The Celtics aren’t spectacular. That’s just the way they like it.

TD Garden — Joe Mazzula didn't mean to overstate its importance. celticsThey defeated the previously undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers 120-117.

“What I'm more concerned about is if we can do it again in 72 hours,” the ever-stoic head coach said, referring to his upcoming matchup against the 2-11 Washington Wizards.

Still, Tuesday's matchup was as big as any NBA game you'll see in November, pitting the defending champion against a 15-0 team. Playoff rematch. An NBA Cup game aired on national television in front of the loudest crowd in basketball.

So before tipoff, the Cavs didn't hesitate to buy into the hype.

“What a great game,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his pregame press conference. “It’s great for the NBA, it’s great for our organization. boston garden. What could be better than that? ”

Conversely, when asked why the NBA Cup is important, Mazzula first winced, then asked, “Who said that?”

However, just as much they chose to downplay itthe Celtics jumped out of the gate and showed an arguably higher level of intensity than they have shown in the past few games against lower-seeded opponents. They expanded their lead to double digits and reached a maximum lead of 21 points in the third inning.

The final score was much closer. Another factor was the slowdown in the third quarter, when backup big man Neemias Keta was relentlessly cornered by the defense (Mazula) implicitly later He wanted to see Queta overcome hardships in real time). Plus, the second half reinforced what we already knew: the Cavs are a really good basketball team.

Still, despite their problems, the defending champions deservedly became the first NBA team to end the Cavs' historic 15-0 winning streak earlier this year. Jayson Tatum (33 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists) is off to an MVP-caliber start to the season. Al Horford (20 points, 3 blocks) and Derrick White (19 points, 5 assists) were reliable as always. Jaylen Brown made a series of big plays at the end of the fourth inning, and Peyton Pritchard scored 13 points off the bench to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors.

The win improved the Celtics' record to 12-3, the second-best record in the league and the same as last year's start.

Inside the Celtics' underwhelming start to the NBA season

Despite all the talk this season about the team's poor defense and rim protection issues, they are still outscoring their opponents by 9.7 points per game. 3rd highest point difference Among NBA teams.

Boston suffered some disappointing losses, most notably a last-minute loss to shorthanded. atlanta hawks In last week's NBA Cup opener, they lost three games by a total of 10 points. Even without All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis, they second best attack In the league.

No matter how you look at it, the Celtics have predictably dominated the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season.

and, critics are bored. It's no secret that the broader basketball world is like this. increasingly criticized The Celtics' style of play and stars are monotonous.

but, teeth Are the Celtics boring?

If you're looking for off-court controversy and drama, probably a yes.

Off the court, superstar Jayson Tatum usually maintains a fairly flat tone, win or loss. Joe Mazzula will never publicly criticize one of his players, no matter how much reporters try to fool him (which may be good for locker room morale, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone (Making the players' effort makes ESPN's headlines more interesting.)

The players on the roster are trained in PR, as you can see. Aside from the occasional Jaylen Brown rant, the media has been focused on players praising each other and emphasizing the importance of dominating the margins. You hear a lot about attacking mismatches and making the right reads, but you don't hear much about off-the-court stories.

And on the court, the Celtics' analytical style of play is perceived as boring. The Celtics play calculatedly by prioritizing threes and open layups.

Jayson Tatum had a matter-of-fact explanation of the Celtics' approach after the Cavs' win.

“We always, or most of the time, just do the simple things, make the right reads,” the five-time All-Star said. “Whether it's a cup game, a regular season game or a finals game, we know each other's positions, and we're always working on reading each other during practice to see how the game is going and how our shots are going. Regardless, it's all about making the right reads. This game will reward you for it.”

More often than not, the correct reading for the Celtics is… 3-point shooting

At this point, it's no secret that the Celtics are a strong team capable of picking up three points at their best. Their shooting prowess was on display Tuesday night against the Cavs, as they shot 53.7% from 3-point range, including an incredible 9-of-11 in the third quarter.

The Celtics made 287 three-pointers this season. Per ESPNwhich is the most three-pointers made by any team. Any 15 consecutive games that will go down in NBA history.

This season, role players have taken on that responsibility. Three Celtics are currently scoring career highs from beyond the arc: Al Horford (47.7%), Peyton Pritchard (41.9%) and Derrick White (41.3%). Jayson Tatum, whose outside shooting made headlines during the Olympics, is making and attempting more 3-pointers than ever before, shooting 39.4 percent and making 4.3 per night.

Horford hit 4 of 5, Tatum 6 of 10, White 4 of 7 and Pritchard 3 of 6 in Tuesday's big win. I took it a step further.

This offense, which takes away a lot of 3 points, has been criticized for its uniformity. Critics lament that fact. It looks like other NBA teams are starting to reflect that.

The Celtics lead the league in 3-point attempts per game (50.5) by a wide margin. And, fittingly, the Charlotte Hornets are second with 44.6 attempts per night. No wonder they are near the top. New head coach Charles Lee was the lead assistant on the Celtics' championship team last season, and it's clear that the Hornets' offense is modeled, at least in part, on Boston's offense.

There was no sense of panic when the Celtics fell by double digits on Tuesday. The Celtics focused on defense, utilizing the talent of the All-Defensive Team and a collection of versatile defenders. They made easy passes and exploited mismatches.

“We're not doing anything great,” Tatum said.

“We just solidified our defense. We've been in that situation a million times. It's time to win. Lock in, protect the yard, help each other out defensively, stop and attack. It's time to stop and figure out who we're trying. We need to put players out there to attack and we need to make the right plays.”

It's not an incredibly exciting story to explain, but Tatum has no qualms about spelling out the key to the Celtics' success thus far.

“We just do simple things really well and really often,” Tatum said.

Al Horford, who set season highs in points and blocks Tuesday night, wouldn't say anything about the win being any sort of signal-caller.

“It's about us — it's not about anything, it's not about that.”To prove it to the league.”anyone, anything. It's a long season, but we just keep moving forward to get better,” Horford said. “We’re getting better, but we’re not where we want to be, but we keep working towards it.”

Love it or hate it, the Celtics' business-minded approach has paid off. Last season, they clinched their 18th championship after one of the most dominant playoff runs in years.

And on Tuesday night, they ended the Cavs' incredible winning streak in the same fashion.