First, I wish everyone who takes the time to read this a happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have an amazing day and enjoy the time with whoever you choose to spend this day with! Eat some good food, relax, and make memories!
Onto the game…
After their win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics are now 12-3 to begin the season. A fast-paced game with some hot shooting streaks saw the Celtics climb ahead by a comfortable margin, only for the Bucks to claw their way back into the game.
Facing Milwaukee was never going to be easy. This season, they’re the biggest threat to Boston’s claim at an NBA Finals appearance. We got our first look at the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard pairing and how Khris Middleton is a high-level release valve with his scoring threat.
Joe Mazzulla came in with a game plan, and for the most part, it worked. However, he will need some counters up his sleeve for the next time these two rosters face off.
#1 Jaylen Brown’s big night
Let’s start with Jaylen Brown. He’s had some tough nights in recent weeks. Yet, against Milwaukee, he reminded the world of what he can do. Brown was still used in a primary scoring role but found ways to involve others around him.
In the above clip, the action is designed to get Brown attacking the rim via a curl on an elbow pin. As the defense rotates over, he makes the right read and finds the dump-off pass to Kristaps Porzingis, who has cut baseline as his man rotates to provide low helpline defense.
Recently, Brown has been shown some tunnel vision when attacking the rim. He could easily have dropped his shoulder in the above clip and relied on his strength and athleticism to pressure the rim. Instead, Brown keeps his head up, reads the floor, and finds Hauser with a nice transition lob pass for the easy dunk. In this type of role, where Brown is tasked with scoring first and creating second, he can generate assists by relying on his gravity and keeping his head up when running the floor.
The playmaking Brown displayed in this game was encouraging and could be seen as a sign of growth.
In terms of scoring, Brown went 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep. That’s a solid scoring profile for one of the better-rim threats on the team. Of his 10 made buckets, 5 of them came in the restricted area, 3 from the perimeter, and 2 in the mid-range.
This was my favorite bucket from Brown, as I’m sure it was for many of the fanbase. The Celtics run a “zoom” action. The defense reads it well, and Porzingis declines the hand-off. Brown uses the motion to get free via a backdoor cut and finishes the play with a windmill dunk to send the crowd wild.
I can’t think of a better game from Brown to begin the season. The fact the performance came against the Bucks makes it all the more sweeter.
#2 Al Horford is a fine wine
Another player who came out of the gates slowly. Horford’s best two games this season have come against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Bucks. If he’s saving his best for when he faces the best, I’m fine with that.
Horford has his fingerprints all over the Celtics win. On defense, he flitted between operating as a drop defender and part of a switch-everything system. He guarded multiple positions and brought energy to the defensive end off the bench.
The above play is a good example of what Horford brings to Boston’s rearguard regarding effort, hustle, and understanding of how to cut off angles. First of all, he gets back in transition and cuts off the middle of the court, forcing Giannis into a tough angle. Giannis gets off the ball via a wrap-around pass to Brook Lopez, so Horford gets himself back into the play and generates a steal (some might call it a block) to trigger a Celtics counterattack.
On offense, Horford was a reliable release valve, spacing the floor and getting some work done on the interior. Personally, I liked this post-up bucket.
Horford is a luxury off the bench. He’s still a starting-caliber big man in the NBA and provides balance to the rotation in his new role. I also like how Mazzulla is comfortable shifting between double-bigs and single-bigs as the game flows, especially as a counter to teams with size and length.
#3 Jrue’s offensive struggles continue
Jrue Holiday is on a four-game offensive slump. Over those four games, he’s shooting 13-of-30 from the field and 5-of-15 from deep. Against Milwaukee, he shot 1-of-8 but chipped in with 8 rebounds and was the primary defender on Giannis for stretches of the game.
The luxury of a player like Holiday is that he’s still impacting winning when he’s struggling from the floor. He’s excellent on defense, is one of the best rebounding guards in the league, and can control the tempo of a game when operating as a ball-handler.
Would I like to see his shots start to fall? Of course. And eventually, they will. Until then, he will continue to impact games in other ways. It’s far too soon to begin writing off the former NBA champion, especially when he’s still putting in significant effort in every game. Slumps happen; it’s just part of the game — especially this early in the season.
#4 Mazzulla sticks to smalls on bigs
Speaking of Jrue’s defense…Mazzulla has been consistent in asking Holiday to guard opposing bigs or forwards. The idea behind it is simple: when teams flow into screening actions, Holiday will be switching off the big, and a big will be switching into Holiday’s place. It’s also smart because of Holiday’s sturdy base and ability to get underneath a bigger opponent’s hips, making him a nightmare matchup.
Take the above clip as an example. Holiday widens his base and lowers his center of gravity, allowing him to absorb contact without dislodging. Holiday’s defense results in a missed jumper from Giannis, and shows why the veteran guard can be trusted to defend bigger players and to switch onto guards or wings when needed.
