The Celtics, Ish Smith, and the meddlesome mid-range

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhen Brad Stevens became the Celtics head coach, he was considered an “analytics guy.” He brought his stats expert, Drew Cannon, from Butler to Boston to crunch the numbers and has embraced the NBA’s modernization of the game since he started in 2014. By now, the revolution of the game is obvious: more threes, more attempts at the rim, and fewer long-2’s. Offenses and defenses have adjusted accordingly.

But then there are nights like yesterday’s underwhelming loss to the Wizards.

If you’re a fan of Moneyball--more so the movie than the book--you know there are extenuating circumstances on any given night. Players get hot and sometimes, there’s just…