Three points. That’s one corner three to close out a quarter. That’s a couple of careless fouls in the penalty and some free throws. They seem inconsequential in the fabric of a 48-minute game, but sometimes, that’s the difference between winning and losing in the NBA.
The Celtics were 8th in the league last season in point differential at +3.2. That was good for 48 wins, but with such a thin margin of error, it could have easily been worse. For what it’s worth, they were 13-17 in games that had a 3-point differential or less in the final two minutes.