For the year, the Celtics have had an average defense. At the midway point, they’re 16th in the league allowing 111 points per 100 possessions. In the fourth quarter, they’re even worse at 114.3 points (26th in the NBA). They played the most games in the clutch (5 point differential with 5 minutes to go) at twenty-two and are a dismal 9-13.
But on Sunday night, they changed the narrative. With 46.9 seconds on the clock, Bradley Beal cut to the basket undeterred to the put the Wizards up 5.