Boston's Defensive Identity Resurfaces in Playoff Opener

All season long, I've harped on about how the Celtics defense was the engine behind last years championship run. I've pointed the finger to their 11-of-19 games where they held opponents to under 100 points. And I've said, ad nauseam, that Joe Mazzulla's team will find another level on defense.

So, forgive me when I say this.

One playoff game in the books. One playoff game holding an opponent to under 100 points. 10 more to go to match last season's record.

In truth, it's not hard to hold this Magic team to double-digit scoring. They lack the floor spacing and perimeter shot-making to be a genuine offensive threat. Their bread-and-butter is on the defensive end, specifically when guarding the perimeter.

We saw, all too often, how intense Orlando can be when it's looking to take away the three-ball. I must admit, I was surprised we didn't see the Celtics lean into some set plays, just to try and find some cracks in how Orlando was lining up. I would assume we see more of that later in the series.

What we did see, though, was some excellent individual performances, most notably on defense.

Let's dive in!

Celtics 103, Magic 86

• Orlando's perimeter defense had the desired effect on Boston's top three.
  • Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis didn't sink a single three in the first half.
  • Tatum was the only one of that trio to hit one from deep in the second, too.
• Fortunately, some of Boston's role players stepped up
  • Derrick White hit 7-of-12 from deep.
  • Jrue Holiday went 3-of-4.
  • And, as you would expect, Payton Pritchard chimed in 4 treys.
  • Sam Hauser – one of the best sharpshooters in the NBA – needs to take more than one shot when on the court. That can't happen again.
• Orlando's 14-5 run in the second quarter was courtesy of Paolo Banchero. He had 8 points and 2 dimes in that stretch. Talk about putting the team on your back.
• The Celtics started the 2nd half with a 15-4 run out of the gate. They jumped to a 10-point lead. From that point forward, the Celtics controlled the proceedings.
  • An 8-point run later in the third gave Boston an even bigger lead, only for the Magic to hit back with an 8-2 run to close things out heading into the fourth.
• 54% of the Magic's offense came from the mid-range. They shot 40.5% on those attempts, which is far too low if they're going to predicate their offensive success from those spots on the floor.
  • The short mid-range, which is between the restricted area and the free-throw line, was the Magic's preferred area of attack. 36% of the Magic's total offense came from that area. However, they only sank 32.1% of those attempts. That's rough.
• Jaylen Brown didn't look like himself, but he didn't look like he would get played off the floor, either.
  • Brown found scoring pockets in the mid-range and around the rim. He didn't have his usual burst, so he struggled to create separation on the drive. However, he did have enough strength in his knees to stop on a dime and hit fadeaway jumpers when necessary.
  • Going back to some set plays, I think Brown could really benefit from cutting off some off-ball screens into space. The issue is, Orlando's pick-up points are so high, it's hard to envision how that can work.
• Tatum brushed off any concerns of injury to his wrist.
  • “I just landed on it,” Tatum said. “It was throbbing for a second. It just kinda went away.”
  • Still, I'm waiting to see if there's an official update, or if we just roll into game two hoping that everything is cool...

The Takeaways

☘️ Jrue Holiday was made for series like this one

Sometimes, it's easy to forget just how good Jrue Holiday is. It's easy to forget that he's capable of being a second option on offense, like he was for stretches with the Milwaukee Bucks. And, it's easy to forget that when necessary, he can shut down some of the elite forwards in the NBA.

Well, last night, it wasn't easy to forget.

Holiday guarded Banchero for a total of 5 minutes and 15 seconds. During that time, Banchero went scoreless. That's right. A BIG FAT ZERO on the score sheet. He also had a turnover, but did deliver two assists.

I get that Banchero only took 4 shots when being guarded by Holiday. So, there's a genuine argument to be made that it was a small sample size. However, my counterpoint to that is that Banchero only took 4 shots when guarded by Holiday...He was either denied the rock, became passive, or quickly looked to get the rock out of his hands.

I mean, Banchero was far more aggressive when facing other defenders. He had:

• 7 points in the 3 minutes Horford guarded him, going 3-of-4
• 4 points in the 2:42 Jaylen Brown guarded him, going 2-of-3
• 3 points in the 2:27 Jayson Tatum guarded him, going 1-of-2
• 9 points in the 1:30 Derrick White guarded him, going 4-of-8

I can continue down the list.

