Boston Celtics Win with Small Ball

Small ball was the key to a game three victory for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics knew that changes were coming in game three after falling down 2-0 to the Chicago Bulls, but Brad Stevens made changes that very few saw coming. It started with the surprise call to start Gerald Green in Amir Johnson‘s place, but that was only the beginning. After getting abused on the inside and finding no offensive flow, Stevens decided to go with a full blown small ball lineup, keeping three guards on the court for almost the entire game.

Stevens decided to play into his team’s strengths, rather than try to adjust to the game that the Bulls wanted to play. Its impossible to tell how much of a difference Rajon Rondo would have had in that game, but its hard to understate the importance of losing the only capable point guard right before the game when the importance of the back court reached a series high.

Green provided an instant spark. He was the first of the starters to hit the bench, but he scored a quick five points, and was huge part of, by far and away, the best quarter this team has played so far in the playoffs.

Once Green hit the bench for the first time, it became as clear as day that Stevens was going to ride his guards as far as he could. Forget about Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller or Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier were the first players to come off the bench, and that was just the beginning of a series of rotations that always seemed to feature three different guards.

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Stevens made the adjustment that forced the Bulls to adjust, and that completely threw off the success they had in the two games. Robin Lopez had a fraction of the impact he had in the first two games, as the Bulls struggled to keep him on the court against the small ball lineups.

The most important thing, however, is the trust Stevens has in his guards to cover Jimmy Butler. Avery Bradley had one of his finest defensive performances ever, and as long as he is able to make up that height difference, the Celtics will be fine playing undersized.

With Nikola Mirotic spending most of his time on the three point line, the Celtics feel fine about putting one of their guards on him, and that pretty much covers all the offense that the Bulls can generate. Green did a fine job on Mirotic, and that is an indicator that Stevens will put any of his guards on him with confidence. It was only Dwyane Wade who was able to really get going for the Bulls this game, and he was the one who orchestrated the second quarter run as the Celtics went cold.

Stevens completely threw all regular season rotations out the window, and embraced his guard depth in a way that he has not done yet this season. Isaiah Thomas came out of the first quarter with over four minutes left, something we never see. Then it was the beginning of the fourth quarter, with both Thomas and Al Horford on the bench, that the Celtics really closed out the game.

A lot of it might have to do with the Bulls being a shell of the team they were in the first two games, but there is no doubting that the small ball Celtics are a much more difficult team for them to account to, particularly without Rondo.

Stevens decided to maximize the space on the floor, which would also help open things up on the inside. The fact that Lopez played like 21 minutes in the game is proof enough that the Bulls were not ready for this small ball attack by the Celtics, and it is hard to imagine the Bulls winning this series when Lopez can’t see the floor because it is too difficult to use him while defending these small ball lineups.

The extra space created by having so many shooters on the court gave Horford an opportunity to run wild, putting together one of his most complete games in his time with the Celtics.

Stevens knows that his guard depth blows away his front court depth. Instead of taking chances with Zeller and Jerebko, he decided to look to where the Celtics are the most talented and it worked as well as he could have asked for.

Now it is the Bulls’ turn to adjust. It is hard to imagine them expecting the complete overhaul of Boston’s rotation in game three. The full blown small ball attack was something they were not prepared for, and now they have to figure out a way to get back on track and secure the 3-1 lead.

For the Celtics, Stevens finally found something that worked, and the best news is that it was more than just one player. In fact, Isaiah Thomas may have been the most disappointing guard in Boston’s lineup for game three, and he still played a huge role in establishing the lead at the beginning of the third. Green and Rozier were the two biggest changes to the rotation, and they both brought the exact kind of boost they needed. Every guard on Boston played over 20 minutes in the game, while Horford was the only true big to play more than 10 minutes.

Next: Boston Celtics Need More than Rajon Rondo Injury

The Celtics finally looked comfortable, and because of that there is no reason for them to do anything different. From here on out, this postseason is all about how far the guards will carry the Celtics, and how much damage Horford is able to do with all the extra room having the extra shooting created.