#1 – Boston find space in New York
The spacing was problematic during the first games of the series, but the Celtics coaching staff had the resources to fix it — and they did. Spacing isn’t only about space; it’s about who is occupying which part of the court. The last drive of the first half is a great example of how little detail changes can optimize the spacing.
First, you have Jayson Tatum on the wing, one pass away from the ball on the right. All details matter. Having him one pass away forces OG Anunoby — the best stunt defender on the Knicks — to be dragged away due to Tatum’s gravity. Because he is on the right, that opens Brown’s best hand.
Derrick White is deep in the opposite corner to drag Mikal Bridges away too, so Karl-Anthony Towns is on an island. The last twist comes from Payton Pritchard’s positioning. He is in the corner, on the side of Brown’s strong hand. This is key because it makes Jalen Brunson the low man in the Knicks defense — not ideal.
At first, this might not look very different from the previous game, but there is a huge improvement in spacing. Thanks to that, the Celtics were able to create more shots at the rim from half-court situations.
They ended up with a 37% rim frequency, far better than the 25% average since they started the series against the Knicks.
#2 – Jaylen Brown post-up touches
While the spacing seemed better, the Celtics also used what made them great during the regular season: the post-up — especially with Jaylen Brown.
Post-up touches can be tough for defenses to deal with because they force help in situations where defenders aren’t positioned as they usually are. Here, for example, look at Mitchell Robinson’s and OG Anunoby’s eye orientation and positioning. They are close to the paint and facing the ball, leaving a defender behind them.
Because of Brown’s scoring gravity from the post-up, it attracts defenders and forces them into situations where they can’t cover the ball, the basket, and their assignment. Here, because of Brown’s position vs. Brunson, the defensive structure is broken and that opens a 3-pointer.
The Knicks were really puzzled by this offensive approach because they couldn’t use their wing length as they usually do. On this other play, Bridges and Josh Hart are drawn so deep into the paint that both Kristaps Porzingis and Pritchard are left open from three.
The reason Brown has such gravity on these post-up touches is his ability to score or draw a foul from those positions. He was one of the most efficient post-up players in the NBA this season. Here, he gets deep position after setting a screen and scores over Bridges.
Great use of an offensive approach that we didn’t see enough in the first two games.
#3 – Payton Pritchard scoring explosion
When the Celtics needed it the most, facing a 3-0, Payton Pritchard delivered what might have been the best Playoffs game of his career. He played more than 30 minutes, scored 23 points on good efficiency, and delivered two assists. His gravity and shooting activity helped improve the spacing. A versatile and impactful performance.
Versatile because he wasn’t only at the receiving end of offensive creation — he was part of it, sometimes even the initiator. Like his teammates, Payton can hunt mismatches. He attacked Mitchell Robinson to punish the Knicks’ switches. His ability to shoot off the dribble makes it tough for the center to stay connected, and he was able to score with a beautiful step-back beyond the arc.
He was dynamic — like in the play below, where he catches the ball and drives instantly. That’s very smart, because he punishes Miles McBride’s help positioning. With his shooting gravity and handle, he can adapt to the defense’s closeout and attack the weak spot. Here, he sees an opening for a drive. Watch how he times his dribbles and steps — McBride doesn’t know if he’s about to shoot or drive and can’t contain him. Once in the paint, he fakes two players and creates an open lay-up for himself.
Against Brunson, his drives can be very useful because they collapse the defense around the guard and leave other players open — like here, with Brown.
Great performance from the Sixth Man of the Year, who helped the Celtics find hope in New York.
#4 – Trying to get Porzingis going
The Celtics are facing quite the dilemma with KP. The team is structurally at its best when he is on the floor. The spacing and rim protection — two of the most important components in modern basketball — are optimized with him on the court, despite how he’s performed. His size, length, and positioning will always make things difficult for opponents. Offensively, teams never leave him open, which creates space for his four teammates.
