#1 – Breaking the traces
How do you discover a method by way of a wall? That’s just about the query that the Boston Celtics must reply each time they need to drive in opposition to the Orlando Magic.
As mentioned through the preview, court docket mapping and protection manipulation will likely be key to discovering a technique to the rim. Within the instance beneath, 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 great 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.
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On the again line, the 2 different defenders are dragged removed from the paint due to the taking pictures menace 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 gained’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 normal, there was not a mismatch to hunt — until Cole Anthony was on the court docket.
#2 – Searching Cole
To interrupt a wall, you can too determine 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 typically matched due to the Celtics guard’s skill to display and drive the change.
As a result of Anthony can’t trouble Tatum or Brown as a result of their giant body and offensive ability set, he makes the Orlando Magic protection much less elite than normal. 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 degree of physicality.
On this matchup, will probably be attention-grabbing 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 Yr, Payton Pritchard has an enormous problem forward: hold impacting the sport within the Playoffs. Final yr, because the rounds glided by, his minutes went down — principally as a result of he was focused on protection and wasn’t making it up on the opposite facet of the ground.
Nonetheless, this season, the Celtics have made him an enormous a part of their regular-season success with numerous tasks and minutes. He even typically 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 shield him with our bodies within the paint.
Payton Pritchard’s off-ball creation and gravity will likely be one of many keys that open the door to the subsequent spherical.
#4 – Derrick White two-way influence
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 influence was wanted, as Orlando was capable of benefit from the dearth of motion to drive Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum to take contested pictures.
His influence on protection led to transition and higher alternatives — however there may be 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’ve an excellent exhibit of Tatum’s screening talents: he doesn’t get the help however creates the house for D-White.
On this play, the Celtics drive a change earlier than entering 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 normal. 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 typically laborious to seize in numbers, however offensive rebounds is usually a nice indicator of a crew’s willpower to combat for 50-50 balls.
Effectively, within the first half, the Magic grabbed 10 offensive boards on 25 missed pictures. 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 often not a crew that creates numerous turnovers. Nonetheless, final evening, they struggled to generate offense. So, they turned it round and began on protection — like they not often do. The Celtics, led by Jrue Vacation’s ball stress, generated a 17% turnover fee, that means the Magic misplaced the ball virtually each 5 possessions.
What’s much more spectacular concerning 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 quantity of isolations and post-ups that led to two-point jumpers and turnaround fadeaways felt larger than normal.
General, the Magic took 53% of their pictures between 4 toes and the three-point line — a really old-school method that claims lots in regards to the Celtics protection, but in addition 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 method — as a result of after they didn’t, the offense was stagnant and inefficient.
Trying ahead to seeing what Joe Mazzulla and his teaching employees will do to maneuver away from these pictures.
#8 – Taking away the free-throws
Whereas they took numerous mid-ranges as normal, the Magic weren’t capable of replicate their normal offense from the free-throw line. With Banchero and Wagner, the Magic usually 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.
Nonetheless, the Celtics protection is the most effective within the NBA at taking away free-throws. Final evening was an excellent problem to check how good they’re at it — and it was spectacular. By staying disciplined and linked to 1 one other, the Celtics crowded the driving lane. And when the Magic had been capable of finding a technique to drive, the Celtics’ defensive construction at all times had one of many rim protectors able to disrupt the layup with out fouling.
This skill to defend with out fouling will go a good distance within the Playoffs when minutes go up for the celebs. No fouling means much less likelihood for the opponent to be within the bonus, and fewer foul bother for the celebs. When video games are gained 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 subject targets out of 81. On high of that, that they had 9 assists and scored 59 factors out of 86. The shortage of offensive supporting solid is frightening — and explains their lack of effectivity.
We would see extra minutes from Wagner within the subsequent sport, or perhaps new lineup methods. The Magic have some depth and will attempt 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 crew’s identification and gained’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 excellent sport for the massive man due to his affect on spacing and rim safety.
Relying on what you’re taking a look at, you can say he had a nasty sport or an excellent one — and each would make sense. His taking pictures menace was essential in serving to the Celtics break into the Orlando Magic’s defensive shell. Wendell Carter Jr. was pressured to go away 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 typically focused by Franz Wagner, however he did his finest to carry his floor. Off-ball, he was spectacular — crowding the paint and taking away the rim with out fouling. He is without doubt one of the causes the Magic weren’t attending to the road as a lot as normal.
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. Towards these large 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.
