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Something to monitor going forward about the 3rd quarter.
Great 3rd quarter teams are usually the ones that end up in the finals in June
For the aberrations, Celtics were 4th, 5th and 2nd in the 2018, 2020 and 2023 respectively. Nuggets were 7th in 2020 as well.
So generally, when teams aren’t injured (or the Heat), it’s the great 3rd quarter teams that do well.
For whatever reason, we go from a great 3rd quarter team to a drop off in the playoffs.
The sample size is smaller, but a lot of the blown games can be attributed to weak 3rd quarters. Remember the whole “we won 3/4 quarters” from the 2022 ECF? Have to play 48 minutes.
We’re -1.9 this season, but the Nuggets were also not great through 17 games last year and then picked it up as the year went on (as did the Celtics). Small sample still.
Just something to keep an eye on if we continue to have weak 3rd quarters, especially against good teams.
In our 4 losses, we got outscored that 3rd quarter
19-27, 17-20, 22-27, 18-29. All really weak scoring outputs. Can’t be losing these quarters by 8 or 11 points
they keep getting hosed by either half time adjustments or just don’t have the right mindset, it’s maddening. what is happening for them to consistently underperfom in the 3rd?
Taking their foot off the gas. Huge halftime leads and they don’t want to go all out and expend energy when it’s November. Play it safe to not risk injuries. The problem is the other team is trying and this builds bad habits.
They’ve actually been really good in the 3rd quarter for years, it’s the drop-off in the playoffs that’s concerning. Could be mentality, could be coaching, could just be that our players are inconsistent. I mean look at Tatum game 6 against PHI last year. Was abysmal and then went off. Might just be the Celtics experience with him where they have to figure out how to get him to always be in control of the game, not just for a half or a handful of possessions.
Same for Brown, he always has a great first quarter and then forces things as the game goes on. He has to learn to adjust to what the defense is giving him and play around it. If he scores 10 and they key the defense in on him, he has to look to be a passer in those moments and open the floor back up. Not just force his way into double teams or ice him out of games.
Just my 2 cents on it, but it’s something to watch going forward if they just lack energy in the 3rd quarter after building a 8-12 point lead by halftime, it’s kind of concerning if they make a habit out of it.
It’s that they get hosed by halftime adjustments. It started happening when Brad lost the locker room