Celtics’ Defense is the Key to Their Success
The Celtics need to have a defensive mindset if they want
One of the Celtics’ biggest wins this season was the one against the Golden State Warriors last week, which was the first home loss for the Warriors since January 2015. Boston had a very solid game, offensively, and Isaiah Thomas’ third quarter performance was the highlight of this big result. However, it was quite obvious that the Celtics secured the win mostly because of their great defensive performance.
It’s a major achievement for a team this season to make the Warriors feel uncomfortable offensively, but Boston managed to do that due their high intensity and effort on the defensive end. As a result, they forced 22 Golden State turnovers, which led to 27 points on the other end. The Celtics’ elite defensive performance wasn’t such a surprise, as they shown that capability for the most part this season.
Let’s take a quick look at some numbers that indicate Boston’s success this season:
Def. Rating: 100.7 (4th)
Opp. Turnovers: 16.4 (2nd)
Opp. FG%: 43.9 (6th)
Opp. 3P%: 33.2 (3rd)
Opp. Assists: 20.7 (3rd)
Steals: 9.3 (2nd)
As we have mentioned before, the Boston Celtics arguably have the best perimeter defense in the NBA with Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley playing a major role in this. Putting Jae Crowder in the mix just makes things even more interesting.
Doc Rivers, the Los Angeles Clipper head coach, has been very specific: “They have three Averys — with Crowder and Smart. I know there’s not a better 1-2 combination in the NBA, defensively, and there may not be a better 1-2-3 combination, defensively. They’re tough.”
Doc Rivers isn’t the only one in the NBA that has spoken highly of Boston’s defense this year. Portland Trailblazers’ backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, as well as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr are some of the NBA figures that have recently recognized the Celtics’ defensive power by calling Avery Bradley, “the best perimeter defender in the NBA.”
Having fully embraced Brad Stevens‘ philosophy, all Celtics’ players come into the game fully committed to the cause. Team unity and unselfishness are the basic principles with which Brad Stevens has built this team’s defensive DNA. The Celtics execute some certain things very effectively; They stay in front of the ball, they protect the basket, they have good positioning, they get back on defense quickly to prevent transition baskets, they have active hands, they rotate quickly, and they help when a teammate gets beaten by an opponent.
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It’s no surprise than when they do most of these things right, their defensive performance is exceptional. Jae Crowder couldn’t be more clear when saying, “I think our mindset, night in and night out, is trying to be a defensive-DNA-type team. We talk about it and all guys are trying to buy into it and you’ve got to have that mindset. I think once you have that mindset and try to put it into play, it’ll come to life for you as a group.”
Transforming Boston into one of the best defensive teams in the league is another accomplishment for Brad Stevens, considering the fact that his team does not have a legitimate shot blocker on the roster. Discipline and teamwork can make a team look better than its composing parts and Stevens has done just that.
Next: Marcus Smart's Impact Not Captured by Box Score
It’s not just the physical toughness, the tactical approach or the defensive awareness that makes Celtics defense special, it’s also their mental toughness on both ends of the floor that has transformed them to one of the toughest teams in the league and certainly to a team that no one wishes to face in the playoffs.