My point is, not only did Holiday hold Banchero to 0 points, but he also limited the number of times he shot the ball. Considering Banchero was having his way in the paint and in the lane, Holiday's overall production was impressive.

Boston will need the veteran guard to keep that level of defensive intensity all throughout the series. It will be interesting to see what changes the Celtics make, though – like, do they peel switch more? Do they cross-match more?

I ask this because..

☘️ Boston played "Switch 1-through-4 with 5 in drop"

Well, at least for the most part.

This is the same system the Celtics used for the majority of their postseason run last year.

By switching 1-through-4, the Celtics can keep defensive pressure on the perimeter, limit advantages coming off screening actions, and lean into their positional versatility on defense. Yet, with Porzingis guarding straight up as a drop defender, he isn't getting pulled away from the rim, where he's most effective, especially against a team that struggles with the three.

By switching 1-through-4, the Celtics can keep defensive pressure on the perimeter, limit advantages coming off screening actions, and lean into their positional versatility on defense.

Porzingis may have ended the game with just one block to his name, but his fingerprints were all over how the Celtics were able to protect the rim. For reference, Orlando shot just 58.3% within 4 feet of the basket, which was directly inside Porzingis' wheelhouse.

I would expect the Celtics to stick with Porzingis – and Luke Kornet when he's on the floor – in a drop coverage, while the switching defenders are closing down driving lanes, iceing pick-and-rolls, and if necessary, funneling ball-handlers toward the shot blocker that's waiting in the paint.

☘️ The Celtics Need More Out Of Their Empty Side Actions

A staple of the Celtics' offense this season has been running actions with an empty side. By taking a shooter out of the corner, you're removing the strong side low man, providing additional space on the wing, and when rolling to the rim.

The Celtics, especially in the second half, looked to run a bunch of empty-side actions, only for them to amount to nothing. The Magic's defense was picking the Celtics up high, they were switching with speed, and they rarely allowed for a roller to split the defense. As such, Boston was unable to gain any advantage in their two-man actions on the wings.

Orlando's defense is prone to collapsing once the ball touches the paint. If the Celtics can find a way to leverage their empty side actions and manipulate the defensive tagger, they could develop an abundance of kick-out opportunities for shooters on the weak side.

Boston may need to run their empty-side actions as secondary play calls once the defense is already in motion. Or, they may need to initiate their offense with those sets before flowing into something different and then coming back to it on the second or third side.

Whatever the Celtics need to do, figuring out a way to generate some easier threes could really unlock this series and take the dust out of the Magic's wand. I'm curious to see how Mazzulla adjusts ahead of game two – after all, he's proven himself to be elite at making game-to-game adjustments. It's the in-game adjustments that need work.

Game Awards

• 🏆 Game-Changer: Derrick White was a two-way menace for the Celtics. His presence, on both sides of the floor, was a major swing factor for Boston. White had multiple momentum-shifting plays throughout the game, so he definitely deserves today's game-changer award.
• 🥷 Under the Radar: Porzingis' defensive impact in the passing lanes. He ended the game with 5 deflections to go with his 1 block and 11 contested shots – six of them coming on the interior. Shout out to Holiday, too, and he also had 5 deflections in this one.
• Something worth noting ✍️: Pritchard led the Celtics in screen assists last night. He generated 5 points via screening. Considering the Celtics will need to lean on the PnR, PnP (pick-and-pop), and PnF (pick-and-flare) we will need to see far more in terms of screen assists and screen assist points moving forward. Still, credit to Pritchard, he's one of the most underrated inverted screeners on Boston's roster – if not in the league.

Sorry, today's post is late. I've had a bunch of real-world stuff this past week or so. Tomorrow, I will be launching the Discord server to help replace the direct communication we lost when I moved away from Substack.

• Please also note that, for this week, all posts are being made free to celebrate the start of the playoffs. We'll go back to the normal paywall structure next week.

Catch you all tomorrow! Oh, and if you're new here, welcome! Don't forget to subscribe!