Going with something a little different today. Mainly because the Boston Celtics will see the Brooklyn Nets again tonight. We can learn only so much from a back-to-back against the same team. So, I want to keep things fresh — or at least try to.
Coming into the game, a clip of Kendrick Perkins urging the Celtics to attack the post more was going viral on social media. Not because everybody agreed with him, but rather that he was imploring the Celtics to do something they’ve been focusing on all season.
The truth is that Boston is among the best post-up teams in the NBA. They’re second in post-up frequency. They’re first in post-up efficiency. Against the Nets, it felt like Mazzulla sent his team out onto the court to prove a point.
On the first play of the game, Jrue Holiday feeds Jayson Tatum on the post. A quick spin off his man opens up a baseline drive, which the five-time All-Star finishes with ease, courtesy of a nice reverse layup. When you factor in Boston’s spacing, the multi-level scoring threats that are on the floor, and Tatum’s dynamic skillset, it’s difficult to explain how they can be stopped when working on the mid or low block.
Here’s another post-up bucket from the opening moments of the game.
This time, Brown comes off a flex screen from White and posts up on the strong side of the court. A quick post-entry pass gets Brown the ball; he navigates to his spot around the nail and his the jumper for another easy two points.
While Brown is working on the high post, Holiday is spacing in the corner. Tatum is in the strong side wing, and Al Horford is filling the weak side wing. White has also repositioned himself on the perimeter. That’s a tough spot for the defense to be in. They can’t leave any of the perimeter shooters alone.
As such, Brown’s defender is on an island. No matter how well they defend, they’re giving up on one shot or another. Either you sag off Brown to protect the rim, or you play along in the hopes that you can pick off a potential kick out to the perimeter.
I’m pulling this clip from a previous game to illustrate how valuable Boston’s post-creation has become this season and why teams are likely reluctant to pressure any of the post-up scorers when they’re backing down their man. That again provides value when we think of the space the Celtics post threats are operating in.
Of course, the Celtics also have the size and strength to bully their way to the hoop — as we saw Tatum do on a couple of occasions against the Nets. Below is arguably my favorite “attack out of a post-up” basket from the entire game, primarily because of how aggressive Tatum was off the catch and how he forced his will upon the defense.
Personally, I’m not sure if we can quantify this bucket as scoring out of a post-up. However, it was certainly an option Tatum had at his disposal when receiving the pass. Boston started the half-court possession in a Horns set — having a player on either elbow, giving optionality for where a screen can come from, what actions can come out of it, and who receives the entry pass.
Tatum feeds White on an elbow-entry pass. He screens for Hauser, who fakes a drive toward the rim before pulling onto the perimeter, thus providing spacing and dragging his defender with him. That allows Tatum to receive a pass around the nail. His defender is sealed on his hips. It’s technically a post-up position. Again, a quick spin and Tatum is unleashed with space in front of him. Boom. The rest is history; another highlight dunk is added to his resume.
Here’s another example. This time, it’s Horford commanding his space around the basket. He receives the post-entry pass, creates some slight contact, uses the contact to turn into the space the bump created and nails a hook shot.
There are a lot more examples I can pull from this game. Some will be clear-cut post-ups. Others will be post-esq scoring. Nothing is ever clear-cut in the NBA. However, the game should have taught us that the Celtics are evolving in how they approach their offense. They’re attacking based on match-ups. There’s no longer an over-reliance on the three-point shot.
That’s a thing of the past.
There have been multiple games recently where Boston took more shots inside the perimeter than they did from three-point range. Given the personnel at their disposal, that approach makes perfect sense. Some nights, the Celtics will have a size advantage on the wings, allowing Tatum and Brown to use their size, strength, and speed to get toward the rim. On other nights, they might be the more physical team — as was the case against Brooklyn.
On the nights when Boston is at a slight disadvantage on the interior, they can rely on their perimeter game to keep things close. After all, you don’t command the level of defensive attention that the Celtics do without being one of the better three-point shooting teams in the NBA. The key is controlling the volume so that shooting variance doesn’t completely control success.
We’re seeing the Celtics prove that they’ve got more than one way of consistently attacking a defense. The interesting part will be how the Nets look to counter Boston’s interior dominance from Tuesday evening and how the Celtics react to that change in the defensive scheme. So, we might see more threes in Wednesday’s game, or perhaps there’s more focus on living in the mid-range.
I love the chess battles Boston can play. Every move they make has a butterfly effect on how the opposing team looks to implement their system. Right now, the Celtics are fun to watch and play some exceptional basketball. A lot of that is down to their success in the post and willingness to incorporate that wrinkle into their offensive approach this season. We’ve seen it evolve. Now, they’re reaping the rewards.
Looking ahead
It won’t be too often I stick to a single topic for the takeaways. I think this is the third time I’ve done it this season. Playing the same team on a back-to-back felt like this would be a good chance to hone in on one specific area of the game and share some opinions along with the dive into the film.
We will be back to normal tomorrow. Either way, I hope you enjoyed the game and this article. See you all in the morning.