The Celtics Maintain Simplicity

On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-99 to take a 3-0 lead in the Finals. The narrative of the game’s victory fits in well with the tale of the Celtics’ season, which is now very certain to conclude with a title: The Celtics were rewarded for adhering to their method, even when it seemed like they shouldn’t.

Following the same very straightforward method that made them a historically outstanding regular-season club and made their run to the Finals feel like a leisurely float trip, the Celtics have built a 3-0 lead. They seldom ever send help to the ball when playing defence; they switch up every pick and roll and stay close to the shooters. In order to create a collapsing defence that can be exploited by kick-out passes and three-point shooting, they use screens to isolate their favourite defender on the perimeter and then blow by him.

Created and promoted by head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics’ scheme is merely the most recent version of the “Three is more than two” mentality that gained traction in the league following Steph Curry’s first championship and James Harden’s move to Houston. The Celtics have one goal in mind going into every game: restrict the other team’s opportunities to score three points while getting as many as they can themselves. The Celtics have made 127 shots at three-point range and are shooting 33 percent so far in the Finals.

After 78 attempts, the Mavericks are shooting 28% from beyond the arc. Dallas has only been permitted to attempt 14 corner threes in the whole series—exactly the same shot they used to thrash the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Clippers in earlier rounds. It has been difficult for Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to score in one-on-one situations, and even when they do, it has been helping the Celtics win. Following the game last night, Payton Pritchard stated as much to The Athletic:

That’s the strategy, Pritchard disclosed to The Athletic. Simply give it a rough 2s. Of course they’re going to make shots. However, if they consistently hit twos and we depend on our offence, it will swiftly turn the tide against us.

It would be easy to write off all of this as spreadsheet basketball without any bloodshed, but doing so would be ignoring the players who are really the driving force behind the success of the Celtics’ plan. Declaring that you will protect Doncic and Irving one-on-one is one thing, but carrying out the plan and being successful at it is quite another. The Celtics’ individual defenders provide no weaknesses, but both of those guys are adept at identifying a gap in the opposition’s defence and applying pressure until it breaks. Saying you will shoot 42 three-pointers a game for the entire season is one thing, but some of those shots must be made by someone.

Derrick White has to develop into the kind of self-assured shooter who can make 39 percent of his six three-point attempts per game. White shot 31 percent from beyond the arc in his final season in San Antonio. Al Horford must shoot at a pace that surpasses his age by a significant margin, and Jrue Holiday must have the finest three-point shooting season of his career.

The Celtics’ dedication to the cause is also something to be admired. I doubt that any 64-win club in history has faced as much scrutiny as this one. A portion of that can be attributed to how often they have struggled to overcome obstacles during the Tatum-Brown period, and another portion can be attributed to the Celtics’ system’s tendency to appear counterproductive at pivotal times. As we seen in Game 3: Following their 21-point advantage at the end of the third quarter, the Celtics went into one of their signature periods of inaction.

With little over three minutes remaining, the Mavericks found themselves behind only one point. The defensive vigour had diminished, drive-and-kicks had given way to meandering plays that culminated in contested jumpers. However, the Celtics simply continued to play their style of basketball, believing that everything will work out in their favour in the end. It did, and they are now just one victory away from winning the title.

Not only will the Celtics’ victory put an end to the animosity that has been building around this club for years. It will expose this year’s squad for what it has always been: a determined and assured one that wreaked havoc from the opening game of the season to the very end.