{"id":98836,"date":"2024-02-29T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.celticsblog.com\/2024\/2\/29\/24085477\/drives-are-strength-boston-celtics-rare-philadelphia-76ers-jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-joe-mazzulla"},"modified":"2024-02-29T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T13:00:00","slug":"drives-are-a-strength-for-the-celtics-that-they-rarely-use-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/29\/drives-are-a-strength-for-the-celtics-that-they-rarely-use-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Drives are a strength for the Celtics…that they rarely use…yet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"Philadelphia
Photo by Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Did the Philadelphia 76ers reveal Boston\u2019s secret weapon or maybe the soul of Joe Mazzulla?<\/p>\n

After the Celtics<\/a>\u2019 117-99 blowout of the 76ers<\/a> on Tuesday night, head coach Joe Mazzulla said that it was one of the \u201cbest games of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis game showed a template of how teams are going to guard us and it gives us another thing for us to practice,\u201d Mazzulla said after Boston made just five three-pointers on the night.<\/p>\n

Instead of relying on their perimeter play, the Celtics drove overzealous close outs and powered through defenders. They scored 64 points in the paint and went to the line a whopping 37 times.<\/p>\n

Maybe they don\u2019t need the practice.<\/p>\n

Because of their youthful speedy personnel, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder (63.4 drives per game) and Indiana Pacers (56.3) grind opposing defenses by constantly putting them in rotation with drive after drive after drive. Make one mistake, miss a switch, or take one action off and they\u2019re either challenging at the rim or kicking out to an open shooter.<\/p>\n

The Celtics, on the other hand, averagely nearly the fewest drives per game; the Nuggets are dead last at 38.0, the Lakers<\/a> are a hair above at 38.8, and Boston sits at 38.9. They\u2019re not exactly old or slow; they just don\u2019t need to exert so much effort in creating space for a good shot. Here\u2019s the kicker: the Celtics are third in the NBA in FG% off drives at 53.7% with Jaylen Brown (10.1 drives, 54.5 FG%) and Jayson Tatum (8.9 drives, 58.6 FG%) driving that number.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, pundits were trying to break up the franchise cornerstones because their skills overlapped too much. There was no apparent need for that redundancy. What Brad Stevens and Mazzulla has built since then is the most lethally efficient pick-your-poison offense in the league. On Tuesday night with the Philadelphia 76ers playing small, head coach Nick Nurse lined up Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre across from Brown and Tatum respectively. Forty-eight minutes later, the Jays combined for 20-of-34 from the field and 21 trips to the charity stripe.<\/p>\n

Those results beg the question, \u201cwhy would the Celtics stray away from something that they\u2019re so good at?\u201d Mazzulla, a math stan if there ever was one, might say that he\u2019d rather trade good shots for great shots, but it\u2019s likely not as reductive as three being more than two.<\/p>\n

Maybe Mazzulla is trying preserve Tatum and Brown. With such a talented roster, it only makes sense to build a system to everybody\u2019s strengths and not just its All-Stars.<\/p>\n

Maybe Mazzulla is saving a more pounding play style for the playoffs. That would make sense. The postseason is traditionally slower and played in the trenches of halfcourt sets. Their 2-1-2 zone might be the curveball that finally cuts enough in April. Driving is the 107-mph fastball they\u2019ll go to in the clutch.<\/p>\n

Selfishly, I hope it\u2019s not because of math or gamesmanship. What I\u2019ve enjoyed about this Celtics season so far has been the artistry of it all and I think that\u2019s in large part to Mazzulla\u2019s growing influence in how they play. Some of that is certainly born out of his love of soccer. Check out former CelticsBlogger and The Athletic\u2019s Jared Weiss\u2019 profile on Mazzulla<\/a> and his adoration of Pep Gardiola for that. <\/p>\n

But I also think that so much of how Boston is playing now is a reflection of not just what Mazzulla thinks, but who he is. No one would blame him if he wanted his young superstars to handle the ball more and take 20+ shots a night \u2014 that\u2019s the recipe for MVP candidacy and when you have a player like that on your team, they command respect and subsequently, a favorable whistle. Drive, drive, drive and you\u2019re going to the line for easy points. Something tells me that Mazzulla wouldn\u2019t want to win that way though.<\/p>\n

Since training camp, Mazzulla has taken a holistic approach to team building. In a way, winning may have actually disguised how difficult a process this has all been. To a man, everybody has talked about sacrifice and respecting each other\u2019s space. So, while driving may be an effective way to score, it\u2019s often a singular venture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

