#1 This was a statement win
“I do not consider it a statement win,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “I consider it a win. I consider it an opportunity where we played well and an opportunity to figure out where we didn’t play well. We left a lot on the table as far as our execution and the things we want to accomplish. So I do not consider it as a statement win.”
Sorry, Joe, I’m inclined to disagree. The Boston Celtics walked onto the LA Clippers home court and handled their business. This isn’t a Clippers team that’s trying to figure things out or is in a rebuild. This is a team with dreams of being a championship contender. It’s a team that had James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook active within their rotation.
There’s an argument to be made that the Clippers were missing Kawhi Leonard. It’s a fair argument, too. However, would he have turned the tide? Would he have impacted the game enough to stop the Celtics from steamrolling their way to another win? What about if Kristaps Porzingis was also healthy?
We will never know the answers to those questions. The fact is you can only win against the opposition in front of you. You can’t control what happens outside of the four lines, so you control what happens within them. That’s exactly what the Celtics did. This was a statement win in my book. Especially on the road.
#2 When both Jays are clicking
Want to see the Celtics at their best? You need both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown operating at a high level. When the two All-Star wings are playing off of each other, and are impacting the game on both sides of the floor, Boston’s ceiling rises dramatically.
Brown is thriving in his new role. Tatum played with fluidity. The Clippers struggled to contain two of the best two-way wings in the league.
I have come to enjoy how Brown has become comfortable hunting for his spot in the mid-range. He likes to get low, drop his shoulder, and navigate toward the nail, where he’s a serious threat off the pull-up. He shows a level of control and poise when doing this, and it continues to be a solid counter for the Celtics when the offense bogs down.
For Tatum, it’s his improved aggression in attacking the rim. He’s making faster decisions. He’s using his footwork and size to create space. And he’s embracing contact when getting to the bucket. Loved this spin-off into a dunk.
For most of their careers, Brown and Tatum have rarely had big nights at the same time. Yet, it’s slowly becoming more common, and as that becomes a normality, the Celtics’ chances of winning a championship rise exponentially.
#3 Holiday’s Offense
As a third, sometimes fourth, sometimes fifth offensive option, we don’t always get to see the best of Jrue Holiday. However, there were moments against the Clippers where he flashed some high-level upside as a scorer, screener, and playmaker.
Here, Holiday runs a slip-screen action with Tatum. He rolls to the strong side dunker spot. Tatum finds the versatile guard with an entry pass before Holiday hits a little jump hook after navigating into the restricted area. We’ve looked at Holiday being used as an inverted dunker spot threat before. However, it continues to impress, especially when he’s finding ways to provide internal spacing around the rim and creating scoring opportunities.
Holiday’s hustle creation has also been a talking point at times this season. Even with the Celtics up by 20 and controlling the pace of the game, Holiday fights for every ball. In the above clip, you can see him stay with a play despite the miss and despite Ivica Zubac securing the offensive rebound. Holiday ends up getting the steal, relocating onto the perimeter, and nailing a three.
After the Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls in the in-season tournament group stage, Mazzulla noted how he hoped the Celtics would develop a different mindset by chasing a point differential. Moments like this were likely what he was talking about. It’s one thing being up big; it’s another to keep playing like the game is on the line and fighting for every scoring opportunity possible.
Holiday’s impact has been noticeable during Boston’s West Coast road trip. Hopefully, he can sustain his current level moving forward.
#4 Gettin’ nerdy with it: Grenade DHO’s
With the amount of athleticism and slashing talent on the Celtics roster, I’ve been hoping to see them run more grenade actions. The action is simple: A player (usually a big man) has the ball around the low block or mid-post; he dribbles toward the perimeter with his back to the basket before handing the ball off to a player who drives downhill. The action is usually (but not always) run when there’s an empty corner, so there’s no strong side low man to stunt on the drive.
Here, it’s Neemias Queta who initiates the “grenade DHO,” with Holiday being the receiver.
The logic behind this action is that as the big man dribbles toward the perimeter, he drags the defending big with him. There is usually an empty corner, so there’s no strong side, low man. Then, the big man screens the slasher’s defender, allowing them to blow by the defending big and get an open look at the basket. If the defending big drops, boom, an easy mid-range pull-up, or a chance to create a collapse and kick out to a shooter.
In the clip above, Zubac stays low to take away a layup. As such, Holiday goes to a floater, which secures the bucket for Boston. More of these actions, please.
