I have a general question for everyone regarding the ridiculous pace of play throughout the league. We can point to the freedom of movement rule or 14 second shot clock after offensive rebounds, but the real cause of high scoring is the absurd pace. To put things in perspective, the Pelicans led the NBA in pace last season, yet their pace from 2017 would only rank 20th so far this season.
Doesn't this trend only help the Celtics in the long run, especially in the Eastern Conference? Coach Stevens isn't going to sacrifice defensive principles and smart basketball for the sake of getting up more shots. We all know the pressure of the postseason leads to a more physical and slower paced brand of basketball. It's also no surprise that the Raptors are undefeated, yet one of the "slowest" paced teams in the league.
Personally I would love to see the Celtics play faster once they develop chemistry between the starting 5. However, there always needs to be some sort of balance. Most of these others teams are going to be lost when the shots aren't falling.