While some dreamed of recruiting Damian Lillard, the Celtics focused on Jrue Holiday just before the start of the season, and they hit the nail on the head! The former NBA champion and Olympic champion proves in these playoffs how essential his experience and defense are. Already decisive against the Cavaliers or in Game 1 of this series against the Pacers, Holiday is the chief robber of this heist carried out by the Celtics.
First there is this basket with the fault to go in front (112-111). In front of him, there is Pascal Siakam's 2m05 but Holiday challenges him with a left hand and he goes for the And-1 with 40 seconds to go. Then it was he who put an end to the Pacers' dreams by stealing a ball from Andrew Nembhard's hands before scoring the two winning shots (114-111). In 40 seconds, Holiday signs 5 points and 1 interception!
And to think that he was uncertain before the meeting… “I wasn’t feeling well, but I figured with a good day of rest it would be useful for tonight” he explains. “It’s Game 3 of a conference finals, and I wasn’t going to miss this game! »
His trademark
Absent in the shootaround, Holiday signed a decisive interception. Like in the NBA final against the Suns. “It’s his trademark, with the inside hand” underlines Joe Mazzulla, while Al Horford is rave about his teammate: “It’s just a winner, and it’s a winner’s move. It's his instinct, and it comes down to this: he's a winner! »
Same story with Jayson Tatum : “He is the ultimate competitor, and he is a major event player. We know that he will give everything on the pitch, and that he is capable of making the difference with a defensive move. »
Holiday recounts this interception: “Nembhard had a great match, with skill… On this action, I anticipated that he was going to drive on his right hand, and I jumped on that side, and I touched the ball. » It's that simple…
