{"id":77363,"date":"2024-01-16T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.celticsblog.com\/2024\/1\/16\/24039594\/celticsweek-12-scheduling-shenanigans-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-jaylen-brown-anthony-edwards"},"modified":"2024-01-16T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T19:00:00","slug":"celticsweek-12-scheduling-shenanigans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/16\/celticsweek-12-scheduling-shenanigans\/","title":{"rendered":"CelticsWeek #12: Scheduling shenanigans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \"Boston
Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Celtics struggled with some challenging schedule quirks en route to a rare .500 week<\/p>\n

The NFL Playoffs may be hogging the spotlight, but the NBA remains as active as ever. It\u2019s Week 12 of Boston Celtics basketball, and as we near the halfway point of the 2023-24 season, we have plenty of hoops to discuss. Let\u2019s zero in on another week of Celtics basketball.<\/p>\n

\n \"Minnesota
\n Photo by Erin Clark\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/cite>
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Boston Celtics, Week 12: 2-2 record, +4 differential<\/h2>\n

L @ Indiana, 133-131<\/h3>\n

W vs Minnesota, 127-120 (OT)<\/h3>\n

L @ Milwaukee, 135-102<\/h3>\n

W vs Houston, 145-113<\/h3>\n

Reader, we appear to be in a slump.<\/p>\n

Or at least, as much of a slump as a team can have when they\u2019re 30-9 in an NBA season. It\u2019s rare that we\u2019ve posted one of these columns without a winning record for the week, and perhaps even rarer to see a differential this low. Indeed, the Celtics<\/a> were just<\/em> 2-2 this past week with a point differential that should have been quite a bit worse than it was. A tough week, though not a disastrous one.<\/p>\n

The elephant in the room: the Milwaukee loss. It\u2019s the worst loss of the season thus far, and it\u2019s certainly one that hurts given the likelihood that the Celtics end up in competition with the Bucks for playoff seeding. Sealing up the series tie for the year would have been a nice accomplishment. Instead, the Celtics fell behind early and never caught up, with Mazzulla opting to leave the core rotation on the bench as the teams took the court in the second half. A thorough, wall-to-wall butt-kicking. It stings a bit.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it also feels understandable, at least a bit. This was as much of a schedule loss as you will see in the NBA. It doesn\u2019t let the Celtics off the hook for a win they could have used, but this was brutal timing for a back-to-back. After the overtime win over the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves on their home court \u2014 a thriller! \u2014 the Celtics were immediately tasked with hopping on a plane to Milwaukee to face the second-best team in the East the next night. Better teams than this one have struggled in the same circumstances.<\/p>\n

This year has featured some genuinely… quirky scheduling. Perhaps its due to the integration of the In-Season Tournament, but it feels as if outlier scheduling scenarios have arisen more frequently. Back-to-backs feel quite poorly planned \u2014 check out the Sixers<\/a> in the midst of a four-games-in-five-nights stretch this coming week \u2014 and playing consecutive games against the same opponent in the same place has become strangely common. Neither of these are easy circumstances; an imbalance in rest can create some very strange results, and it\u2019s not easy to beat any NBA twice in a row. Both came into play this week, with Monday\u2019s loss to the Pacers being their second consecutive game on Indiana\u2019s home court. It\u2019s unfortunate, but you play the schedule you\u2019re given. Upward and onward.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s tilt with the Rockets came with its own intrigue, as well. It was former Celtics coach Ime Udoka\u2019s return to TD Garden, the first time he has faced Boston since his dismissal from the team. Some cryptic comments<\/a> in pregame interviews didn\u2019t create much of a distraction, though, as the game itself was little more than a speedbump. The Celtics thumped the Rockets by 32.<\/p>\n

\n \"Minnesota
\n Photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images<\/cite>
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Player of the Week: Jaylen Brown<\/h3>\n

4 GP, 32 MPG, 29.3 PPG (58% FG, 61% 3PT), 6.5 REB, 2.5 AST, 1 STL, +11<\/h3>\n

One prominent stinker of a game has typically been enough to disqualify a player from winning this award. There have just been too many standout performers this season \u2014 there\u2019s always been another guy who didn\u2019t stumble. In all honesty, though, the Bucks game hardly even factors into this calculus. If we took a player out of the running because they struggled in Milwaukee on Thursday, there just wouldn\u2019t be anybody left. Who played well against the Bucks? Sam Hauser and Oshae Brissett?<\/p>\n

That line of thinking is what leads us to Brown, who was absolute nails this week outside of the 10-point, 5-of-14 night against the Bucks that saw him benched at halftime. Remove the blowout loss from the equation, and his numbers were stellar: 35.6 points per game on a 65% percentage both from the field and from deep. He torched Indiana to the tune of 40 points, and every one of his 35 against the Timberwolves were instrumental in the Celtics\u2019 comeback to secure that win. Against the Rockets, he had a career-high 21 points in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

This has been an understated season for Brown. Every player on the roster has had to accept a reduction in volume to accommodate the bevy of top-end talent on this team, but apart from Jrue Holiday, nobody\u2019s had to scale back more than Brown has. His usage rate is at its lowest since the COVID-shortened Bubble season, and although he\u2019s made meaningful strides as a playmaker, he\u2019s not the kind of player who will necessarily stand out if the scoring isn\u2019t popping.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say he\u2019s been bad. <\/em>Quite the opposite, in fact. Brown has been terrific in this role. He\u2019s compensated for the reduced volume with an increase in efficiency \u2014 his 55.7% effective field goal percentage is flirting with a career high \u2014 and along with the aforementioned playmaking improvements, his much-maligned handle has looked more stable. A second consecutive All-NBA season might be a tougher sell for voters this time around, thanks to the ridiculous depth of the league, but this has been some of Jaylen Brown\u2019s best NBA basketball.<\/p>\n

The Parquet Play: Rejected!<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s keep the Jaylen Brown love going, what do you think? Get up, JB!<\/p>\n

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GO GET IT \u26a1\ufe0f<\/p>\n

JB’s incredible block is tonight’s @JetBlue<\/a> Play of the Game pic.twitter.com\/iW9ndVZqWw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 14, 2024<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n