Celtics make a statement vs. Knicks

The Boston Celtics destroyed the New York Knicks in the season opener.

What a way to open the new season.

The Celtics didn’t just beat the Knicks. They seasoned them, threw them in the smoker, and watched them fall apart like a tender brisket.

Soft.

Succulent.

Delightfully tasty.

The Knicks looked every inch the championship pretender.

Of course, this is just one game. The Knicks will figure some stuff out. Next time they face Boston, we’re probably looking at a much closer game. But, again, this is just one game, which means the Celtics will get better — somehow, someway — if that’s even possible. And if that isn’t ridiculous, considering the utter dominance shown last night, then I don’t know what is.

Was that a Tsunami? Oh, it was the rest of the league pissing its pants…

This is going to be a fun year.

No Screen Protection

New York’s problems start and stop with their inability to contain the Celtics on screening actions. Whether it was their inability to pressure ball-handlers in the rearview or their struggles with keeping a man in front of them. Tom Thibodeau’s blood pressure must have reached new heights last night. This isn’t the Knicks defense we saw last season, and it’s not the one he will be demanding of them moving forward.

Childs play.

No, Chucky wasn’t on the court. But that scary music old horror movies used to play would perfectly fit any defensive possession the Knicks had against a Celtics screen. The piano, softly played at the start, builds into a frantic melancholy as the defense breaks down and yet another open shot is afforded to the Celtics and then CRASH, the build is over, and the horror ensues. Sound familiar, Knicks fans? No? Then you better hope they tighten things up; otherwise, it will be all too common in the coming months.

It wasn’t just the on-ball defense that hurt New York. Their rotations were often late, too. Lanes were far too open. Rotations sluggish. Scoring windows were left ajar when they should have been slammed shut.

Check out the above play. Third quarter. Knicks are already battered and bruised from the onslaught they’ve failed to stop. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum work an inverted spread PnR, with White operating as the screen and roll man.

Take note of Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges here. Watch how Tatum slightly drags his dribble while White is still screening, engaging both defenders and creating a window for a slip off the screen. See how slow Brunson is to recover.

Then, cast your eyes on the interior defense. Where was it? Who stepped up? Was Josh Hart’s half-hearted contest supposed to impact White’s shot? Couldn’t Jericho Sims offer more resistance? And where were the digs? No tag on White’s roll? So many defensive errors on one play.

But it wasn’t just one play.

It was most plays.

The above play was one of my favorites of the night. Boston runs an inverted dive action. It’s inverted because usually, the action gets big in the dunker, and a shooter/ball-handler sets a screen and potentially forces a mismatch. Here, Kornet exits onto the perimeter, with White relocating to the weakside dunker spot.

Again, look at the defense's malaise. Watch how Sims and Bridges try to trap Tatum and the knock-on effect it has elsewhere around the court. By putting two on the ball, Tatum easily finds Kornet on the short roll.

Duece McBride is forced to step up and stop Kornet from penetrating deeper into the paint. Here’s where things unravel. McBride has rotated to pick up Kornet. Brunson drops back to guard White. Pritchard is now all alone on the strong side wing (after shaking out of the corner). A pass forces Brunson and McBride to rotate, White cuts to the corner and boom. Cue the horror music for this one, too.

The issues I’ve outlined are New York’s to deal with. It’s their problem to fix. On the flip side, Boston’s elite talent helped put them in those positions. The Knicks had no answer for five players who can all score at all three levels, set solid screens, attack off the bounce, make playmaking reads and defend on the front foot.

Boston found a weak point in the Knicks’s defense and attacked it with precision. It was a surgical clinic. Except the nose didn’t light up, not even once.

Shooters shoot

And the Celtics have a roster full of shooters.

Joe Mazzulla’s team took 61 threes. They finished one made three short of setting a record for most perimeter buckets in a game. Instead, they settled for joint-first with the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s okay. Enough history was made yesterday.

Still, the Celtics’ dominance on the perimeter was a sight to behold. It was borderline unfair at times. But it was also a sign of the mammoth task other teams would have to do to try to dethrone the best team in the league.

“The NBA needs to drug test them dudes,” Hart joked after the game. “I ain’t ever seen anything like that.”

Outside of Pritchard, who had an uncharacteristically bad shooting night, hitting 1-of-9 from deep, and Tillman, who was 0-of-3, every member of the Celtics primary rotation hit two or more from deep.

Tatum had 8.

Brown had 5.

White had 6.