#5 Gettin’ Nerdy with it: Twirl
This play call was one of Mazzulla’s favorites last season. It can work in one of two ways. The first way is what we saw last season: a stagger screen is set, the receiver of the first screen cuts, and the screens for the first screener, who then uses the second screen to get open.
Yet, against the Bucks, Boston went to the second style of a twirl set. This is where the first screener curls through the space between the stagger screen (known as thru) before the first screener then uses the second screen to get open.
Plays like this are a great way to get a featured scorer on the ball with a mismatch they can attack. They’re also good at generating defensive errors that can lead to easy buckets for the curler.
In the above clip, the Bucks do a great job of taking away Brown’s drive, courtesy of some nail-help defense. So, Brown kicks it back out to the perimeter, where Derrick White nails the three.
#6 Extra pass offense
A primary sign of a highly functioning offense is when players are willing to make the extra pass. We’ve seen the Celtics commit to this style of play at times, but the consistency has been lacking when looking at the bigger picture. However, seeing Boston commit to finding the best shot when facing their biggest threat in the East should be an encouraging sign. It indicates that the roster is all pulling in the same direction and that winning is more important than adding to their season averages.
We saw possessions like the one above throughout the game on Wednesday night. We’ve also seen the Celtics commit to finding the open man for most of the season. Long may it continue.
#7 The Porzingis & Brown connection on display
The partnership between Brown and Porzingis has been one of the more enjoyable storylines coming out of the team to begin the season. They work well together. Porzingis’ floor spacing is the perfect complement to Brown’s athletic ability.
So far this season, Brown has found Porzingis for 21 assists, totaling 47 points. Porzingis has found Brown 8 times for a total of 18 points. The two-man game between them is becoming a reliable weapon for the Celtics offense to turn to in half-court situations.
Against the Bucks, Brown and Porzingis combined for some memorable plays — one of which we will look at in a moment — and one we can look at now.
Above, we can see Brown come off a screen from White and flow into a DHO with Porzingis. As Brown turns the corner, he slows down his dribble, puts his man in jail, and waits for his big-man partner to get into position before letting the lob pass fly.
Seeing Brown orchestrate play via the pick-and-roll is a welcomed addition. Again, Brown did a good job of using his scoring gravity to create an opening for his teammate. The fact the play found Porzingis is just another example of their budding partnership.
#8 Gettin’ Nerdy with it part 2: Blind Pig
The Blind Pig is one of the most fun plays the Celtics run. Usually, it will occur with a big man on the elbow. However, in this instance, the Celtics ran it as a counter. Once again, the Brown and Porzingis connection is what put the play in place.
Milwaukee’s defense had done a good job of defending Brown’s screen for Payton Pritchard. As such, the Celtics countered with a blind pig action, which looks like it occurred on the fly. Usually, the player that receives the pass from the big man is already in motion (a stampede cut) here, though Brown is still above the break. So, rather than driving into traffic, Brown and Porzingis connect on a lob play to get the highlight bucket out of a great read-and-react counter.
#9 Letting go of the reigns
Some habits die harder than others. It would appear the Celtics’ penchant for blowing leads is a habit that takes some time to break. With 11:10 remaining in the fourth, the Celtics had a 20 point lead. Yet, the Bucks fought their way back into the game. Part of it was Milwaukee upping their effort levels and producing a most consistent brand of offense. The other was the Celtics taking their foot off the gas.
With 3:31 remaining in the fourth, Milwaukee had cut the game to 10 points. Then it was “Dame Time.” Milwaukee pushed the Celtics hard and clawed back from 20 down to just three (courtesy of a game-ending bucket) to give Boston a tough end to a game they controlled from the opening tip.
The Celtics must tighten things up when they enter the fourth with a lead. Closing out games shouldn’t consistently be this difficult. It feels like this is the last evolution we need to see over the coming months. Take care of business during crunch time, and don’t let up until the final whistle is blown.
#10 Depth on display
To preface this, I’m not talking about depth in terms of numbers or a deep rotation. Rather, I’m talking about the talent that resides within Boston’s top-8 rotation. Pritchard is out of his slump. Hauser is proving himself to be a reliable three-and-d wing who is among the best perimeter threats in the league.
The bench provided 31 points, 8 assists, and 12 rebounds between Horford, Hauser, and Pritchard. There are some unproven assets deeper in the rotation who could earn themselves some time moving forward, but for now, the top-8 is a lock for the postseason and will all have big roles to play.
I came into the season slightly concerned about the lack of depth behind Hauser and Pritchard; that hasn’t completely changed. However, right now, Boston’s top-8 is proving capable of being an elite team at the highest level, and that’s all we can ask for.
Looking ahead
The Celtics have an early game on Friday (which this UK-based writer is very happy about!). They will face the Orlando Magic in an in-season tournament game at 2:30 pm ET. Orlando has been a solid unit to begin the season and currently ranks third in the NBA for defensive rating.
In recent years, the Celtics have struggled in early games; last season, they struggled against the Magic. I hope the team can correct both issues in a single game. I’m forever an optimist.
That’s it for today! Once again, I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving!
