Boston Celtics: 3 Takeaways from Play-in victory over Wizards

Boston Celtics takeaway #2: Lockdown defense could be returning

Perhaps, the most encouraging takeaway from the regular season finale was that the Boston Celtics defense actually showed up…but that was a regular season game that involved many Celtic reserves.

Tonight was a big game against two great offensive players and our C’s were up to the task. They protected the paint, contested shots, and made timely defensive plays. This defense looked more like a Brad Stevens defense. They had a very good game plan that kept Westbrook from getting into the lane, and forced someone besides Bradley Beal to beat them.

There is no doubt that Beal was banged up and some of Westbrook’s struggles were self inflicted, but that does not take away from the effort our C’s put forth tonight. This team certainly still has it’s limitations defensively, and if Robert Williams ankle injury is a series as it looked, then it has even more limitations.

The next round certainly creates a much greater challenge on the defensive end, but at the very least we can take from tonight’s effort that this team is playing their best defense of the season at the perfect time.

As Brad Stevens loves to say, tonight they were connected, they played on a string, and that’s what it’s going to take for the Celtics to shock the Brooklyn Nets and the world.