#1 – Jaylen Brown passing on show
As we’ve observed in earlier video games, Jaylen Brown’s passing and post-up quantity have elevated this 12 months. To attain the Boston Celtics’ first basket, we noticed an awesome instance of this. Brown used his power and deal with to drive his strategy to the rim, entice defensive consideration within the paint, and ship a gorgeous cross to Porzingis, who was broad open past the three-point line.
A couple of minutes later, the Finals MVP supplied one other instance of his improved passing and dealing with. With a dwell dribble skip cross from his proper hand to the nook, Brown confirmed that he’s taken a big step towards turning into a playmaker.
We even witnessed a slick behind-the-back help to Jrue Vacation for a three-pointer. Whereas Brown’s passing numbers point out there’s nonetheless room for development, Celtics followers can take delight in seeing him frequently add new weapons to his ability set.
#2 – Defending Payton Pritchard…
The Celtics know rather a lot about looking mismatches. Nevertheless, with Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser out, Payton Pritchard has needed to play extra minutes than typical. Groups have began focusing on Pritchard, as he’s the smallest participant on the Celtics’ roster. However this technique is tougher to execute than groups may assume.
First, Pritchard is a tricky defensive participant. Jrue Vacation as soon as mentioned Pritchard was the hardest man to assault throughout Celtics coaching. His toughness, sturdy legs, and low middle of gravity make him tougher to use. Nonetheless, the Celtics nonetheless intention to guard him, using some refined defensive performs to make sure he isn’t focused.
For instance, the Celtics switched off-ball to forestall the Detroit Pistons from isolating him within the submit. Often, the Celtics change off-ball to maintain the roamer (usually Porzingis or Queta) as near the rim as attainable. On this case, the strategy was reversed, however the purpose remained the identical: defend the rim and guarantee no one will get hunted.
Generally, the Celtics can’t change Pritchard away. When this occurs, they crowd the paint to shut driving lanes, making it practically unimaginable to assault him successfully.
#3 – …so he can ship on offense
The Celtics are keen to guard Pritchard in any respect prices due to what he brings on offense. He delivered one other wonderful efficiency, capturing over 60% true capturing on 20 makes an attempt, together with 10 assists.
As typical, his presence on the ground correlated with a robust offensive efficiency by the workforce. With him on the court docket final night time, the Celtics posted a 134 offensive ranking. Over the past two seasons, the workforce’s offensive ranking has improved by +6 factors per 100 possessions when he’s on the ground (per Cleansing the Glass).
A spotlight of his sport final night time was his playmaking. Whereas a few of his assists have been easy, he additionally made spectacular reads, corresponding to an alley-oop to Kornet or the cross talked about above that gave Walsh an open shot. His dimension will all the time restrict sure passing angles, however his pace and improved court docket imaginative and prescient recommend his contributions might be much more worthwhile sooner or later.
#4 – Second-quarter run
From 37-33 to 59-42, the Celtics created a niche within the second quarter to make sure they might relaxation their starters early. After a stretch of robust video games in a brief interval, the Celtics capitalized on the chance to preserve power. How did they do it? By sticking to their typical sport plan.
Utilizing staggered screens to drive mismatches and create gaps, the Celtics generated optimum scoring alternatives. With stacked screens set by Pritchard and Porzingis whereas Brown dealt with the ball, the Pistons have been trapped. They couldn’t assist from the baseline, as Derrick White and Jrue Vacation have been stationed within the corners, forcing Detroit to change.
This resulted in three simultaneous mismatches: Brown in opposition to Cade Cunningham, Porzingis overpowering Tobias Harris within the submit, and Isaiah Stewart struggling to defend Pritchard on the perimeter. The Celtics may then decide their most well-liked choice and rating with ease.
#5 – Transition protection is again?
Final night time was a masterclass in transition protection—arguably among the best performances throughout the NBA this season. The Celtics not solely restricted the Pistons’ transition quantity but in addition destroyed their transition effectivity.
They held their opponents to simply 50 factors per 100 possessions in transition, a powerful feat showcasing the workforce’s focus, teamwork, and hustle. Joe Mazzulla should be thrilled with this show.
#6 – Kristaps Porzingis’ gravity and passing are killing defenses
Within the fashionable NBA, gamers create spacing in varied methods, and Porzingis’ strategy is exclusive. One among his underrated expertise is passing. Along with his dimension, he can function as a hub and ship passes over defenders with precision.
On the play above, Brown didn’t want the ball in his arms to be a risk. He minimize to the rim round Porzingis, who timed the cross completely, producing three straightforward factors from a easy sequence. One other instance concerned Luke receiving the ball from Porzingis, reducing, and kicking out to the nook—a testomony to Porzingis’ skill to see the ground and facilitate.
Whereas his passing quantity may improve, the Celtics may be capable of develop this facet of his sport, unlocking one other software to break down defenses.
#7 – No new highlights within the Derrick White vs. Cade Cunningham duel
As Mark Aboyoun famous on CelticsBlog, the continued duel between Cade Cunningham and Derrick White has been fascinating. In earlier video games, Cunningham posterized White, who responded with emphatic blocks.
Nevertheless, final night time’s encounter was comparatively quiet, with solely this post-up second standing out. With the Celtics dominating early, followers must watch for the subsequent matchup to see this rivalry reignite.
#8 – Boston’s unselfishness
After the sport, John-Blair “J.B.” Bickerstaff praised the Celtics, calling them one of the unselfish groups he’s seen.
Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff mentioned the Celtics are one of the unselfish groups he’s seen:
“All people goes out and so they repeat what their stars do. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, these guys may shoot the ball each time they wished to. However they sacrifice themselves to make the… pic.twitter.com/BkUJOVAA89
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 12, 2024
Final night time, 73% of Boston’s discipline objectives have been assisted. Whereas the Celtics lead the league in isolation quantity, their ball motion stays elite. With each participant logging over 10 minutes recording an help, this sport highlighted the workforce’s collective playmaking skill.
#9 – Three-point protection
The Pistons’ three-point effectivity dropped dramatically from 36% to 18% in opposition to the Celtics. After two video games capturing over 50% from deep (in opposition to Boston and New York), Detroit was stifled by Boston’s improved rotations and defensive changes.
Whereas early-season noise questioned the Celtics’ defensive capabilities, final night time they showcased flashes of the elite protection that outlined them final 12 months.
#10 – Drew Peterson on the rise
One rising storyline is the rise of Drew Peterson. Final night time, he logged practically 20 minutes, incomes Joe Mazzulla’s confidence and outpacing Jordan Walsh and Queta in enjoying time.
Although his sport can really feel disjointed as he overthinks performs, Peterson demonstrated promising flashes of playmaking. His mixture of size and deal with makes him a possible connector.
His scoring stays a query mark. Whereas he confirmed good contact throughout his NCAA profession, his effectivity is restricted (54% true capturing). Can he turn into an elite shooter and connector? Time will inform, however the potential is thrilling.
