In an era of constant complaining by fans and in the media, with tropes about players not caring, not trying, teams trying to lose, the season being too long, and on and on and on, it’s extremely refreshing to see the Celtics completely dispel every stereotype and narrative about the NBA.
Recently, Boston has been coming out playing aggressive, end-to-end defense, often picking up their opponents full-court, guarding 94 feet, and making opposing teams work on offense for every single inch of the hardwood. They’re getting into their sets later, they’re settling for bad shots, and the results speak for themselves.
The Celtics have been extremely active, getting their hands on balls left and right, beating teams up with physicality, and forcing opposing stars to work extremely hard for every second they’re on the court. Teams are starting to learn that when they see the Celtics on the schedule, they know they’re in for a fight.
Some teams are up for it, but frankly, a lot of teams are not. And the Celtics are taking advantage. It starts with their leader, Joe Mazzulla, setting the tone and demanding this level of intensity and execution for 48 minutes, and it trickles down to his best player, Jaylen Brown, and that tone is set up and down the roster.
Celtics' defense has turned it up a notch
The Celtics have the 7th-best defense in the league this season, but they’ve turned it up to another level of late. They’ve won 9 of their last 10 games, and in that stretch, they’ve held their opponent to 100 points or fewer on 7 occasions and under 90 four times. Boston is just bringing waves of big, strong, athletic defenders who give maximum effort at all times.
The three and d wing role has become a revolving door of two-way beasts with Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. all making incredible contributions on a nightly basis.
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown were already elite, All-Defense caliber defenders, and they’ve kept that up this season. And the Celtics have also unlocked an outstanding defensive anchor and rim protector in Neemias Queta.
This team continues to blow past expectations, and somehow, it seems like they are still getting better every day. The offense has been turning heads all year, but suddenly, the Celtics have added a defense that breaks teams’ wills and makes them not want to compete anymore. It has been amazing to watch, and it’s a huge reason why the Cs have become a real threat to win the East.