The Boston Celtics Game 1 victory over the Brooklyn Nets featured a lot of good things. It also featured some bad and there was one part of the game that was really ugly. With that in mind, hereβs the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Bostonβs perspective in Game 1.
The Good
Defending Kevin Durant
CelticsBlogβs Adam Spinella did a wonderful job breaking down Bostonβs approach against both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Weβre going to highlight part of that here, with a focus on Boston being physical with Durant right from the jump.
This turnover was charged to Irving, and thatβs fair, but it was the way Boston defended Durant that caused the turnover. The play starts with Grant Williams essentially shoving Durant into his screen. Thatβs a trick Boston uses a lot. It keeps the player from slipping the screen and helps the switching player get to his new man quicker. After that, Jaylen Brown keeps up the physical defense by staying connected to Durant to force the deflection:
On the Nets next trip, itβs more physical defense. But you can see where Williams being a really smart defender shows up. As soon as Durant starts his motion to pick up the ball, Williams backs off a half-step, while poking at the ball. That threw Durant off his rhythm and allowed Marcus Smart to scoop up the loose ball:
Expect Brooklyn to counter this by trying to get Durant the ball more in space in Game 2. It will require them getting into their actions a little earlier, but if Durant is able to play less in crowds, it will expose the Celtics being physical and can give Durant the space he needs to work.
Jayson Tatumβs passing
As part of our Game 1 coverage on CelticsBlog, Adam Taylor took a look at How Jayson Tatum dealt with Brooklynβs defense. Like the above, we want to highlight something Tatum did well. For months now, Tatum has dealt with double-teams and traps like a seasoned veteran. They no longer throw him off, nor cause the whole offense to bog down.
This…
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