Boston Celtics Defense Will be Put to Test Against Thunder

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 1: Al Horford #42 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics react to a play against the Sacramento Kings on November 1, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 1: Al Horford #42 and Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics react to a play against the Sacramento Kings on November 1, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics defense will be tested against the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Boston Celtics will be facing one of their toughest opponents of the season as they face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Talent wise, the Thunder can keep up with anyone in the league, and they will push the limits of the Celtics defense.

That being said, this could end up being an ugly game. The Thunder are going through their own transition, and these are the two best defenses in the league so far.

When you look at the offensive talent on these teams, you would expect a shootout. That being said, both of these teams have proven that they will slow down their opponent, and they will both be pushed to their limits tonight.

This will be the best test for the Celtics defense this season, largely because of how good they know the Thunder will be on defense. This is not a game that the Celtics can win with just offense, and the team that plays the better defense is likely to come out victorious.

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This will also be a different kind of test for the Celtics. They have been playing phenomenal team defense, and have absolutely crushed teams on the inside. The Thunder will make that next to impossible for the Celtics.

You can play all the great team defense you want, but they have three players that can break everything down with individual matchups. The Celtics will be pushing the limits of their individual defense, and we will see how they hold up against so much great talent.

The Thunder’s big three present enough problems to drive any defense crazy, but Steven Adams could be just as problematic for this Celtics team. One of the biggest reasons the Celtics have won six straight games is because of their rebounding and play in the paint.

Adams is going to make things quite difficult for the Celtics to win without shooting great. Al Horford has proven that he can handle some of the most dynamic and unique front court matchups in the NBA, but Adams is a change of pace.

Adams is better suited to exploit some of Horford’s weaker areas, and that could disrupt a lot of what the team wants to do on offense.

The Celtics cannot take great shooting for granted, and the traditional size of the Thunder will make defense the most important aspect of this game.

The Celtics have been playing better and better, and they are in a better place than the Thunder right now. That being said, if we are getting the defensive struggle that we are expecting, this could easily come down to Kyrie Irving or Russell Westbrook making more plays down the stretch.

That is not the way the Celtics want to play, but unless they figure out how to score at ease, they may not have another option.

If the defense struggles, however, it is hard to imagine anything Irving does being enough to take down the Thunder if Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony are scoring at will. The Celtics need to prove that they can handle that kind of elite offensive talent, and we know that their late game execution can be trusted right now.

This could be one of the more interesting matchups of the season. It is rare to see this much offensive talent in a game where defense is going to be the most important phase of the game.

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This will be a great test for both of these defenses, because if they are as good as advertised so far, then this could be the kind of slug fest that we are seeing less and less of in the NBA.