Yet, the Celtics also need him to perform individually and be able to do more than bring structural value. To win this matchup, they need him to score and impact the game with the ball in his hands. Therefore, despite mixed results so far in the Playoffs, they kept trying. Offensively, the goal is either to get him moving on the roll or to get a mismatch deep in the post.
The goal of finding deep position in the post — rather than the high post — is because defenses are now happy to concede long contested mid-ranges from the Latvian big man, even against a point guard.
On the roll, he can still be impactful because he’s easy to target with a pass above the defense. He’s smart enough to either pass or finish depending on the situation. On the example here, he finds Luke Kornet from the short roll after a well-executed pick-and-roll.
Only 18 minutes, yes, and no buckets scored. But nevertheless, his impact remains important for the Celtics’ offensive and defensive structure and gives Al Horford and Kornet time to rest. Getting him back up to speed might be the key that opens the door to the next round.
#5 – Playing off transition
The Celtics’ defensive activity and focus felt better than in the first two games — especially from Jaylen Brown. This gave the Celtics more opportunities in transition. Off live-ball turnovers or offensive rebounds, they were deadly on the break.
Per Cleaning the Glass, Boston scored 2.25 points per possession in transition — a great sign of their determination to win the margins and capitalize on their good defense.
#6 – Taking advantage of the drop
All the Knicks fans I talked to don’t understand why, at times in this series, the Knicks are asking Karl-Anthony Towns to drop instead of switch. Maybe they wanted to dare Jayson Tatum to shoot 3-pointers? Well — unlucky for them, because he was comfortable from the pull-up position yesterday.
The Knicks’ center started in a drop position, and it’s easy to see that Tatum recognized it quickly and didn’t hesitate. On the play below, with two screens on the ball for him, he sees KAT’s positioning and immediately pulls up from three because of all the space he has.
You could wonder whether that was a tactical adjustment or just a lack of focus and energy from the center. On another play later in the game, when he’s again in drop coverage, OG Anunoby seems desperate and signals to KAT that he should have been higher after the screen.
While the 3-pointers were falling for Jayson Tatum, a drive was still missing.
#7 – No half-court lay-up for JT
Concerns about Tatum’s lack of rim pressure are still here after Game 3, where his only lay-ups came from transition or putback situations. Despite better spacing, he focused more on his jump shots, with nine attempts from beyond the arc and five from mid-range.
The three other attempts at the rim were missed, and it left me wondering if his wrist injury is bothering his driving game more than his jump shot. Let’s see how the series unfolds for him — but his inability to put pressure on the rim so far has been concerning.
#8 – Celtics pick-and-roll defense
Boston’s inability to slow down the Jalen Brunson pick-and-rolls with Josh Hart was a bit alarming. This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed how the Celtics sometimes struggle on the pick-and-roll when there’s no big at the low man position.
In the first example, the Knicks run an empty side pick-and-roll, and the switch isn’t well executed. This leaves Hart rolling free to the rim, and no one on the weak side comes to help. Pritchard and Brown are too close to their matchup — and the same goes for JT.
Later in the game, another concerning possession on the same pick-and-roll — this time in the middle of the court. Al Horford is in drop coverage, but nobody tags the roll man, so Hart once again cuts to the rim without being bothered.
It’ll be interesting to monitor whether the Knicks insist on this offensive play to expose Boston’s defensive limitations — and how the Celtics will adapt.
#9 – Impressive rim protection
Despite a few defensive collapses, the Celtics did an impressive job protecting the paint. The Knicks were limited to 44% efficiency at the rim — one of their worst marks of the season.
The Celtics were able to punish the Knicks for constantly having a non-shooting threat on the floor — whether Mitchell Robinson or Josh Hart. That allowed them to use Porzingis, Kornet, or Horford as a paint safety and protect the rim.
That’s also why the Knicks might run more pick-and-rolls with their non-shooters next game — to force the Celtics’ bigs away from the paint.
#10 – Fourth-quarter PTSD
I have to admit, I didn’t feel safe in the fourth quarter when the Knicks were closing the gap and reducing the lead to 20. This matchup — because of the first two games — will never feel safe.
(insert tweet)
