#1 – Breaking the traces
How do you discover a approach by way of a wall? That’s just about the query that the Boston Celtics have to reply each time they need to drive towards the Orlando Magic.
As mentioned through the preview, court docket mapping and protection manipulation shall be key to discovering a approach to the rim. Within the instance under, the Celtics confirmed find out how to handle time and house to interrupt the defensive shell.
When Jayson Tatum will get the ball on the left slot, he’s in a superb place to drive, however not an optimum one. However as soon as Payton Pritchard units a display for Kristaps Porzingis, this takes two defensive gamers away from the ball and the rim.
On the again line, the 2 different defenders are dragged removed from the paint due to the taking pictures risk from Jrue Vacation and Derrick White. Due to the place of the ball and the gamers, Jayson Tatum now has house to drive left and received’t be bothered by both a stunt or assist on the rim.
They needed to break the defensive traces as a result of, not like typical, there was not a mismatch to hunt — until Cole Anthony was on the court docket.
#2 – Searching Cole
To interrupt a wall, you can even establish the weakest spot in it and simply run into it till it cracks. That’s what the Celtics did with Cole Anthony when Jamahl Mosley put him on the court docket. Pritchard and Anthony’s minutes had been generally matched due to the Celtics guard’s skill to display and power the swap.
As a result of Anthony can’t trouble Tatum or Brown on account of their massive body and offensive ability set, he makes the Orlando Magic protection much less elite than typical. When he’s on the court docket, the Magic give away extra factors per possession and get dominated within the paint as a result of he can’t preserve the identical stage of physicality.
On this matchup, will probably be fascinating to see how the Orlando Magic handle his minutes. They must be elite on protection to win, and it seems like his presence on the court docket doesn’t give them the most effective likelihood to take action.
#3 – Pritchard increase
As he would possibly win the Sixth Man of the 12 months, Payton Pritchard has an enormous problem forward: maintain impacting the sport within the Playoffs. Final 12 months, because the rounds glided by, his minutes went down — largely as a result of he was focused on protection and wasn’t making it up on the opposite facet of the ground.
Nevertheless, this season, the Celtics have made him an enormous a part of their regular-season success with plenty of duties and minutes. He even generally closes video games to assist the Celtics enhance their spacing. His effectivity and the chaos he brings have been key for Joe Mazzulla’s offense.
Final afternoon was one other nice instance of that. Along with his exercise, taking pictures skill, and fixed willingness to maneuver and create benefits, the Celtics offense boomed when he stepped on the court docket. The distinction in ball motion, spacing, and offensive synergy was apparent with and with out him yesterday. Within the first half, he performed solely 6 minutes, and the Celtics outscored the Magic by three factors, whereas being outscored when he was off the ground.
Due to this fact, it was no shock to see him play 18 minutes within the second half — greater than any participant however Jrue Vacation and Jayson Tatum. As a result of the Magic’s spacing isn’t ok, the Celtics can simply go away Payton Pritchard on the ground and defend him with our bodies within the paint.
Payton Pritchard’s off-ball creation and gravity shall be one of many keys that open the door to the subsequent spherical.
#4 – Derrick White two-way affect
After solely the primary 24 minutes, Derrick White was main the Celtics with 16 factors, two assists, one block, and one steal. The 2-way affect was wanted, as Orlando was capable of reap the benefits of the dearth of motion to power Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum to take contested photographs.
His affect on protection led to transition and higher alternatives — however there’s extra to it. Casually, he places up 30-point performances within the Playoffs on very excessive effectivity. With numerous playcalls, the Celtics had been capable of free him past the arc. Right here, you could have an ideal exhibit of Tatum’s screening skills: he doesn’t get the help however creates the house for D-White.
On this play, the Celtics power a swap earlier than moving into motion. As soon as Al Horford has the ball, Jayson Tatum units a flare display for White, and his scoring gravity creates confusion — and that’s an open triple.
General, Derrick White was fabulous — capable of end and rating the ball from three whereas bringing added worth on protection, as typical. One other informal masterclass from Derrick.
#5 – Responding to the physicality
Generally, numbers converse louder than phrases. Joe Mazzulla talked about how they responded to the physicality within the second half after being dominated within the first. Engagement and willingness are generally exhausting to seize in numbers, however offensive rebounds could be a nice indicator of a workforce’s dedication to combat for 50-50 balls.
