 or more boards in 17 of 20, and had 10 or more assists in 11 of 20.
Even Murray, a powerful shot-maker who is often tasked with creating for himself, has shot less than 43% from the field just five times in this playoff run.
The Nuggets have only lost four games in the playoffs this year, and that’s because no matter what happens, they simply stick to their game plan. They run through Jokic and Murray, allow Gordon to get some drive, don’t turn the ball over, and tire their opponents out.
It’s a relentless, repetitive style, which is why they’re amazing the way they are. Nuggets are zombies. Basketball zombies.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have struggled for the exact same reason – because they were unable to use the same approach effectively. They turned the ball around, played varying levels of effort on defense, their three-point shooting just wasn’t there, and their stars had plenty of rough performances.
So, did the Celtics stand a chance? naturally.
But based on all the evidence shown, it wasn’t very good.