The Jruth

Some thoughts on Jrue Holiday's performance in Game 2, and what made him such a valuable member of the rotation.

The Boston Celtics are now 14-2 in the postseason. They are 9-0 since their Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 9. On Sunday, they moved within 2 games of securing their first championship since 2008.

If you venture onto social media, you will see plenty of discourse surrounding Jayson Tatum’s performance. At this point, finding a way to tear Tatum down or discredit the Celtics is par for the course. Companies need to get their clicks somehow.

I don’t subscribe to that brand of coverage. Sure, I’ll have takes that go against the grain, but those are takes that I believe in rather than things I say to generate rage clicks, etc.

Each to their own.

Today, I wanted to dive into Jrue Holiday’s performance. I know, I know; I said we would be looking at inverted dunker spot actions — I will have something up on CelticsBlog about that today, so keep your eyes peeled and check in with all the awesome stuff being put out by everybody over there.

Holiday’s performance has been earning praise from every corner of the NBA and the media. He deserves it. He was arguably the most impactful player on the court in Game 2.

I’ve touched on this before; Holiday’s role with the Celtics gives him the freedom to play at this level. He’s not carrying the weight of being a bona fide second or third option on offense while being the primary point-of-attack defender. His legs are lighter. His motor has less miles on it. He’s surrounded by elite talent. He has space to attack and other defenders to rely on.

“I don't think I'm shredding the defense. I think it's moreso JT and JB,” Holiday said during his postgame news conference. “Especially tonight, JT was getting into the paint and being double-teamed and making the right plays out of it and just finding me. Just either being at the dunker (spot) or being in the corner. He has that vision as a playmaker, so I would give that to them.”

Holiday scored 11 of his 14 shot attempts in Game 2. His buckets came via:

• 2 corner drives

• 2 catch-and-shoot 3s

• 2 transition buckets

• 1 deep entry pass into the paint

• 1 bunny in the paint

• 1 slot drive - 45 cut

• 2 drives (including rip-throughs)

Every last one of Holiday’s makes came via an assist. He was an outlet used to punish Dallas’ defense in a multitude of ways.

The clip below shows Holiday’s second bucket of the night. It’s a drive out of the corner.

We know the Mavericks like to collapse on penetration. Once Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown gets into the paint, the defense reacts by trying to take away the rim and crowd the passing lanes. You can’t do that against Boston. Especially when you have Derrick White or Holiday in the dunker spot.

In the above clip, White cuts to the dunker. Derrick Jones Jr. peel switches onto Holiday, while Daniel Gafford zones up on White and Tatum’s drive. As Tatum touches the paint, Gafford is forced to make a choice and steps up to protect the rim. White cuts to the corner to space the baseline, allowing the pass to Holiday to be the most logical option.

A quick pump fake beats the fly-by closeout, leaving space for Holiday to drive. Holiday hits a nifty hook floater to get the bucket as he engages Gafford.

Let’s take a quick step back here. I want to point out Holiday’s change of direction. Watch how he slows his drive down to allow Gafford to get into a defensive stance before shifting his weight slightly and curling around him. That little wrinkle is what put Gafford on the back end of Holiday’s hip and created the space for the shot to get off.

All this started by White’s drive. Holiday was then the release valve once the defense pressured Tatum. He was the outlet. The finisher.

Here is a video I made on the same play.

You will see this video on social media (It’s a good form of promotion. Feel free to share away!).

“I think just trying to get into space and trying to be in his vision,” Holiday said. “I know that sometimes when I drive and I might get stuck, I need somebody to drift with me or to kind of be in space and be in my vision. So I think for the most part, I just try to stay in front of him, give him a good outlet. He's been making great reads.”

Here’s another example of Holiday making himself available to operate as a release valve for his teammates. He quickly establishes himself in the dunker spot. He has PJ Washington guarding him after Kyrie Irving has handed him off. Tatum’s drive engages Washington on defense, leaving Holiday open to receive the pass and secure the bucket with a reverse finish.

Holiday understands what it takes to play winning basketball. He’s putting himself in positions that give the ball-handler an easy get-out clause. And the Celtics know they can rely on Holiday to make the right play in the moment — regardless of whether that’s looking to score himself or moving the rock to find the best option available.

It’s not just on the offensive end where Holiday is helping out his teammates, either. Take a look at the clip above.

The Mavericks want Irving to hunt Al Horford on the perimeter. Both Dallas and the Indiana Pacers have viewed the veteran big man as the weak link to expose in PnR actions. Not because Horford is a bad defender. But because he’s getting older and doesn’t have the same level of lateral quickness.

Holiday knows what Dallas is trying to do. The Celtics have seen this story before. So, the veteran guard refuses to let himself be taken out of the action, removing the need for a switch and protecting both Horford and the low helpline defenders.

As Irving penetrates, Holiday forces the magician to fumble the rock. Gafford manages to relocate, secure the ball, and bail Irving out with the bucket.

Still, I liked how Holiday helped protect his teammate. I liked how he hung with arguably the best ball-handler in league history and managed to win the battle. And I loved his ability to navigate screens without allowing any space to be created or exploited against him.

“I'm a utility guy. I'll do whatever,” Holiday said. “I'm here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I'll do my best to do that.”

Boston holds a two-game lead over Dallas. The series is far from over. Joe Mazzulla’s team must at least split their next two games to truly have full control of the series. That means winning one on the road. We know the Celtics can do that. They’ve been doing it all postseason.

Nevertheless, Holiday will have a big role to play. This version of Holiday is exactly what Brad Stevens was hoping for when he swung a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers during the summer. He added a winner. A professional that has thrived on a team full of focused and talented stars.

Holiday has a big role to play between now and the end of the NBA Finals. We’re seeing him in his final form.

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Catch y’all tomorrow.