Effectively, within the first half, the Magic grabbed 10 offensive boards on 25 missed photographs. Within the second, the numbers had been down to a few on 22 missed makes an attempt. A drastic change that gave the Celtics higher probabilities on either side of the court docket.
#6 – Offense begins on protection
The Celtics are normally not a workforce that creates plenty of turnovers. Nevertheless, final evening, they struggled to generate offense. So, they turned it round and began on protection — like they hardly ever do. The Celtics, led by Jrue Vacation’s ball strain, generated a 17% turnover price, that means the Magic misplaced the ball nearly each 5 possessions.
What’s much more spectacular relating to the defensive playmaking was their skill to show protection into offense. They turned 70% of their steals into makes an attempt and scored 2.4 factors per possession on these performs — completely elite.
#7 – Battle of the mid-range
There have been moments when this sport felt like one from a earlier period. The amount of isolations and post-ups that led to two-point jumpers and turnaround fadeaways felt increased than typical.
General, the Magic took 53% of their photographs between 4 ft and the three-point line — a really old-school strategy that claims lots in regards to the Celtics protection, but additionally about who their stars are and the way they play.
However the Celtics additionally shot lots from the mid-range, led by Jayson Tatum, who tried many isolations from the post-up. This goes again to the primary a part of the article, the place we explored how the Celtics had been capable of break the Magic’s defensive shell. They wanted to discover a approach — as a result of once they didn’t, the offense was stagnant and inefficient.
Wanting ahead to seeing what Joe Mazzulla and his teaching workers will do to maneuver away from these photographs.
#8 – Taking away the free-throws
Whereas they took plenty of mid-ranges as typical, the Magic weren’t capable of replicate their typical offense from the free-throw line. With Banchero and Wagner, the Magic typically use their bodily upside on the wings to interrupt down the protection and get to the road to compensate for the dearth of taking pictures and spacing.
Nevertheless, the Celtics protection is the most effective within the NBA at taking away free-throws. Final evening was an ideal problem to check how good they’re at it — and it was spectacular. By staying disciplined and related to at least one one other, the Celtics crowded the driving lane. And when the Magic had been capable of finding a approach to drive, the Celtics’ defensive construction all the time had one of many rim protectors able to disrupt the layup with out fouling.
This skill to defend with out fouling will go a great distance within the Playoffs when minutes go up for the celebrities. No fouling means much less likelihood for the opponent to be within the bonus, and fewer foul hassle for the celebrities. When video games are received by small margins, this might be a difference-maker.
#9 – A two-headed not-so-scary monster
Whereas the Celtics took away the free-throws, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero tried 51 discipline targets out of 81. On high of that, that they had 9 assists and scored 59 factors out of 86. The dearth of offensive supporting solid is frightening — and explains their lack of effectivity.
We’d see extra minutes from Wagner within the subsequent sport, or perhaps new lineup methods. The Magic have some depth and will strive an enormous lineup with two facilities, or they may go very small and attempt to stretch the Celtics protection with shooters round Banchero and Wagner. The issue with the small lineup is that it takes away the workforce’s identification and received’t be sufficient to cease the Celtics offense.
#10 – Nice problem for Porzingis
One for eight from the ground, solely 4 free-throws, and Kristaps Porzingis was challenged defensively. But, this felt like an ideal sport for the large man due to his affect on spacing and rim safety.
Relying on what you’re , you can say he had a nasty sport or an ideal one — and each would make sense. His taking pictures risk was essential in serving to the Celtics break into the Orlando Magic’s defensive shell. Wendell Carter Jr. was pressured to depart the paint, and that opened driving lanes and house for the Celtics to go across the size of the Magic’s gamers.
On protection, he was generally focused by Franz Wagner, however he did his greatest to carry his floor. Off-ball, he was spectacular — crowding the paint and taking away the rim with out fouling. He is likely one of the causes the Magic weren’t attending to the road as a lot as typical.
But, offensively, his scoring wasn’t environment friendly. The physicality, the dimensions, and the size of the Magic’s defensive gamers had been a problem. In opposition to these big wings or Wendell Carter Jr., Porzingis wasn’t capable of get his offense going and made just one shot. But, due to his structural affect on spacing and rim safety, he positively impacted the Celtics.
