The Celtics might have figured out the way to beat the Wizards every time down the floor.
The Celtics took a 3-2 series lead over the Wizards on Wednesday night by a score of 123-101. Boston was certainly the more physical team this time around, and beat down Washington after dropping two in a row on the road.
Avery Bradley was the MVP of Game 5 as he went for a postseason career high 29 points. As the Wizards focused heavily on Isaiah Thomas, Bradley delivered on his opportunities. This will pose a challenge for Washington, as they must worry about Bradley more as a scorer alongside Thomas.
Even though Bradley was the obvious reason for the Celtics victory, there was a far more subtle reason that the Wizards will have a problem with moving forward.
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All season long, the Celtics have put Thomas and Al Horford in pick and roll. Thomas was usually the ball handler, and he found success scoring off of Horford’s screens because defense had to respect Horford’s ability to score.
After a while, defenses started to pay less attention to Horford because Thomas was so lethal with limited attention on him. That’s when Horford was able to get the ball with plenty of space to either score or dish to a teammate. Horford averaged the most assists of any center in the NBA, which went a long way in helping the Celtics clinch the top seed in the eastern conference.
In Game 3 and 4, Washington was so worried about Thomas that they sent as many as three defenders on screens and drives to stop him from scoring. This made it difficult for Thomas to get the ball to Horford on the screen, and it showed by the eight total turnovers he made in two games.
For Game 5, Brad Stevens through a wrinkle in the Celtics’ pick and roll game. Instead of Thomas being the ball handler in the pick and roll, it was Horford. With Thomas having most of the defensive attention on him, Horford didn’t deal with a hedger all night. Since he’s more athletic than Marcin Gortat, and had the help of a screen, Horford was able to get where he wanted and torch the Wizards defense.
Horford ended up with 19 points and seven assists, while only missing one shot from the field. This new strategy will give the Wizards a lot to think about for Game 6. Boston only turned the ball over 11 times, so the Wizards had limited chances to get out and run.
If the Wizards are going to concentrate all of their energy on Thomas, then he can keep setting screens for Horford. The four-time All Star will then slice up the Wizards defense with his scoring and passing ability. Players like Bradley will have a lot of open looks due to the simple fact that there will not be enough defenders to rotate to them. If the Wizards give Thomas more room to respect Horford, well, you saw what happened in Game 2.
Brad Stevens used Gerald Green as the tactical switch that won Boston their first round series. Having Thomas set screens for Horford could be the move that pushes Boston past Washington.
Next: Boston Celtics Answer Isaiah Thomas' Call
All five games of the series have been decided on who the more physical team was. While the Celtics need to be the more physical team, this strategic advantage could be a big help on the road in Game 6.