When many people mention the magic ball, their first reaction is to shoot more three-pointers, but in fact, the magic ball was not like this at the beginning. The magic ball refers to the pursuit of the most efficient scoring and shooting methods, which later evolved into a large number of three-point and basket shots, and gradually abandoned the mid-range.

In the beginning, the three-point shot was just a way to open up space and create opportunities for the basket. The league was shooting more and more three-pointers, and the Celtics became the team with the most three-point shots in the past two years, and they did win last year's championship.

So it's no longer appropriate to say how "magic ball" the Celtics' style of play is, they have obviously gone beyond the theory of magic ball, and they are going further and further on the road of crazy three-point shooting, and today's game is completely magical.

In today's loss to the Thunder, the Celtics made a crazy 22 three-pointers in the first quarter, setting a record for the second-most three-pointers in a single quarter in NBA history. The first is also what they kept, as they made 23 three-pointers in a single quarter on December 7 last year.

The Celtics took a total of 24 shots in the first quarter, 22 of which were from beyond the three-point line, and the three-point percentage was a staggering 91.7%. Their 30 points in the first quarter included nine three-pointers and three free throws. After watching the first quarter, the only impression I had of the Celtics was a crazy three-point shooting from the outside.

At halftime, their three-point percentage dropped by a big chunk, but it still reached a staggering 75%. Of his 48 shots, 36 were from three-pointers, and three-quarters of them were from the outside. In the end, 63 of their 94 shots came from outside the three-point line, and the three-point ratio reached 67%.

So we saw a team that made 20 three-pointers but shot only 31.7 percent from three-point range. The 63 three-point attempts set a new franchise record for the Celtics and a league record this season, and it's hard to beat.

But even with so many three-pointers, the Celtics couldn't say bad today, they played a good shot for at least three and a half quarters. It's just that in the final quarter, when Jaylen Brown left the game with 5 fouls, the defense began to collapse and was taken away by the Thunder.

In the first game, the Celtics and the Thunder could play back and forth, and the Thunder once played an 11-0 lead to 12 points in the third quarter, but at the end of the third quarter, the Celtics played an 18-6 tie.

Holiday, Brown, Pritchard and Hauser missed those three-pointers, but Tatum, White and Horford made 16 three-pointers. Tatum still eats and drinks and generally collects 33 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, but overall the aggression is still insufficient.

The Celtics' so many three-point shots are also the result of the Thunder's defensive selection. They put a lot of joint defense, and the way the Celtics chose to break the joint defense is also a bit lazy, that is, a large number of three-point shots to bet on the shooting rate, obviously their three-point shooting is not a normal level today.

The Thunder swept the Celtics this season, and that's certainly no accident. The Thunder are one of the best teams in the league to switch defenses, and the Celtics' ability to catch mismatches is difficult to play in front of them, everyone can switch defenses, and the defensive intensity can be maintained no matter which player they are.

Especially when Chet is sitting under the basket, the Celtics can hardly get easy opportunities to shoot under the basket, and many times they can only divide the ball outside when they burst in. The Thunder's cliff-like lead in defensive efficiency is the first, relying not only on their ability to scramble, but also on their ability to switch defenses without dead ends.

The Celtics' breakthrough methods largely rely on Jaylen Brown, and as a result, Brown did not break through well today, and the defense was also uncomfortable. In two games against the Thunder this season, Jaylen Brown played average, even poor.

In contrast, for Alexander, a superstar, the Celtics lacked some coping tools. The Thunder's No. 2 ball-handler Jalen Williams hadn't played today, but the Celtics couldn't take advantage of the transition.

In the face of infinite defensive changes, Alexander's MVP-level star color is reflected, he shot 11 of 20, 2 of 7 three-pointers, and 10 of 11 free throws to score 34 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. He's got 30+ points and five or more assists in his fifth straight game against the Celtics.

Alexander's two consecutive fouls by Jaylen Brown in the final quarter knocked him off the court, causing the Celtics to have to send Pritchard as a defensive weakness and then being targeted by the Thunder. Despite the controversy surrounding Alexander's foul, he could win the game.

This season against Eastern teams, the Thunder scored an exaggerated 22-1, lost one game to the Cavaliers, and tied 1-1 with the Cavaliers this season. In terms of regular season combat power, the Thunder and the Cavaliers now belong to the only existence.

Of course, no one can ignore the defending champions, Celtic, whose three-point miss in the second half was the main reason for the defeat today. But if you tie the win or defeat to the three-point shot, who can guarantee that the god of shooting percentage will always be on your side?