#1 – A court geometry lesson from Joe Mazzulla
The Celtics coaching staff’s ability to optimize court-mapping is one of the reasons the team has been so successful this season, despite the loss of scoring talent. The Celtics’ goal was to find a way to punish Daniel Gafford as a roamer. The Mavericks are using their center the same way the Celtics were using Robert Williams III, trying to keep him as close as possible to the rim.
This possession is a great example of how movement, screening, and smart positioning can punish this approach. The Mavs
are in a 3-2 zone, with Cooper Flagg and Gafford at the back.
The Celtics start with Luka Garza in the corner and Sam Hauser one pass away from the ball on the left, but then quickly flow into their action. Garza runs to set a pick on the ball while Hauser runs to the strong-side corner.
Because Gafford must remain close to the paint, Max Christie is tagging the Celtics center. However, the Mavs’ big man now has to focus on:
– Derrick White with the ball
– Hauser in the corner
– Garza rolling to the rim
As Gafford has to make a decision, the Mavs get punished. He helps on the ball and leaves Hauser totally open. The problem? Sam Hauser is shooting 48% on corner threes this season.
Looking back at the action and the game, this is a great example of why this group is able to sustain an elite offense with less offensive talent: they know how to play based on the opponent’s defensive weaknesses and choices.
#2 – Zoom-actions to create space
But the Celtics coaching staff had other ways to attack the Mavericks’ defensive scheme. Keeping their center close to the rim requires him to be in a drop coverage position when defending a ball-screen. Therefore, the Celtics used Zoom-actions to punish that.
With one screen plus the handoff from the player defended by the center, the Celtics create space for the ball-handler. Here, Klay Thompson is quickly behind the play because of the two screens.
It gives Payton Pritchard time and space to walk into the paint, as Garza positions himself between the Mavs center and the ball. Great patience and perfect execution from the Celtics guard.
Because the ball-handler in these actions only receives the ball at the moment of the second screen, he has much more speed and the defenders are already behind. And because the Mavs are in drop coverage, players with great touch on floaters, like White, can make the most of it.
So, as the game unfolds, the Mavs start sending more help behind the drop coverage to cover both the drive and the roll-man… which opens more space beyond the three-point line.
#3 – Celtics poetic playcall
It’s hard not to be romantic about basketball tactics. Last night, in the third quarter, the Celtics ran a similar playcall a couple of times in a row. What makes it quite poetic is that this playcall — a double-drag (also called “77”) — was the go-to action for the Mavericks when Luka Dončić was still there.
The first one is very well executed by Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta. The Celtics All-Star rejects the screen and starts driving as the big man rolls to the rim, leading to an easy dunk. On the second action, the result is the same but with a different execution, as JB comes from the left and uses both screens to create separation.
#4 – More isolations for PP and JB
The Celtics were the only team to have three players averaging more than two isolations per game, with Pritchard, Brown, and Anfernee Simons. As the offensive approach leans more toward creating one-on-one situations when needed, their isolation volume should increase — and it started last night.
With 49 field-goal attempts and 59 points, the message is clear: Brown and Pritchard are here to carry the scoring load, and a lot of it will come from isolation situations.
#5 – Rebranding of the rotation
Without Simons’ offensive boost off the bench, the Celtics now have to rethink their rotation. How do you balance spacing needs, scoring necessity, and defense after swapping a shooting ball-handler for a center who previously played as a spot-up shooter? Apparently, it starts by moving Pritchard to the bench — and it makes a lot of sense.
As Baylor Scheierman and Hauser can provide off-ball spacing for Brown and White in the starting lineup, Pritchard’s offensive juice can come later in the game. And it doesn’t mean his offensive responsibilities go down — quite the opposite.
Last night was, per cleaningtheglass, his third-biggest offensive load of the year, with a 33% usage rate. The next question is: how do you insert Nikola Vučević into the current rotation? Looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
#6 – Great rim protection
The Celtics’ defense was able to keep the Mavs’ offensive efficiency pretty low last night, allowing just 61% at the rim and a concerning 46% eFG overall. And it was obvious from the first action that the Mavs would struggle to get into the paint. With Queta staying close to the rim, the Mavs couldn’t punish the defensive scheme.
Thanks to White’s great screen navigation and Queta’s rim protection, the first attempt at the rim for the Mavs was a perfect example of what their offensive night would look like.
Beyond Queta’s rim protection, there was a collective willingness to fight for one another to keep the rim as safe as possible. Look here: as Brown gets beat on the drive, both Pritchard and Garza come over to help slow down Caleb Martin’s rim attack.
Even in transition, the Celtics competed and kept the Mavs’ efficiency extremely low, allowing just 0.75 points per 100 possessions.
#7 – Jordan Walsh couldn’t keep up with Flagg
While the Celtics did a great collective defensive job, it was a rough night for Walsh on that end. As soon as he stepped on the court and was matched up with the rookie, he was put in difficult situations and exposed within the Celtics’ defense.
As he struggled, the Celtics’ defense also failed to protect him. Here, Garza helps on the screen to force Flagg to give up the ball, but Brown doesn’t come up to tag the roll-man as he’s watching the weak side — leading to an open dunk.
On the next play, Walsh goes under the first screen but can’t keep up once Flagg drives, which forces help from Brown and Hugo González and opens the corner for Martin.
On the next possession, Walsh is isolated on Flagg again and commits a foul. A few minutes later, he’s sent back to the bench and finishes with just 10 minutes played. In the second half, his minutes are matched with those when the rookie is on the bench.
While Walsh struggled, Brown and Baylor Scheierman did a great job staying in front of Flagg long enough to allow help to arrive.
#8 – Flagg would look good in green
I don’t know if it’s the shoes or all the noise around Cooper being a Celtics fan, but sheesh, would he look good in green. I assume the Mavs won’t let another franchise player walk away anytime soon, but we’ll be monitoring his career and situation closely as his career goes on — what a player.
#9 – A decisive 8-0 in the third
There’s always a moment in a game when it feels like you’ve taken a huge step toward winning — last night, it came late in the third quarter. The Celtics held a fragile 11-point lead, but things were about to change. First, a pick-and-pop between the two bench scorers of the night.
Then González comes flying in behind Gafford to steal the pass for the alley-oop…
Then he drives and kicks it out to White, open in the corner.
Right after another strong defensive play from Hugo, the Celtics push the pace, and Pritchard runs another pick-and-roll with Garza to push the lead to 19 — a margin the young Mavs won’t be able to overcome.
#10 – Time flies
Looking at last night’s game, it felt like time had flown by. Less than two years ago, the Celtics and the Mavs were meeting in the Finals. Now, most of the starters are gone or sidelined for months. In less than two years, the direction of these franchises had to adapt to an eventful period — one now resting on the shoulders of a teenager, while the Celtics wait to learn when their go-to guy will return.
