In the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks square off. Jrue Holiday, a vital member of the team, should return to the Celtics’ lineup after getting plenty of rest. Due to a hamstring injury, Holiday missed the final three games of the Orlando Magic series in the first round.
The Celtics take great satisfaction in their fierce defense. They finished in the top two in the postseason and in the top five during the regular season. However, it is after just one round against a Magic team that is inexperienced and outmatched. It will be more difficult to defeat the Knicks, who are led by NBA Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson.
Especially as a guard, Brunson is one of the NBA’s most gifted offensive players. In Round 1, the Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons if Brunson could score 30 points. That cannot be tolerated by the Celtics.
What plans does Joe Mazzulla have to stop Brunson? Before Game 1, he gave this hint.
It need a team to accomplish this; one man is not enough. It requires many forms of coverage.
Mazzulla, Joe
The Celtics are lucky to have Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, two of the best defensive guards in the league. Given that Holiday is recovering from his hamstring injury, it would make sense to assign White to the main defensive position in Game 1. The majority of Brunson’s space is created by changes in pace and direction, so Game 1 is not the ideal time to test a healing hamstring.
As the main defenders, Holiday and White both held Brunson accountable. The Celtics guards kept Brunson to 41.6% shooting during 113 possessions, which was much lower than his regular-season average and much lower than his 52.8% shooting percentage against the Celtics.
Sending Jaylen Brown after Brunson is the alternative. When serving as the starting defender during the regular seasons, he did not do as well against Brunson, letting Brunson shoot 10 of 17. However, as long as he remains out of trouble, Brown could try to wear down Brunson because he has more physicality.
Perhaps Mazzulla will simply heed Derrick White’s advice:
“It will take a team effort to try to slow him down, but for 48 minutes, we should make it as challenging as possible and have a variety of guys try to slow him down.”
Derrick White
White should take over as the main player in Game 1, but expect rotation throughout the series. The Celtics will benefit from a more fluid rotation in the next games of the series to keep Brunson and the Knicks off balance. Brunson is lucky to have a variety of choices at his disposal by the Celtics.
Additional Boston Celtics rumors and news: • Despite the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the Knicks, Julius Holiday gives them some positive news
The center of unexpected NBA offseason news is a former Celtics coach.
• Three Crucial Elements of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Semifinal Victory Over the Knicks • Jaylen Brown of the Celtics Breaks the Heartbreaking Injury News on the Eve of the Knicks Playoff Series
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