Celtics finding the right mix of ingredients

Brad Stevens is finally cooking up a world class meal. All the ingredients were there for a 5 course masterpiece and the chef is Michelin-decorated. But it took some trial and error to figure out how each course was going to compliment the next and what beverages paired the best with each flavor.

The Boston Celtics have the NBA’s highest offensive rating... since Monday. Ok, ok, that’s just a 3 game (highly cherry picked) sample size and the competition during that stretch wasn’t exactly elite. Still, it is a positive trend for a team that has spent a good deal of the season in the bottom 10 of offensive rating (they are currently up to 20th overall).

It helps that the team has been shooting better (47.4% from 3 over that stretch) but they are also generating those looks with more ball movement (29 assists, up from the season average of 25).

Getting a return-to-form performance or two from Gordon Hayward helped a lot, but he hasn’t been the sole reason for the team’s turnaround. The team as a whole has been figuring out how to play with each other.

via Mark Murphy

“Someone told me the other day that we all wanted to win individually, but we all wanted to win on our terms. Our own terms. When you have your own individual intent, that can get in the way of the group and what’s best for the group. ... It’s just being part of a profession and figuring it out, and having guys willing to listen and be patient.”

This is why we’ve been preaching and practicing (mostly) patience with this team.

The key now is to stay on that same menu and get some consistent momentum while feasting on the hors d’oeuvres of the league.

(Yes, I’m hungry)