Two consecutive reversals! What exactly is the problem with the defending champion Celtics?

The last time I suffered a 20-point reversal at home, I could use underestimating the opponent as a reason, and then being reversed by 20-point reversal can be said to have caused the Celtics' hope to fall to the bottom. So why did the Celtics collapse many times? This issue of the column will help you understand through in-depth data analysis.

Due to the sluggish score in the last two games, especially Tatum's scoring, many people believe that it is Tatum's responsibility to be reversed continuously. Although Tatum contributed a lot in rebounding and assists, the poor score was very obvious. This view is neither right nor right. Tatum averaged 26.8 points per game this season, but his shooting percentage was at the lowest among the 10 or even 20 players with the most points per game. From this point of view, Tatum will undoubtedly take the blame for the loss.

But despite this, the Celtics have suffered consecutive reversals and have difficulty scoring at critical moments is not just Tatum's responsibility. Judging from the Celtics' winning formula, Tatum has undertaken the task of opening up the situation for the team with personal offense and sorting out the offense, and defending the opponent's forward-line arrow characters. When the team is in a scoring drought, it is not him who stood up to stabilize the situation through hard resolution. This can be clearly reflected in the playoffs last season.

When the Celtics entered the critical moment of the last five minutes and within five points last season, Jaylen Brown took on the most scoring tasks, both in terms of scoring and shooting percentage, the Celtics were the first in the main force. Although Tatum scored well, the shooting percentage was very bad, which also confirmed that the Celtics' critical moments in the championship season were more relied on Brown's hard solution. Tatum determined that Brown was the key to their victory in the Celtics' basic set.

However, this season's playoffs, the Celtics' double-teams are one pit of each other at critical moments. Tatum still continued his sluggish performance at critical moments last season and only made two goals with 10 shots. He scored 11 points with only free throws. Brown is also completely different from him in the playoffs last season, missing one goal with only 3 points with 3 points with 5 free throws. This poor performance at critical moments also contrasts with the Knicks' Brunson, which led to the Celtics losing continuously at critical moments and encountering reversals.

Jeren Brown's singles decline is well known and obvious, but Tatum's problem has always been that it's hard for him to stand up when the team needs him, which has been the case in the last two seasons.

Although the Celtics finally won the championship last season, Tatum's performance in the fourth quarter showed a gradual decline in the fourth quarter. Simply put, when the game entered the fourth quarter, his average score and shooting percentage were the worst in the four quarters.

And when the Celtics are on par with their opponent's score, Tatum's shooting percentage is only 36.8%. As the score difference increases, his performance can increase a certain extent, which means that when the score difference between the two sides is closest and usually needs to score the most, Tatum's scoring efficiency is relatively low. As the score difference increases, his performance tends to be normal.

Tatum averaged 7.3 points in the last quarter of the playoffs this season, but the shooting percentage of the two events is as low as 30.3% and 17.6%. Although the decline in scoring efficiency in the last quarter is reasonable compared to other time periods, this decline makes his score more like a high shot and low shot in the final quarter. As the game progresses, his scoring performance is still his characteristic;

And when the Celtics are on par with the opponent's score, Tatum's shooting percentage is as low as 12.5%. As the score difference widens, his performance can increase significantly, which means that Tatum's scoring efficiency is very low when the score difference between the two sides is the closest and usually the most needed to score. Compared with Tatum's "unreliable" attribute last season, it is becoming more obvious.

When the team needs it, it is difficult for Tatum to lead the team to stabilize the situation through scoring performance. In addition, Jaylen Brown's decline has caused the Celtics to stand up when their opponents are close to the point difference to a critical moment. The sluggish state of almost all players has also made the Celtics average only 6.5 points per game at the critical moment of the playoffs this season, with shooting percentages as low as 24.1% and 9.1%. Such a bad performance is really not like a championship-level team.