#1 A Christmas Day win
Beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day was the best present any Boston Celtics fan could ask for. Regardless of where each team is in their contention cycle, games between them always take on additional importance.
The fact that both teams are aiming to be in the NBA Finals gave the game a little bit extra spice, as both sides were using each other as a barometer for where they need to improve. The fact the Celtics beat another contending team shouldn’t be lost on any of us. That they did it with a swagger and commitment to moving the rock is also encouraging.
#2 Banishing the ghost of last season
This West Coast road trip came around the same time as it did last season. It started off with a loss to the Golden State Warriors, as it did last season. That’s where the comparisons end, though. There was no slippage in performance or production. Nobody let their heads drop. Instead, the Celtics got right back to work and rattled off three straight wins against tough competitions.
Both the LA Clippers and the Lakers are contending teams in the West. Both boast some stellar talent (albeit aging talent) and both came into their games on their home floor. This year’s Celtics feel different. They’re not intimidated by what or who is in front of them. Or where the game is taking place. Three times on this trip, they walked onto their opponent’s home floor, silenced the crowd, and secured the W.
#3 Porzingis is key
It’s common knowledge at this point, or at least it should be. Kristaps Porzingis adds a dimension this Celtics team has been missing for years. His size around the rim, post scoring, floor spacing, shot-blocking, and ability to pick out a pass when in delay actions are all key concepts to how Joe Mazzulla has his team playing.
Porzingis ended the game with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He shot 11-of-19 from the field. Yes, he struggled from deep, going 2-of-8, but he found other ways to be effective on the offensive end. For me, one of his more impressive traits against the Lakers was his ability to time his cuts toward the rim.
In the above clip, Porzingis operates as the trailman behind Jrue Holiday’s drive to the rim. Rather than sprinting through the middle of the court, Porzignis shadows Holiday, providing a dump-off outlet if required. When he receives the pass he plants his foot and explodes to the rim for the dunk.
In this clip, you can see Porzingis take his foot off the gas as he gets toward the wing area. Rather than sprinting too early and potentially overshooting his cut, he slows himself down, waits for Holiday to create an angle, and then changes speed to attack the space behind the defense, generating a wide-open lob play in transition.
Little caveats to a player’s cutting movement like this can make all the difference. Overshoot it; the defense is resetting while you’re attacking out of a post-up. Undershoot, and suddenly, you’re flowing into a secondary offensive action. Solid timing from Porzingis was on display throughout the night, both as a cutter and a screener. The above two plays stood out to me.
#4 The stock exchange
Personally, I like this nickname for Derrick White and Holiday. What I liked more was how they functioned on both sides of the floor against the Lakers. Both guards took turns in defending Anthony Davis and LeBron James, negating potential switch advantages, and holding their own against two of the more physically dominant players in the league.
They both flashed their playmaking chops, ending the game with a combined 18 assists — 11 of which came from the ever-impressive White. Both scored 18 points, too. It’s that level of production and consistency that has made the Celtics’ backcourt such a tough proposition for opposing teams.
White and Holiday are two-way threats. They’re switchable on defense, reliable on offense, and can create opportunities for their teammates. Put bluntly, they’re a championship-caliber guard pairing, and I’m here for it.
#5 Gettin’ nerdy with it: Chin action creates open three
It’s a three-part “nerdy” segment today. I’ve broken it down into three sections because the Celtics went to this play a bunch during the game, especially in the fourth where they were pulling different variations out of the sky and getting incredible success with it. We looked at the “Chin series” in the last edition of the takeaways, but for anyone who missed it, we can define a “chin” action as the following:
- Ball handler makes a pass to a player around the top of the perimeter, usually a wing or big
- A secondary player (also usually a wing or big) sets a rip screen (a back screen) or a standard off-ball screen.
- The initial passer then cuts on the non-ball side of the screener
- Pass receiver then looks to feed the cutter with an entry pass
The first variation we’re going to start with is how the Celtics used the cutter off the chin action to manipulate D’Angelo Russell, who was operating as the strong-side low man, creating an open corner three opportunity.
