Celtics show promise in loss to Warriors

It was a fun game, just a tough result

That was a close one! Unfortunately for the Boston Celtics, the absence of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis was too much to overcome. Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors team is well-oiled this season. Still, what a fun game that was. It had everything, didn’t it? Pace, tempo, scoring, some competitive edge, and superstars that both rose to the occasion in stretches.

Coming into the night, the storyline was clear: This was a Jayson Tatum revenge game, his chance to teach Kerr a lesson about how things went down with Team USA in Paris. There were moments when Tatum certainly sent that message. Still, for most of the game, Boston’s performance was about matching the Warriors’ intensity and trying to stick with their Western Conference foes as they continued to push that pace.

Oh, and of course, Steph Curry became a talking point as he upped his performance level down the stretch despite playing just his second game since returning to the Warriors rotation from an ankle sprain. Also, let’s not forget Neemias Queta, who received the second start of his career and made a legitimate impact on both ends of the floor.

For me, this was the best Celtics game of the season, the result be damned. Here is the good, the great and the ugly from last night’s game.

The Ugly

The Warriors high pick-up points caused issues

The Warriors wanted no part of Tatum in space. They wanted no part of him with the ball in his hands. Kerr wanted Boston’s star player in a straight jacket. Golden State duly obliged, adjusting their pick-up points so they could trap Tatum near the logo, limiting his effectiveness and forcing him to make reads at their pace rather than his own.

The above clip illustrates the Warriors' plan coming out of the gates well. Tatum receives the ball at the half-court line and flows into a PnR with Al Horford. As soon as Horford makes contact on the screen, the Warriors pounce, trapping the All-Star forward and forcing him into a quick decision. In this instance, he tries to float a pass over the top of the defense to spring Horford free on the roll.

Too predictable.

The possession ended in a turnover.

Advantage Warriors.

Here’s another example from one of the opening possessions. Again, Tatum has the rock around the free-throw line. He flows into an inverted PnR with Jrue Holiday. Usually, inverted PnRs will create a mismatch for Tatum, allowing him to attack the switch.

Nope.

The Warriors wait for the contact and then jump into a high trap. Once again, Tatum quickly reads to find Holiday open above the break. Good pass, but the Warriors got what they wanted. They appeared happy to live with anyone taking shots if their name wasn’t JT.

As the game wore on and Derrick White became a growing threat, Kerr called for him to receive similar treatment.

Luke Kornet tried to game the system on this action. Watch how he triggers the trap by creating contact with his arm. Golden State’s immediate reaction allows him to slip into space, where he can become an effective outlet and short-roll creator.

However, White is under too much pressure. The Warriors have pushed him back and caused him to lose his dribble. He managed to keep the play alive, but Kornet's advantage is gone, and a second-side action with Payton Pritchard is on the menu.

This type of PnR coverage contributed to Boston's stuttering to a 40-point half. They fought valiantly against being flustered, but the pressure from Golden State’s revolving door of fresh legs kept the intensity high and created a need for adjustments—which we will look at a little later.

Finding Neemy

Golden State was keen to test Queta’s ability to hang on the perimeter. As a 7-footer, Queta will likely be the subject of mismatch hunting on the perimeter whenever he’s playing a big part in the rotation. To begin the game, the Warriors continually looked to get him switched onto Curry — a treacherous place for anyone to find themselves, let alone a raw big man in just his second career start.

Action = Elbow Zoom.

The result is that Queta finds himself switching off Trayce Jackson-Davis and onto Curry around the perimeter. Credit to Queta, whenever he was tasked with Curry he showcased his lateral quickness, often avoided fouling, and when in the rearview, used his size and length to encourage a kick-out pass.

What I liked about the above clip is that Queta’s motor allows him to seamlessly switch out onto Draymond when Curry kicks the ball out, contesting the shot and helping force a miss.

Still, that didn’t stop the Warriors from hunting him a second time.

Action = Get

This clip is a more distinct mismatch hunt. Curry hits Jackson-Davis with a quick pass and flows directly into a ‘get’ action — where he gets the ball back.

The result is a switch on the DHO, leaving Queta stranded above the perimeter, with Curry going ISO. Once again, Queta doesn't foul, stays connected, and his position at the back of Curry’s hips removes the option of a step-back.

After a few possessions like the two above, the Warriors went away from hunting Queta so frequently. He proved he could move his feet enough to be a viable defensive presence, and thus, he began to grow in stature within the Celtics overall system.

Nevertheless, seeing a player get hunted has to go in the ugly section — it’s just this turned out ugly for the Warriors, rather than the Celtics.

The Good

Countering the high pick-up point trap game