As the Celtics turn the page to 2023-24 after Monday’s Game 7 loss, they should heed the words of Malcolm Brogdon, who gave an illuminating answer on why Boston fell short in the East Finals.
"I think defensively is where the difference is for us, more than anything."
While the Celtics' potent offense masked their defensive lapses during the regular season, that formula proved unsustainable against the Heat. Boston allowed Miami -- the NBA's 27th-ranked 3-point shooting team during the regular season -- to shoot a blistering 43.4 percent from beyond the arc in the East Finals while averaging 109.1 points per game.
You could argue it was offense that let the Celtics down in Game 7, as they missed their first 12 3-pointers and shot just 23.7 percent from 3-point range. But if they didn't allow the Heat to average 120.7 points over the first three games, they wouldn't have been in this position in the first place.
"We've got to continue to defense first," guard Marcus Smart said after the game."We were so bad on offense last year, and that's what the main focus was this year. Unfortunately, our defense took a hit from it. ... A lot of times our defense has been our kryptonite when we're not making shots." If the Celtics want to get back to the NBA Finals in 2024, they'll need to rid themselves of that kryptonite and re-establish defense as their No. 1 priority.
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