The NBA’s overdependence on the three-point shot was in full effect in the game between the Thunder and the Celtics. The defending champions attempted an astonishing 63 shots from beyond the arc and only made 20 of them. Their ice-cold shooting eventually led to their defeat. Gilbert Arenas believes the Celtics can be eliminated early in the playoffs if they continue to play that way.
Advertisement
On his Gil’s Arena podcast, the three-time All-Star hypothesized a postseason matchup between the Celtics and the Bucks and claimed that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominating presence in the paint could lead to the Celtics getting knocked out.
Giannis, who’s the most dominant interior player in the league today, shoots an eye-watering 72% at the rim. Gil believes a player of his quality could average 32 points in any matchup between these two teams, and his interior scoring would neutralize the Celtics’ three-point shooting if they keep going 31% from beyond the arc as a team.
“There’s one person that’s gonna average 30-something, he’s going to get in the lane, and he’s going to offset these chucked threes you’re taking,” he said.
Arenas does have a point. The Thunder showed that despite the Celtics’ three-friendly offense, a dominant interior game can make them falter. They attempted 14 more midrange shots than their hosts and were 27/45 from inside the arc.
As for the Celtics, it’s this same three-heavy offense that helped them dominate last season on their way to the title, but fans and analysts have pointed out the extremely obvious drawbacks of this style of play.
In a best-of-7 series, one off-night from three could be the difference between elimination and advancing to the next round. The Celtics certainly have far exceeded previous 3pa records from earlier NBA teams, and while it’s a sign of the growing game, people aren’t convinced this is a sustainable way of playing.
The 2014-15 Warriors, who are largely credited as the ushers of the new age 3-heavy offense, attempted 27 from beyond the arc per game in their title-winning season. The 2023-24 Celtics, on the other hand, took 48.
If the Celtics want to avoid an early exit to a mediocre Bucks side, they might need to rethink their game plan.
Giannis, who shoots 60% from the field this season, has added a semi-respectable mid-range game to his bag. Instead of only running and dunking, the Greek has shown flashes of a Kobe Bryant-esque interior shot, and this only makes him all the more difficult to plan against.
If he were to continue in this form into the postseason, the Celtics would need to think of ways to offset his interior dominance on the nights that their threes don’t fall. Of course, this is all purely hypothetical as of now, with the Bucks and Celtics on opposite sides of the playoff draw.
