For the second straight season, the Boston Celtics are slumping down the stretch. They’ve lost six of their last 10 games, completely losing their grip on the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the process. Now, they’re just a game in the loss column ahead of the Miami Heat for second in the East, facing the prospect of starting a conference semifinals matchup in Miami, instead of at home.
When the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins, the fear was that their defense would suffer. Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic are good players and should make Boston’s offense more potent, but neither is known for their prowess on the defensive end of the floor.
And yes, the Boston defense did give up 30 fourth-quarter points to the Charlotte Bobcats (the fifth worst offensive team in the league) on Friday, turning a 13-point lead into a two-point loss. But in general, it’s been the Celtics’ offense that has really struggled of late.
Celtics efficiency, 2010-11
| Timeframe |
Rec. |
Pace |
Off. Eff. |
Def. Eff. |
Diff. |
| Pre-trade |
41-14 |
93.0 |
105.2 |
97.4 |
+7.8 |
| Post-trade |
9-7 |
91.9 |
100.3 |
97.0 |
+3.3 |
| Last 10 |
4-6 |
89.8 |
98.0 |
95.2 |
+2.9 |
Pace = Possessions per 48 minutes
Off. Eff. = Points scored per 100 possessions
Def. Eff. = Points allowed per 100 possessions
So, since the trade, the Celtics’ defense has basically been performing at the same level as it was before the deal. The numbers are a little skewed by a game in which they held the Bucks to 56 points, but they have held nine of their 16 opponents under a point per possession, and their only bad defensive game since the trade was a 108-103 loss to the Clippers on March 9.
Side note: In contrast, it was the Celtics’ defense that suffered more at the end of last season, allowing 104.3 points per 100 possessions after the All-Star break and 111.8 over their last nine games.
The Celtics are grabbing fewer offensive rebounds since the trade, but they’re also getting to the line more often and turning the ball over a little less. So they’re actually getting more shots per possession than they were before the trade. And they’re even shooting their free throws better.
Essentially, the Celtics’ offensive drop-off is completely a result of poor shooting from the field.
Celtics’ shooting
| Timeframe |
2P% |
3P% |
EFG% |
| Pre-trade |
0.522 |
0.374 |
0.530 |
| Post-trade |
0.479 |
0.330 |
0.482 |
| Last 10 |
0.467 |
0.301 |
0.464 |
EFG% = (FGM + (.5*3PM)) / FGA
Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are all shooting worse from the field since the trade, and the Celtics’ offense has suffered as a result. With the Big Four on the floor together, they’re scoring 105.8 points per 100 possessions since the trade (despite a hot start), as opposed to 111.8 before it.
But when the big four aren’t all on the floor is when the Celtics’ offense really struggles, scoring just 94.1 points per 100 possessions since the trade, which is downright dreadful.
Celtics’ efficiency since trade with player on floor
| Player |
GP |
MIN |
Off. Eff. |
| Rajon Rondo |
16 |
581 |
102.7 |
| Ray Allen |
16 |
575 |
103.1 |
| Paul Pierce |
16 |
535 |
102.9 |
| Kevin Garnett |
16 |
512 |
105.0 |
| Nenad Krstic |
15 |
384 |
106.4 |
| Jeff Green |
15 |
344 |
97.0 |
| Glen Davis |
12 |
340 |
95.2 |
| Delonte West |
8 |
150 |
92.1 |
| Troy Murphy |
11 |
114 |
82.1 |
| Carlos Arroyo |
8 |
102 |
96.2 |
Off. Eff. = Points scored per 100 possessions
You can see why Doc Rivers has gone to an eight-man rotation in a couple of those games.
For a veteran team that was able to flip the switch when the playoffs began last year, it’s easy to theorize that the Celtics’ problems stem from boredom, complacency or a broken ubuntu. And perhaps it’s just a matter of time for the new guys in the rotation to get going.
No matter what the underlying issue is, the shots aren’t falling.
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John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. Send him an e-mail or follow him on twitter.
