Jay King

Yeah, when that happens, you're going to have some tough nights.

But it wasn't just Porter.

Kevin Porter Jr.

was hitting some tough shots.

Kyle Kuzma was getting whatever he wanted.

That was a problem.

So as many shots as the Celtics missed, I think what really doomed them was their defense.

They weren't able to get Portis and Kuzma and those guys out of rhythm.

So they've made some changes to their playing style that have helped them sort of avoid some of the lulls they used to have.

Like, number one, even without Jason Tatum, even without several other former All-Stars that they lost over the offseason, they still rank first in taking care of the ball.

So that's a huge deal for them.

That helps them win the possession game.

But the second big shift they've gone through is they now crash the glass at a very high rate.

They rank seventh in offensive rebounding.

Early in the season, very early in the season, they were shooting extremely poorly.

And their offense was still in the top 10.

And it was largely because they were able to win the possession game.

And they've just kind of done that a little differently.

They used to be extremely efficient as shooters.

And they used to be able to get to the rim, draw more free throws.