Watch as Russell shades over to tag Holiday, who is essentially a roll man in the action. Once the Lakers guard is committed, Neemias Queta fires the pass into Payton Prtichard, who is the second pass away (nice passing, Neemy!) for an easy catch and shoot three.
Personally, I love it when teams run set actions as a decoy to open things up for others, and that’s precisely what this was.
#6 Gettin’ nerdy with it part 2: Chin action into post-ups
Next up, we have using the “chin action” to create post-up opportunities.
In the above clip, you can see the Celtics going into a form of their “chin” series by having White reject the screen and cut on the non-ball side of the action. White’s cut allows Tatum to duck into a post-up on the elbow — Boston used this same set against the LA Clippers.
Technically, this play doesn’t fit the broad definition of a “chin” action, as the screen and ball handler are both set in the wrong order. However, that’s the beauty of basketball: the rules can be bent, and along as the alignment sort of matches, we can still label it as something to refer back to.
We saw a similar variation in the fourth quarter, too. Same three players involved, same target: get Tatum into the post. This time, the alignment is correct, and all the usual steps to the action have taken place. Tatum cuts on the non-ball side and positions himself into the mid-post, spins off Austin Reaves, and gets the easy lay-in.
#7 Getting nerdy with it part 3: Chin decoy into split + standard chin action
Two parter, here.
The Celtics once again go to a “chin” alignment on the action. This time, White, who is supposed to be the cutter, and Tatum, who is the screener, go into a split action with White flaring onto the wing while Tatum cuts and ends up in the strong side corner.
After the split action, the Celtics flowed into a two-man game with White and Porzingis, leading to a strong drive and finish.
We’ve looked at a bunch of different variations out of the same action, so here is a standard “chin” action with White feasting in space.
#8 Pritch’n in
Get it? Pritch’n in, you know, like “pitching in?” Ok, I’ll see myself out.
Jokes aside, Payton Pritchard came up clutch for the Celtics’ second unit. He started the game off slowly but found his rhythm, which allowed him to be floor-spacer off the bench and help keep the offense ticking over.
All of Pritchard’s made buckets came in the second quarter, after which his overall impact on the game fell off. However, he came up big when the team needed him most, and that’s exactly the type of role he needs to play in games where he’s going to be a target on the defensive end.
This, to me, was his best bucket of the game. Back-cutting LeBron and getting the easy reverse layup. Nothing special, just a role player thriving in his role. After a tough start to the season, Pritchard has been playing well recently and continues to prove he can be the “first guard off the bench” for the Celtics.
#9 Ball movement
During the game, I noted down two different possessions where I thought the ball movement was exquisite. I wanted to share them with you.
Both possessions showed the “good to great” mentality, along with a commitment to the .5 system Mazzulla has been working toward implementing. Passing sequences like those above are becoming more and more common for the Celtics. The exciting part is that there’s a decisiveness with how the ball is being moved, and shots are being hunted.
#10 Giving Joe Mazzulla his flowers
When I do these takeaways, I often focus on set actions, player performance, and overall process on either side of the court. Yet, one thing I have seldom mentioned is the performance of Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff.
It can’t be easy to coach so many elite talents, get the buy-in commitment to sacrificing, and implement a structured system that gets the best out of everyone. Yet, somehow, that’s exactly what the coaching staff is achieving. Mazzulla, like every head coach in the league, is often the first name to receive criticism after a loss or an unconvincing win. So, after a successful West Coast swing, it’s only fair we give him a share of the praise.
Final thought
I hope everyone who celebrates the holiday has enjoyed an amazing Christmas. For those of you who don’t celebrate, I hope you had some extra time with family and loved ones and got to create memories of togetherness. The Celtics securing a win was a great way to cap off the day, and now, we can all begin anticipating the upcoming home game against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Until then, I hope you all have an awesome week!