With so much gravity in the rotation, it’s understandable why the Knicks fell into the trap of heading screens and sending two on the ball. The issue is that Boston, unlike most teams, has weapons at every position and, in turn, is a threat everywhere.

Look at the two clips above again. One bucket came on the perimeter, and the other in the middle of the floor. But what did both have in common? The Knicks’ defense was reluctant to help off their assignments because they knew they could get burned, and nobody likes a burned brisket.

Above is a quick drag screen into transition three for Tatum. New York had to deal with Boston’s movement, screening, drive-and-kick game and isolation possessions, and they also had to try to contain the Celtics’ early offense.

There's not much to break down in this one, but the clip is great for examining Tatum’s new mechanics when pulling up off the dribble.

Xs & Os Part 1: Ricky Ram Shallow

Here’s how a normal Ricky action looks. Tatum is the one on the Ricky Cut.

And here’s how a normal Ram Action looks.

What we saw against the Knicks was a new wrinkle in Mazzulla’s playbook, combining both of these actions. When I use the term “Shallow” i’m referring to an action above, on or near the free-throw line. In this instance, Luke Kornet — who is technically operating as a roll man — Ricky cuts before flowing into a ram action. The whole play unfolds in the shallow area, creating some confusion for the Knicks’ defense.

On a Ricky action, the cutter cuts back to the perimeter via a screen around the elbow. Here, White is the one setting that screen. However, Kornet then uses White’s screen to enter a ram action, setting a rip screen (back screen) for Tatum.

This play is successful for a couple of reasons. First, Kornet isn’t a perimeter threat, so Sims opts to sag off and protect a potential drive, giving Tatum space to attack after coming off the screen. Second, when Tatum gets into his shooting motion, Sims commits, creating a passing lane for Kornet if necessary.

We also see the defense begin to shift, opening looks elsewhere on the floor via a short-roll pass if needed. Most importantly, though, it’s an action that wouldn’t have been on the Knicks scouting report. It flowed well. It created two or three advantages around the court, and it generated a bucket.

That’s a success in my book.

Same action, with a tweak. This time, Holiday is the screener, filling in for White. New York still sends two on the ball, but White has opened himself up for a post-entry pass, dragging a defender with him and opening a lane for Kornet to roll to the rim. Lob pass. Missed shot. Good execution overall, though. Again, this play created two or three advantages and a high-quality shooting opportunity at the rim.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more of this moving forward.

Xs & Os Part 2: Spanoulis / Gut DHO

I wrote about Boston’s Gut Exit DHO after their opening game against the Denver NUggets in preseason. I noted how the lack of a center initiating the DHO was the primary reason why I wasn’t labelling the play as Spanoulis.

Mazzulla changed that last night.

No flex action here, but Spanoulis — as most plays — has a couple of variations, and this is one. I might be a little off with the naming here; it could be a simple Gut DHO, but in truth, as I’ve said before, the naming is just for filing purposes.

With Horford initiating the DHO and Holiday offering a short option by locating near the strongside block, Tatum has multiple options available to him.

• He can pull up for a quick three

• Drag his dribble and hit Horford on the roll

• Pass to Holiday on the low block

• Drive the rock

• Or, as in the clip, pull up in mid-range for an easy 2.

The Celtics ran this action three times. Sometimes, it was an entry to another play. For others, it was designed to get the defense rotating and take advantage of what was on offer.

In this version, the defense does a good job of killing the initial advantage before the Celtics quickly flow into a spread PnR and carve open the defense with their passing ability and shooting threats.

Soft and tender, remember?

Tying it all together

Every clip I’ve used in today’s newsletter has one thing in common: They’re all built off screening actions. It was the motor that drove Boston’s duck boat all the way to a statement win in the first game of the season.

Don’t get it twisted; the Celtics ran a screen-heavy system last season, too. However, as soon as they smelt blood in the water against New York, they kept chipping away at the wound until there was nothing that could be done to save their opponent. Every possession, every screen, every bucket, it was all setting up a blow-out win.

Boston didn’t spam the three-point line, as some will say. They created the best shots available by taking advantage of the Knicks’ struggles, and in turn, they got whatever shot they wanted with the minimal amount of resistance possible.

There’s a reason this team is champions. And it’s the same reason why they’re favorites to keep that championship in 2025. But we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves if we start having that conversation after just one game.

Show some love

If you want some more of my thoughts on last night’s game, check out today’s YouTube video by clicking on the embedded video below. I’ll be doing a lot more solo shows during the season, as it fits my work schedule and time zone.

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That’s all folks.

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I’ll be back tomorrow, because you know, the season is back!!