5 Ways to Fix the Mess Brewing on Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are struggling to hold onto the final playoff spot right now. It is looking difficult for them to get anywhere this year and the window appears to be shut. In fact it seems to be nailed and painted shut.

Is there anyway to get out the nail remover and paint thinner?

Is there anyway a crow bar can be wedged in there and that window can be forced open again? 

Here are five things the Celtics could do without making a roster move that could return them to their winning ways.  

Kelly Scaletta is an NBA and Chicago Bulls Featured Columnist, and one of the top NBA writers on Bleacher Report. He is trying to get better at twitter if you would like to follow him. 

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce had his best game of the year yesterday afternoon and showed that he can still be a guy who can carry the team. I'd like to see more of Paul Pierce running more of the pick and roll. Last year he averaged .94 points as the ball handler, compared to just .79 points per play when Rondo ran it. 

In fact, Pierce was ranked 14th overall in the NBA as the ball handler in the P&R which is probably higher than it sounds as you get some weird results with players who make the minimum. That's getting close to LeBron James territory though, who was fourth with .98 ppp. 

The reason Paul is more effective than Rondo is he has more range than Rondo. Yesterday nine of his points came out of the pick and roll. The Celtics need to run it through him more to beef up their offense. 

Force Rondo to Work on His Shooting

Rajon Rondo is one of the worst shooting guards (as in one of the worst guards at shooting, not shooting guard as in the 2) in the history of the game. Don't let his field-goal percentage fool you. 

Almost half his attempts come at the rim. Once he gets away from the rim he's horrid. More than three feet away from the rim he has a field-goal percentage of .363. His free throw percentage is a good indication of his shooting "ability."

Only one guard in the history of the NBA has taken 1000 free throw attempts and made them at a lower rate. That would be Slick Watts who has a weird sort of familiarity to him. He led the league in assists and steals and made all defense but couldn't shoot a lick. 

He was also about 6'1" and 175 pounds. 

Sound familiar?

Use Their Bigs Better

The Celtics are not using their bigs enough on offense, or at least, they aren't getting them points in the paint. Based on hoopdata.com they are 28th in field goals made from 3 to 9 feet and 25th in the NBA in field goals at the rim. 

Not surprisingly with so few shot attempts coming in the paint, the Celtics are also among the worst teams in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage. 

Jermaine O'Neal scores a very respectable 1.17 points per play as the roll man in a pick and roll. Kevin Garnett is near the top of the league in points per play on post up plays with .92. Boston needs to utilize their bigs in the paint more if they want to score more. 

Additionally, getting them into the paint will mean more offensive rebounds, which will mean more second chance points. 

Shore Up the Defense

The Celtics defense is starting to improve but it's still not doing well. They were the elite defensive team during their run and that was why they won the championship. During their run they were a top-three team in defensive rating every year. 

This year they are 12th. 

They have the makings of a good, stout, defensive team. They just have to get back to the tenants of the system that made them the elite defense they were from 2007-2010. Just because Tom Thibodeau left, doesn't mean his defense had to go with him. 

Balance the Scoring Attack

Much of the Celtics' success over the years has been the balance of the scoring attack. By distributing the ball they've been able to keep defenses honest and it's been a big part of their success. 

This season, though, it's been more a matter of feeding whomever is hot, and sometimes that's no one or just one or two players. 

There have only been four games this season where two players broke the 20-point barrier and only seven where there have been at least three who topped 15 points. That balance that used to be their trademark has gone by the wayside.