The gentlemen’s sweeps of the Heat and Cavaliers were anything but gentlemanly. Behind those 4-1 series wins were the Celtics hunting mismatches. There weren’t elaborate X’s and O’s trying to get someone free for an open shot. It was often just ‘I’m bigger and faster and stronger and I’m going right through you.’ It wasn’t the prettiest basketball, but for a team that stressed winning in a variety of ways, they certainly found the ugliest that worked.
During the regular season, Boston ranked 12th in potential assists per game. Sure, that isn’t exactly the best quantitative measure of how beautiful the basketball was.