Looking at the schedule, the Celtics were probably a little nervous heading into this Christmas week in California. In one week, Jayson Tatum and his teammates had to challenge the Warriors, the Kings, the Clippers and the Lakers. After a failed stage in San Francisco, and before meeting LeBron James on Monday evening, the Celtics defeated the Kings and the Clippers!
In two matches, two spankings even, they have just scored 289 points! This is a first since… 1966! Against Sacramento, and while Jayson Tatum was not there, Joe Mazzulla's players finished the game with five players at 20 points or more, and that had not happened since 1987. NBA leaders, the Celtics there are ready to dust off everything.
No message to convey
“We know what this “road trip” means to us”testifies Jrue Holiday. “Against the Warriors, we felt like we should have won. We have a lot of players who are very, very good and who are involved. Facing a team that runs a lot like Sacramento, we also knew that in transition, we could overtake them. That's why I think twice we scored points in transition by taking the play on our own and pushing it because they weren't going back on defense. So we played at their pace, while still being able to control it. »
Again against the Clippers, but Mazzulla assures that this 37-point success should not turn the heads of his players. “I really don’t see this victory as a message to send. I see it as an opportunity to play well, and an opportunity to find solutions when we played badly.” analyzes the Boston coach. “We showed a lot of things in terms of execution and what we want to accomplish, so I don't consider it a victory in terms of sending a message.”
The Celtics start running
What Mazzulla appreciated was how quickly his players adapted to the Clippers' defense. Certainly Kawhi Leonard was not there, but the Boston coach appreciated that his players “ identify covers very quickly“. “Sometimes it takes a time out. But when we recognize them more quickly, and we change the way we install screens, it’s a huge key.”
For Holiday, who the Clippers would have loved to recruit, the Celtics are never as strong as when they can play in transition.
“When we have the opportunity to cross the field, we become a very complicated team to play because of our firepower and our offensive capabilities,” notes the former Bucks leader. “We have shooters, we have guys who can penetrate and create. Once we make stops and we get the rebound, we accelerate as much as possible and that is to our advantage.”
For Mazzulla, more than the points, it's the manner that counts. “I really like the fact that we develop a fast playing identity, without losing the ball. There were times in the past when we played fast but lost the ball. We are currently finding the right balance between rhythm and execution. »
