Boston Celtics: Takeaways from preseason opener vs. Charlotte Hornets

Tale of two halves

The first quarter was nothing short of electric. The Boston Celtics played with considerable pace, consistently pushing the ball up the floor and scoring. They jumped out to a 37-20 lead and looked every bit the title contender they’re projected to be.

This three from Jaylen Brown was really exciting. A whopping 51.4 percent of his shot attempts last season came off the catch, and 76.3 percent came off two dribbles or less, per the NBA’s stats database. If he can consistently hit threes like this, that would open up a lot for Boston’s offense.

Their shooting in the first half wasn’t great, but they shot an insane 55 shots. They weren’t forced shots, either. Apart from the previously-discussed Tatum and Irving examples, the offense was largely well-paced and in-rhythm.

Unfortunately, that 37 points they scored in a nuclear first quarter didn’t carry over into the second half, where they scored 37 points. It was largely an ugly affair, filled with fouls and bricked shots. The Celtics went 1-20 on threes on threes in the second half after going 8-27 in the first half. After a first half where they pushed the pace and played with great flow, the second half seemed lazy.

There’s plenty to work on. Stevens emphasized their need to play low and in-stance to avoid fouling so much. Their defense, even in the first half, was suspect; they held the Hornets to a low total, but part of that was just them missing a lot of wide-open shots.

Celtics fans would be wise to remember that the second half was less a preview of the Boston Celtics than the Maine Red Claws.

The starters barely played after propelling the Boston Celtics to a 60-45 first-half lead. As fun as it is to overreact, don’t overreact to this game.