NBA Power Rankings: How far will the Warriors fall?

The Celtics are the opposite of the Pelicans — they have the best defense in the league but just can’t seem to get their offense rolling. The issues continue to be a mix of decision-making (settling for pull-up jumpers when a little more probing might open up a better opportunity) and poor execution (just missing shots they should be making). Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward all shooting under 30 percent on 3-pointers which have been a huge issue but also seems unlikely to continue.

The problem is that “at some point, the shots are going to go down” is a strategy that can only be clung to for so long. The offensive struggles are clearly chipping away at morale and they’re losing valuable ground in the fight for playoff seeding. Boston was projected by many as the preseason favorite in the East but they are now behind Toronto, Philadelphia and Milwaukee in 538’s projected final records. The Celtics don’t necessarily need homecourt advantage in later rounds but a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers is a very different animal than a matchup against the Hornets, Pistons or Heat.