The Celtics took a 1-0 lead over the Hawks in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs Saturday afternoon, in what was a dominant 112-99 victory for the C’s.
Boston came out hot, establishing themselves on both the offensive and defensive ends, and they were able to jump out to a 30-point halftime lead that they would not surrender. Up until the halfway point of the second quarter, Boston had more points in the paint (28) than the Hawks had total points (27).
Led by Jaylen Brown, who finished with a game-high 29 points, five of the eight Celtics to see the court finished with double figures.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s commanding Game 1 win:
Dominant first half
The Celtics looked like a team that had nearly a week off when they took the floor on Saturday. Boston dominated on both ends of the floor, jumping out to a 74-44 first-half lead. At the break, Boston had more assists (17) than the Hawks had made field goals (16).
It seems to be forgotten often that the Celtics finished the regular season No. 2 in total defense. It’s scary when Boston is dialed in, and that was on display from the start on Saturday.
“We were locked in from the beginning,” Jayson Tatum said postgame. “It started from the first play… It just kinda set the tone.”
Much to the credit of Robert Williams, the Celtics were able to take away the paint from Atlanta and force them to pull up from long-range.
Shooting from deep is not Atlanta’s game. In the regular season, they averaged just 10.8 threes per game, which was tied for third-fewest in the league. Boston forced them to shoot from deep, and it paid off. Atlanta finished the first half 1-for-16 (6.25%) from deep.
Boston was able to take advantage of Atlanta’s struggles on the offensive end. They finished the first half shooting 27 of 45 (60%) from the field and 9 of 16 (56.3%) from deep. Seventeen of Boston’s 27 first-half makes were assisted.
In the first half, Boston finished with 36 points in the paint and 27 from three, while adding another 11 at the free-throw line. When Boston’s offense has this balance, the Celtics are tough to beat — especially when the defense is locked-in the way it was in the first half.
Letting Atlanta back in it
The Celtics were fortunate to have built up such a big lead in the first half, because their play was not nearly as clean in the second half. Boston was outscored 55-38 in the second half, as Atlanta cut the Celtics lead down to 12 early in the fourth quarter, which is something the Celtics can’t afford to have happen.
They may get away with it now against a team like Atlanta, but if the Celtics want to raise banner 18, that’s unacceptable.
“A lot of it was self-inflicted," Tatum said postgame.
The offense cooling off and the defense seemingly losing some focus doesn’t help, but the big story is the turnovers. Boston turned the ball over 16 times, resulting in 19 points for Atlanta.
Turnovers and slow starts out of the half were the biggest issues for the Celtics last postseason, and it’s something that could haunt them again if they don’t clean up.
Boston’s rotation
Joe Mazzulla went eight deep in his rotation, and most notably went with Sam Hauser over Grant Williams. Maybe this is a matchup thing, as Hauser has had his way against the Hawks this season. Hauser averaged 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists while finishing with a plus-minus of +48. In those three games, Hauser shot 66.7% from the field and 68% from three.
Mazzulla also went with Derrick White in the starting lineup and Robert Williams off the bench. Having to choose between White and Robert Williams is a good problem to have, and as far as Game 1 is concerned, Mazzulla made the right decision.
White finished with 24 points on the afternoon, which was a new playoff career-high as a member of the Celtics, and Robert Williams made massive contributions off the bench, especially in the first half.