2014-15 - Finished 40-42, 2nd in the Atlantic, big improvement over 2013-14. Made the playoffs (8th seed), promptly got swept by Cleveland, with no game being closer than 8 points. They had gone 2-2 in the regular season against Cleveland, but the playoffs are a whole other matter.
2015-16 - Finished 48-34, 2nd in the Atlantic, 8 game improvement over 2014-15. Made the playoffs (5th seed), lost to Atlanta in six games. They went 1-3 against Atlanta during the regular season.
2016-17 - Finished 53-29, 1st in the Atlantic, 5 game improvement over 2015-16. Made the playoffs (1st seed), and currently are down 0-2 at home to the 8th seeded Bulls. They went 2-2 against Chicago during the regular season.
So in the last 3 seasons, Boston has gone 141-105 (.573) during the regular season, but they've gone just 2-10 (.167) in the playoffs. Now, we know that you face better opposition in the playoffs than in the regular season. But against Cleveland (2014-15), Atlanta (2015-16), and Chicago (2016-17) those three years, they went 5-7 (.417). In the playoffs they've gone 2-10 (.167). Something is terribly amiss.
So what's going on? I propose that they are simply a team right now built for the regular season. They have a lot of pretty decent depth and they typically work hard, and their depth allows them to work hard night in and night out. Over the last three years, they've been a top 3 team in the NBA in the second game of back-to-backs. That speaks to depth and effort. Other teams may have better top-end talent, but on the second night of back-to-backs, it's usually the deeper team that has the energy to consistently play well in those games.
The NBA playoffs are a different animal. Rotations get shorter. There are no back-to-backs, so the schedule is actually much easier. Just a quick example. LeBron James plays, on average in his career, 38.9 minutes per game during the regular season. But in the playoffs, it's 42.1. This is also true for other star players. Just a few examples:
Jimmy Butler: 32.3 vs. 38.3
Kevin Durant: 37.4 vs. 41.9
Steph Curry: 34.7 vs. 38.5
Kawhi Leonard: 30.5 vs. 33.1
Russell Westbrook: 34.1 vs. 37.7
You get the idea. The stars play more in the playoffs. The Celtics cannot match up with other teams' top players; instead, they typically thrive in situations where their greater depth can win out. But in the playoffs, that isn't an issue, and the Celtics are at a disadvantage.
Moreover, the game gets more physical in the playoffs. That makes it harder for a small player like Isaiah Thomas. Consider his regular season numbers vs. playoff numbers the past two seasons with Boston.
Regular season: 25.5 pts, 18.1 fga, .446 fg%, .371 3pt%, 6.1 apg
Playoffs: 24.8 pts, 19.0 fga, .414 fg%, .293 3pt%, 4.8 apg
So Thomas has had to work harder but has produced fewer points (points + assists) in the playoffs compared to the regular season. I will grant that this year has pretty major extenuating circumstances for him, of course.
The physical play is shown in rebounding as well. Consider these rebounding numbers the past three seasons combined:
2015-16 regular season
- Bos: 43.8
- Opp: 44.7
- Diff: -0.9
2014-15 vs Cle
- Bos: 40.8
- Cle: 47.0
- Diff: -6.2
2015-16 regular season
- Bos: 44.9
- Opp: 46.0
- Diff: -1.1
2015-16 vs Atl
- Bos: 46.0
- Atl: 47.5
- Diff: -1.5 (note: Atlanta had the 3rd worst rebound differential in the NBA last year)
2016-17 regular season
- Bos: 42.0
- Opp: 44.5
- Diff: -2.5
2016-17 vs Chi
- Bos: 37.0
- Chi: 48.0
- Diff: -11.0
The Celtics, simply put, are not built for the playoffs. They are built for regular season success, which is no small or unimportant thing. But if they want to be a championship team, they need to be constructed differently. They need to add more top-end talent, even if it sacrifices some depth. And they need to add toughness. I think the former is more important than the latter, but I think both are needed.
2015-16 - Finished 48-34, 2nd in the Atlantic, 8 game improvement over 2014-15. Made the playoffs (5th seed), lost to Atlanta in six games. They went 1-3 against Atlanta during the regular season.
2016-17 - Finished 53-29, 1st in the Atlantic, 5 game improvement over 2015-16. Made the playoffs (1st seed), and currently are down 0-2 at home to the 8th seeded Bulls. They went 2-2 against Chicago during the regular season.
So in the last 3 seasons, Boston has gone 141-105 (.573) during the regular season, but they've gone just 2-10 (.167) in the playoffs. Now, we know that you face better opposition in the playoffs than in the regular season. But against Cleveland (2014-15), Atlanta (2015-16), and Chicago (2016-17) those three years, they went 5-7 (.417). In the playoffs they've gone 2-10 (.167). Something is terribly amiss.
So what's going on? I propose that they are simply a team right now built for the regular season. They have a lot of pretty decent depth and they typically work hard, and their depth allows them to work hard night in and night out. Over the last three years, they've been a top 3 team in the NBA in the second game of back-to-backs. That speaks to depth and effort. Other teams may have better top-end talent, but on the second night of back-to-backs, it's usually the deeper team that has the energy to consistently play well in those games.
The NBA playoffs are a different animal. Rotations get shorter. There are no back-to-backs, so the schedule is actually much easier. Just a quick example. LeBron James plays, on average in his career, 38.9 minutes per game during the regular season. But in the playoffs, it's 42.1. This is also true for other star players. Just a few examples:
Jimmy Butler: 32.3 vs. 38.3
Kevin Durant: 37.4 vs. 41.9
Steph Curry: 34.7 vs. 38.5
Kawhi Leonard: 30.5 vs. 33.1
Russell Westbrook: 34.1 vs. 37.7
You get the idea. The stars play more in the playoffs. The Celtics cannot match up with other teams' top players; instead, they typically thrive in situations where their greater depth can win out. But in the playoffs, that isn't an issue, and the Celtics are at a disadvantage.
Moreover, the game gets more physical in the playoffs. That makes it harder for a small player like Isaiah Thomas. Consider his regular season numbers vs. playoff numbers the past two seasons with Boston.
Regular season: 25.5 pts, 18.1 fga, .446 fg%, .371 3pt%, 6.1 apg
Playoffs: 24.8 pts, 19.0 fga, .414 fg%, .293 3pt%, 4.8 apg
So Thomas has had to work harder but has produced fewer points (points + assists) in the playoffs compared to the regular season. I will grant that this year has pretty major extenuating circumstances for him, of course.
The physical play is shown in rebounding as well. Consider these rebounding numbers the past three seasons combined:
2015-16 regular season
- Bos: 43.8
- Opp: 44.7
- Diff: -0.9
2014-15 vs Cle
- Bos: 40.8
- Cle: 47.0
- Diff: -6.2
2015-16 regular season
- Bos: 44.9
- Opp: 46.0
- Diff: -1.1
2015-16 vs Atl
- Bos: 46.0
- Atl: 47.5
- Diff: -1.5 (note: Atlanta had the 3rd worst rebound differential in the NBA last year)
2016-17 regular season
- Bos: 42.0
- Opp: 44.5
- Diff: -2.5
2016-17 vs Chi
- Bos: 37.0
- Chi: 48.0
- Diff: -11.0
The Celtics, simply put, are not built for the playoffs. They are built for regular season success, which is no small or unimportant thing. But if they want to be a championship team, they need to be constructed differently. They need to add more top-end talent, even if it sacrifices some depth. And they need to add toughness. I think the former is more important than the latter, but I think both are needed.