Photo by Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Did the Philadelphia 76ers reveal Boston\u2019s secret weapon or maybe the soul of Joe Mazzulla? After the Celtics\u2019 117-99 blowout of the 76ers on Tuesday night, head coach Joe Ma…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1381,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[2882],"tags":[61,2926,2905,2917,2930,122,127,129,124,128,125,132,131,133,126,130,123,66,94,88,97,56,64,65,60,2927,2907,2892,2887,2894,2888,2883,2924,2903,112,40,75,95,104,2890,33,120,2920,2899,2889,105,101,98,115,30,29,41,86,70,69,68,72,71,26,2884,118,108,2897,87,2916,2891,46,55,48,52,54,51,50,83,2919,2898,2918,62,2921,2900,58,57,2923,2902,109,35,59,63,85,79,82,96,80,2911,27,81,114,44,42,43,45,38,39,2910,138,110,117,100,111,116,2914,2906,73,89,90,92,91,93,84,2885,2896,78,37,102,34,36,77,67,74,99,113,119,28,2925,2904,2886,2895,2913,121,2893,2912,2922,2901,32,2928,2908,47,49,53,103,2929,2909,31,76,2915],"class_list":["post-98836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basketball","tag-airpods","tag-alabama","tag-alabama-basketball","tag-and-college-basketball-circuits","tag-and-msu","tag-anime","tag-anime-characters","tag-anime-cosplay","tag-anime-edits","tag-anime-merchandise","tag-anime-movies","tag-anime-news","tag-anime-recommendations","tag-anime-reviews","tag-anime-series","tag-anime-streaming","tag-animes","tag-app-store","tag-app-store-samsung","tag-appgallery","tag-appgallery-oneplus","tag-apple","tag-apple-music","tag-apple-tv","tag-apple-watch","tag-arkansas","tag-arkansas-basketball","tag-basketball-coaching-tips","tag-basketball-forum","tag-basketball-gear","tag-basketball-merchandise","tag-basketball-news","tag-baylor","tag-baylor-basketball","tag-bbc-sport","tag-best-mobile-games","tag-bixby","tag-bixby-xiaomi","tag-champions-league","tag-college-basketball","tag-cyberpunk","tag-cyberpunk-2077","tag-duke","tag-duke-basketball","tag-euroleague","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fifa","tag-football","tag-formula-1","tag-fortnite","tag-free-fire","tag-free-mobile-games","tag-freebuds-pro","tag-galaxy-a52","tag-galaxy-note-20","tag-galaxy-s21","tag-galaxy-watch-4","tag-galaxy-z-fold-3","tag-game","tag-game-highlights","tag-games","tag-golf","tag-gonzaga-basketball","tag-harmonyos","tag-here-is-the-ultimate-destination-for-every-basketball-enthusiast-our-blog-brings-you-the-latest-basketball-news-from-the-nba","tag-high-school-basketball","tag-how-to-backup-iphone","tag-how-to-factory-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-restore-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-5","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-6","tag-huawei","tag-illinois","tag-illinois-basketball","tag-including-teams-like-gonzaga","tag-ios","tag-iowa","tag-iowa-basketball","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-kentucky","tag-kentucky-basketball","tag-live-soccer","tag-lol","tag-macbook","tag-macos","tag-mate-40-pro","tag-mi-11-lite","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p-huawei","tag-mi-smart-band-6","tag-michigan-state-basketball","tag-minecraft","tag-miui","tag-mlb-scores","tag-mobile-game-design","tag-mobile-game-development","tag-mobile-game-marketing","tag-mobile-game-monetization","tag-mobile-games","tag-mobile-gaming","tag-msu-basketball1","tag-nba","tag-nba-scores","tag-nba-standings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scores","tag-nhl-scores","tag-oklahoma-state-basketball","tag-olympic-basketball","tag-one-ui","tag-oneplus","tag-oneplus-9-pro","tag-oneplus-buds-pro","tag-oneplus-nord-ce-5g","tag-oxygenos","tag-p40-pro-plus","tag-player-profiles","tag-player-sneakers","tag-poco-x3-pro","tag-pokemon","tag-premier-league","tag-pubg","tag-pubg-mobile","tag-redmi-note-10-pro","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-pay","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-steam","tag-steeam","tag-syracuse","tag-syracuse-basketball","tag-team-analysis","tag-team-jerseys","tag-texas-tech-basketball","tag-top-10-anime","tag-training-drills","tag-uconn-womens-basketball","tag-unc","tag-unc-basketball","tag-valorant","tag-villanova","tag-villanova-basketball","tag-when-do-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-does-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-is-the-iphone-7-coming-out","tag-world-cup","tag-wvu","tag-wvu-basketball","tag-xbox-series-x","tag-xiaomi","tag-yahoo-fantasy-basketball-welcome"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootbal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