Robb: How Celtics Have Turned Around Their Season
BOSTON (CBS) --- The Boston Celtics have been one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference since the start of February.
If you polled a group of Celtics fans a couple of months ago, that's likely the last thing way they would have expected for the end of the season. Danny Ainge had already traded away Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo. More roster turnover was anticipated at the trade deadline, and it came via the useful additions of Isaiah Thomas, Jonas Jerebko, and Gigi Datome.
That trio, and particularly Thomas, has been a factor for Boston's scorching hot play of late, but giving them all the credit ignores a few key elements. First, the Celtics were playing well before any of those guys arrived in Boston (the Celtics have won 13 of their last 19 games overall, dating back to Feb. 3).
Additionally, Thomas has been on the shelf for the last three games with a back injury, watching from the sidelines as the Celtics have put together a four-game winning streak.
Other injuries (Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley) have also popped up over the past six weeks, but the Celtics have kept up their improved play regardless. With so many different names in and out of the lineup, it's time to take a closer look at the numbers: Why exactly have the Celtics turned things around?
Winning the turnover battle
Turnovers comprise a key element of any basketball game that's constantly overlooked. If you fail to take care of the ball, you are going to have trouble winning games. For the past six weeks, no team has taken care of the ball better than the Celtics.
They have won the turnover battle against the opposition in 16 of their last 20 games and have made the most of those chances, ranking fourth in the NBA by scoring 18.7 points per game off turnovers during that stretch.
Miscues also lead to easy points for the opposition on most occasions, especially in transition, and Brad Stevens has this group limiting those breakouts as well. Boston has allowed 14.6 points per game in that department since Feb. 1, and that's a top-5 mark in the league.
With a four-point advantage in that category, the edge has proved to be enough for Boston's margin of victory during several contests over this period.
Hitting the offensive glass
Boston's offense has played better lately, but the team's shooting has remained as dismal as ever. Whether it's in the paint or the 3-point range, this group struggles to finish off plays, but they have been scoring just enough to stay afloat. How so? The lack of turnovers helps, but offensive rebounding has also been crucial during the past month.
Despite playing a healthy amount of small-ball lately, the Celtics big men have been holding their own on the offensive glass by giving Boston's offense crucial second-chance opportunities. Brandon Bass, Tyler Zeller,Olynyk and Jerebko are all grabbing more boards than usual on that end, which has translated into 15.4 second-chance points per game.
Lineup versatility
Since Feb. 1, Brad Stevens has played 10 different five-man lineups in a game for 20 minutes or more, and seven of them have a positive net rating when they have been out on the floor. With the constant injuries and roster changes, Stevens has had to adjust his player pairing on the fly, and those numbers speak to just how terrific a job the head coach has done.
With minimal practice time and a challenging schedule, Stevens had balanced scoring and defense with most of his groupings, and it's translated into wins. Considering that nearly half of this team wasn't in training camp with Boston this fall, that's no small feat.
The Celtics still have a long way to go until they can lock down a playoff spot, but if they can keep up their progress in these areas, they should be able to finish off the regular season on a higher note than most fans would have anticipated.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.