PHILADELPHIA — Anfernee Simons was unconscious in the first half against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. Every time the ball left his hands, it had a chance to go in. “I was in the zone, for sure,” Simons said at shootaround in Philadelphia on Tuesday morning. He dragged the Celtics out of a 12-point hole in the first quarter, propelling them to a bounce-back victory.
After that? Silence. Simons didn’t score in the second half. In fact, after playing 14:02 in through the first two quarters—the fourth-most on the team—Simons earned just 8:39 of court time. He contributed just one assist and one turnover to the box score.
But it didn’t matter. He did his job.
Following his game-altering hot stretch in the first, Orlando completely changed their coverage.
“Anfernee, in the first half, really got us going. He also made them change their pick-and-roll coverage, which was great,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “He had 25 in the first half, didn't score [after that], but he constantly gave us a two-on-one in the second half in his minutes.”
Anfernee Simons gave the Celtics what they needed, and then he adapted
Orlando spent most of the first half either dropping or switching, and Simons them to shreds. He drove on a stumbling Wendell Carter Jr. for an and-one, shot over the top of Jonathan Isaac, and took on Goga Bitadze in isolation.
Bucket after bucket, Simons dominated. Every option the Magic threw at him wasn’t good enough. He had already seen the ball go through the basket. From there, it was easy.
“He's one of those guys, when he gets in a rhythm like that, there's nothing you can do to stop him,” said Luka Garza. “So, we were just trying to feed him and get him in actions so he can stay comfortable and stay in a rhythm. I tried to do my best as a screener, getting the five on him, or whatever I could, and then get out of his way and let him work. And he did a really good job just staying in his flow zone, and it was all going down, so it was awesome to see.”
By the time half-time ended, the Magic had exhausted most of their options. So, when Simons checked back in mid-way through the third quarter, they turned to a last resort: They doubled him.
When Garza went to set a screen on Tyus Jones, Bitadze sprinted to meet Simons at the level. And when Garza rolled into the middle of the floor, he stayed next to Jones.
Simons threaded a pass between the two Orlando defenders, leaving Garza an easy floater in the lane. The job was done. Simons brought two to the ball.
“At that point, you bring two to the ball, I think, for the most part, you've done your job,” Simons said.
His lights-out first half put the Celtics in position to win, not just with the literal points on the board, but with the way it shifted Orlando’s entire defensive game plan.
“That's what great players do,” said Garza. “They cause so much gravity that they got to put two on the ball and whatever it is. And I'm glad Anfernee was trusting me in the pocket and the seam. I know I can make plays, whether it's myself on the floater or trying to find other guys on the backside. But he did a great job of just taking the coverage, [taking] what they gave him.
“When they were switching, when they were in the drop, he was doing what he could, and scoring every time. And then, he started getting guys involved when they started putting two the ball. So, he did an amazing job.”
Simons played 1:43 in the fourth quarter. He didn’t take a single shot, grab a single rebound, or dish out a single assist. But he did exactly what he needed to do.
By that point, his impact on the game had already been made. Simons gave the Celtics precisely what they needed at the exact moment they needed it, and he was more than prepared to do so.
“I've dealt with it for the past three years before, prior to that,” Simons said of the double teams. “Back then, it started on the first play of the game, the first pick-and-roll. So, just being able to take advantage of that. Getting a two on one on the backside and bringing two to the ball is the main purpose. You did your job once you do that.
“So, it just makes everything else easier for everybody else, and obviously, for me, in that game, I obviously didn't score any points in the second half, but I felt like I did a good job of managing that and getting everybody else good shots. And so, that's all we ask for.”