#5 Gettin’ nerdy with it part 2: Ducking in on the Chin
I’ve looked at “Chin actions” in previous posts. In case you have missed those, the standard design is like this.
- 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
Here is an annotated example of a Chin action. Everything until Tatum rolls to the rim is standard practice. However, Boston added a variance in this play.
Moving onto what we saw against the Clippers. Once again, the Celtics added a variance to their “Chin series” except this time, it was having Tatum duck into a high post-up as he came off the non-ball-side cut.
Once Tatum gets the ball in the high post, he can go straight to work. In this instance, he turns right into a no-dribble jumper and drains it. I really enjoy it when the Celtics add variations to standard plays, especially when it gets guys to their spots. I especially enjoyed they were still running actions despite holding a comfortable double-digit lead.
#6 Neemy is knocking on the door
It won’t be long. Queta is making a huge impression in Luke Kornet’s absence. His energy and hustle have been impactful on both ends of the floor. He’s got two double-double performances on this West Coast trip, both of which have been via impressive displays.
He’s rebounding at a high level. His screening has improved. His motor seems endless. And his size and frame make him a reliable shot deterrent in the paint.
If Queta keeps performing like this, Brad Stevens could extend him a full-time contract to fill the open 15th roster spot. Queta has earned it. For Boston, it’s another successful project player that graduates from their two-way system, which goes a long way to defining a culture of player improvement. The more players come through Maine into a full-time deal, the more prospects will view the Celtics as a good landing spot on a two-way contract due to the clear path into first-team opportunities.
#7 But he’s still a bit raw
This mistake by Queta stood out to me in real-time.
I don’t understand why he felt the need to recover to his man on the perimeter when Derrick White was shading over, and he was protecting from the drive. Yet, these mistakes happen for young players, especially ones that are still learning a defensive system. Still, it was an indication of how raw Queta is.
This is not a reason to avoid giving him playing time or to counter any argument for him earning a full-time deal. It’s just to point out there is still work to be done, which is totally fine at this stage of his development and young career.
#8 Defense wins championships
The Celtics defense has been great in recent weeks (for the most part.) What I like is that every now and then, they will turn up the pressure to stifle the offense and take control of the game. It always feels like a turning point when this happens.
For me, this was the possession that took Boston to another level for the rest of the game. They completely shut down what the Clippers were trying to do. Everybody hustled and sprinted. Rotations were sharp. Switches were crisp.
And, of course, the Celtics also have some exceptional individual defenders, with Derrick White continuing to prove that he’s a center trapped in a guard’s body.
#9 Brissett flashed some upside
Oshae Brissett has been making the most of the limited minutes he’s been getting over the past few games. He’s knocking down his open threes, hustling on defense, and making smart decisions when the ball is in his hands.
In 18 minutes of play against the Clippers, he shot 4-of-5 from the field and grabbed a couple of boards. That’s exactly the role the Celtics need from him. Take his open shots, be smart and quick with his decision making and provide a physical presence on defense.
I’ve been quite low on Brissett since Boston acquired him in the summer, but if he can keep impacting games off the bench in a low-usage role, then he will be a reliable backup moving forward.
#10 Where is Jordan Walsh?
The question on everybodies minds as the Celtics emptied their bench for the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Even recent addition Drew Peterson got a chance to show what he can do. Yet, Jordan Walsh — the player who impressed during Summer League, remained rooted to the bench. In fact, he was the only member of the Celtics gameday roster not to see the court. Why?
What damage would it have done to give the rookie two or three minutes of playing time? Surely, by keeping him cemented on the sideline, his confidence took a slight hit? I’m not sure why Walsh didn’t get a chance to play, but it was strange to see a player with such a defensive upside anchored to the pine like that.
As an aside, Peterson flashed some good upside in his limited showing. He hit a three and made a nice dish for an assist. Queta might not be the only two-way product to earn some playing time this year — yes, I’m being hyperbolic.
A quick message
As I sit here writing these takeaways, it’s not lost on me that it’s Christmas Eve. If you celebrate, then I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from my family to yours. If you don’t, I hope you enjoy the additional time with family, friends, and loved ones, whatever it is you end up doing.
And for any of you who can’t be with family, friends, or loved ones during the holiday period, I hope the online Celtics community, both here on the blog and elsewhere online, can help brighten up this tough period for you. This is my third Christmas without my Nan, so I understand how the holidays can be bittersweet.
Take care of yourselves, and if you choose to watch, enjoy tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Thank you all for choosing to read the stuff I write; it’s a blessing I don’t take for granted.
Merry Christmas.
