{"id":71311,"date":"2024-03-31T13:44:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T17:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=71311"},"modified":"2024-03-31T13:44:13","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T17:44:13","slug":"how-concerning-is-the-celtics-clutch-time-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/31\/how-concerning-is-the-celtics-clutch-time-play\/","title":{"rendered":"How Concerning Is The Celtics Clutch Time Play?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Celtics clutch time play and ability to close games have been a consistent point of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/02\/24\/5-questions-for-the-celtics-post-all-star-break\/\" target=\"_self\">criticism<\/a> in an otherwise spotless year. Highlighted by an embarrassing loss to the Hawks last week where the Celtics blew a 30-point lead. This was the Celtics largest blown lead since 2000 and they became just the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/celtics-become-10th-team-in-nba-history-to-blow-a-30-point-lead-as-hawks-stun-boston-120-118\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tenth team<\/a> ever to blow a lead of 30 or more. The Celtics followed this with another loss to the Hawks later in the week.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the month the Celtics lost a 22-point lead against the Cavs. With the playoffs just ten games away you have to wonder how serious is this problem for the Celtics. Let\u2019s dive into the important clutch time stats and determine how severe this problem is for Boston.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"zxx\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/prBlIge7oa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/prBlIge7oa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SeanGrandePBP\/status\/1772441632329044170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>How Concerning Is The Celtics Clutch Time Play?<\/h2>\n<h3>Blown Leads<\/h3>\n<p>Closely linked to their clutch time play one of the biggest concerns for the Celtics has been playing with a lead. However the Celtics <a href=\"https:\/\/champsorchumps.us\/records\/most-nba-blown-leads-in-2024\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rank<\/a> dead last in blown leads, 24th in blown 4th-quarter leads, and 17th in blown double-digit leads. These numbers don\u2019t reflect a team that struggles to play with a lead or closing games. However, these numbers also lack important context. The Celtics have the best record in the league so naturally they have fewer blown leads.<\/p>\n<p>To put these numbers in a different perspective in 15 out of 16 season losses the Celtics have blown a lead. With more than half of those being 4th quarter and or double-digit leads. Ultimately while the initial numbers look promising considering the different factors at play the stats still indicate that Boston struggles playing with a lead.<\/p>\n<h3>Clutch Numbers<\/h3>\n<p>Interestingly the Celtics clutch time numbers also aren\u2019t that different from their regular numbers. They rank sixth in clutch time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=OFF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">offense<\/a> and eighth in clutch time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">defense<\/a>. While this is a noticeable dip from their typical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_2024_ratings.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_2024_ratings.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">third<\/a> rankings it isn\u2019t anything too out of the ordinary. The Celtics also rank <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-traditional?dir=A&amp;sort=FG3A\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ninth<\/a> in three-point attempts in clutch time play compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/shots-general?dir=D&amp;sort=FG3A\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first<\/a> in overall three-point attempts.<\/p>\n<p>While many people point to the Celtics reliance on the deep ball as their main problem in the clutch the stats say differently. The Celtics also notably rank <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-traditional?dir=A&amp;sort=W_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fourth<\/a> in clutch win % and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-traditional?dir=A&amp;sort=PTS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sixth<\/a> in clutch points. An interesting clutch time stat is that the Celtics rank dead last in clutch time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=PACE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pace<\/a>. This is a sizable dip from 18th\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/advanced?dir=-1&amp;sort=PACE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">overall<\/a>; too many isolations are in part responsible for Boston\u2019s slow clutch time pace.<\/p>\n<h3>The Stars In Clutch Time<\/h3>\n<p>One of the discussed parts about the Celtics clutch time play is their stars. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatumja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jayson Tatum<\/a> has been widely <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/30\/celtics-jayson-tatum-responds-clutch-concerns\/\" target=\"_self\">criticized<\/a> for his shot selection and clutch time play. When diving into the Celtics clutch time stats Tatum\u2019s struggles stand out. He is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-traditional?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatum&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=FG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shooting<\/a> 36% from the field, and 33% on three-pointers with an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Tatu&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=EFG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> effective field goal<\/a> percentage of 41. Notably, Tatum\u2019s usage rate in clutch time increases from 30.3 to 33.3. Furthermore, Tatum has taken 20 more clutch time shots than any other Celtic this year. This increase is inexcusable considering Tatum\u2019s inconsistencies in the clutch.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Interesting <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BuC7rxKITY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/BuC7rxKITY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StoolGreenie\/status\/1773715451245482135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nTatum\u2019s running mate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brownja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Brown<\/a> is underutilized in clutch play. Brown\u2019s clutch time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Jaylen%20Brow&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=EFG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">effective field percentage <\/a>is 53.8 but his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Jaylen%20Brow&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=USG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">usage<\/a> plummets \u00a0from 28.7 to 21.4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/whitede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick White<\/a> are two of Boston\u2019s most dependable clutch players, however, their usage also drops in the clutch. White\u2019s 73 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Derrick%20white&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=EFG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EFG<\/a> % and 52 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-traditional?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Derrick%20whit&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=FG3_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-point<\/a> % are noticeable increases from his typical 58 % EFG and 40 % from beyond the arc. However, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Derrick%20white&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=USG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">usage<\/a> drops from 18.8 to 14.8.<\/p>\n<p>Porzingis\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Porzin&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=USG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">usage<\/a> similarly drops from 25.4 to 20.3 while his production increases. Porzingis\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-advanced?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*Porzin&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=EFG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EFG<\/a> increases from 58% to 63% in clutch time; he is also the Celtics second leading clutch time scorer. Tatum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/clutch-traditional?CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*BOS&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=PTS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">averages<\/a> the most clutch time points with 2.9 Porzingis averages 2.3 but does so on .8 fewer attempts. With more attempts, Porzingis could certainly lead the team to clutch time points. Porzingis\u2019 presence is especially helpful for the Celtics if their threes aren\u2019t falling.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holidjr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jrue Holiday<\/a> also sees a decrease in usage from 16.2 regularly to 13.8 in clutch play. The Celtics have built their identity around an everyone-eats offense. However, this is not happening in the clutch. Tatum\u2019s involvement needs to be slightly decreased and there should be more overall balance in clutch time play. Ultimately this balance would make the Celtics far less predictable and harder to defend in the clutch.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>Clutch time remains the top concern for the Celtics in the playoffs. Furthermore, the star numbers and offensive distribution in the clutch are extremely concerning for the Celtics. The eye test backs this up and matches these statistical concerns. The raw clutch numbers are more concerning when considering other contending teams elevate their play late in games. This includes the Nuggets and Bucks who elevate their offensive and defensive ratings in clutch time play. The Nuggets notably have the best clutch time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/clutch-advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=NET_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">net rating<\/a>. For the Celtics to win a title and beat these top contenders their clutch time play must improve.<\/p>\n<h4>Panic Meter: 7\/10<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Celtics clutch time play and ability to close games have been a consistent point of criticism in an otherwise spotless year. Highlighted by an embarrassing loss to the Hawks last week where the Celtics blew a 30-point lead. This was the Celtics largest blown lead since 2000 and they became just the tenth team [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":71320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,62],"tags":[1090,450,798,239,138],"class_list":["post-71311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-nba","tag-derrick-white","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-jrue-holiday","tag-kristaps-porzingis"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}