{"id":606213,"date":"2017-01-09T14:25:19","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T19:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=606213"},"modified":"2017-01-09T14:25:19","modified_gmt":"2017-01-09T19:25:19","slug":"your-afternoon-dump-where-the-news-is-slow-but-the-celtics-still-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/your-afternoon-dump-where-the-news-is-slow-but-the-celtics-still-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Afternoon Dump: Where the News is Slow, but the Celtics still Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every<\/del>\u00a0Almost every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here\u2026 highlighting the big story line. Because there\u2019s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning<\/del> afternoon\u00a0dump.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, though, as the season nears its midway point, the Celtics are improbably forging an identity as a high-volume, high-percentage, 3-point-bombing team.<\/p>\n

After making 18 of 36 attempts in their 117-108 win over the Pelicans on Saturday night, the Celtics ranked seventh in the NBA with a 36.9 percentage from long range.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen guys are shooting with confidence and knocking them down, makes and misses are contagious,\u201d point guard Isaiah Thomas said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re making them, it seems like everybody\u2019s feeling it and doing what they\u2019re supposed to do. We\u2019re at a good place right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Celtics have made 436 3-pointers, the third-highest mark in the NBA through Saturday. They had even made more than the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

So, if personnel shifts were just minor, what has led to this seemingly major change? There are several explanations. First and foremost is the presence of Horford. In addition to the fact that he is a capable 3-point shooter, his skilled passing and ability to space the floor create openings where they might not have existed before.<\/p>\n

Boston Globe<\/a><\/p>\n

The Celtics\u00a0have\u00a0surprised the\u00a0NBA with their\u00a0effective three-point shooting. Their 28th ranked three-point shooting\u00a0percentage from last year (33.5 percent) has improved to seventh. They finished 12th in three pointers made last season and now\u00a0rank\u00a0third. Internal improvement and the addition of Al Horford represent the primary factors for\u00a0this leap.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0shooting success has been on display over the past seven games, with the team going 6-1 and shooting a scorching 44.9 percent from deep. During this stretch, Jae Crowder shot\u00a051.1 percent on 35 three-point attempts, Marcus Smart\u00a0shot 48.1 percent on 27 attempts, and Gerald Green shot\u00a062.5 percent on 16 attempts.<\/p>\n

Brad Stevens\u00a0has tried to incorporate high volume three point shooting\u00a0since he arrived in Boston.\u00a0Over the past\u00a0two seasons, they have coupled their high volume three-point attempts with one of the league’s worst three-point percentage. But this season, their strong three-point shooting\u00a0is among\u00a0the primary reasons\u00a0the Celtics\u00a0sit\u00a0seventh in offensive rating, averaging 111 points per 100 possessions.<\/p>\n

Their defense still must improve. While they\u00a0finished fourth in defensive rating last year, they\u00a0currently rank 19th, allowing 108.6 points per 100 possessions. Many\u00a0projected the Celtics would have the league’s top defense for the\u00a02016-2017 season, and while their slow defensive start seemed like an aberration,\u00a0the numbers through December barely\u00a0show an improvement. They haven’t held an opponent to under 100 points since their December 16th victory against Charlotte.<\/p>\n

Page 2: Where the February 23rd Trade Deadline is Fast Approaching<\/h3>\n

There are issues on which Danny Ainge and staff must be certain, to the degree it\u2019s possible. Life will come at them fast as Feb.\u200923 approaches, and it\u2019s imperative that the Celtics are able to gauge what their chessboard will look like even two or three moves after each possible roster option. As well, they must know how the pieces will align if they do nothing and wait for outside forces such as the draft lottery to act upon them.<\/p>\n

Boston Herald<\/a><\/p>\n

With the trade deadline just one-and-a-half months away, Danny Ainge and the\u00a0Celtics front office\u00a0must make key decisions on how they want to improve the 2016-2017 roster\u00a0and\u00a0whether they should part with future assets. In addition to trades, Bulpett\u00a0mentions how the\u00a0team will be considering extensions for Bradley and Thomas, the\u00a0potential ramifications of using the Nets pick to select a point guard, and if Ante Zicic should be a rotation player for 2017-2018.<\/p>\n

NBA trade rumors are heating up. In addition to the Kyle Korver trade to Cleveland, Paul Millsap and Jimmy Butler have been\u00a0floating around as potential trade targets. With all of its\u00a0trade assets, Boston will be at the center of every major trade rumor, a familiar position for this team.<\/p>\n

But the team seems content standing pat. During his\u00a0appearance on the Celtics Beat Podcast, Celtics Director of Player Personnel Austin Ainge said\u00a0that “he likes the team,” and want’s to see what this group\u00a0can accomplish when fully healthy. Additionally, the Celtics\u00a0feel confident they\u00a0can land another free agent this offseason with their projected $40 million of\u00a0cap space.<\/p>\n

The team could use help with rebounding and one-on-one scoring, but\u00a0the front office will not sacrifice future assets\u00a0for marginal improvement. And if a move will significantly eat into cap space and affect their chances to land a top free agent, Danny will not pull the trigger.<\/p>\n

But if the Celtics fail to win a playoff series this\u00a0April, there will suddenly be questions about the team’s long-term approach. A second round or eastern conference finals appearance\u00a0is the next logical hurdle for this Brad Stevens\/Isaiah Thomas-led group. But if they cannot get out of the first round, the long-term approach of the front office will be in question, and Brad Stevens may even get a healthy dose of criticism. Either way, trade rumor season will be\u00a0fun (…and potentially frustrating).<\/p>\n

And Finally…<\/h3>\n

Coach Nick at BBALLBREAKDOWN did an extended analysis of the\u00a0Celtics defense. In a bit of a surprise, he pins much of the\u00a0team’s defensive disappointment on Al Horford:<\/p>\n