NBA Notebook: Celtics returning to defense after prioritizing offense all season

PHILADELPHIA — Joe Mazzulla faced reporters after the Celtics' Game 1 loss to the 76ers to questions about the team's defense. Boston ranked 12th out of 16 teams in the playoffs with a 116.3 defensive rating after Trae Young and James Harden hit a barrage of threes. Mazzulla raised eyebrows by turning attention toward offense, highlighting the turnovers and breakdowns late in Game 1 instead of the defensive lapses that cost the Celtics a late four-point lead. 

It resembled his training camp mantra, announcing that the team achieved a defensive DNA last year. It became time to focus on offense, he said, and accentuate the team's skill after watching that side of the ball sink Boston in the NBA Finals against the Warriors. Turnovers transitioned into Golden State run-outs and gave an all-time Celtics defense no chance to win the series. 

"I would argue I stress how the game's connected more than anything else," Mazzulla said after Game 3, when Boston returned to form, allowing 102 points in its win. "Our defense, physicality and mindset have been great the last two games. The byproduct of that is our eight turnovers, which allows us to get back in transition. The game is connected, you have to play physical, connected half-court defense and then where our defense has lacked is our transition defense and our allowing teams to get offensive rebounds ... the guys are doing a great job of stressing our defensive identity, and what it needs to look like in the half court at our best, and then we're following up on how the game is managed. When we don't turn it over and we don't give them second chances, and they don't get out in transition, we do a great job." 

The Celtics shifted from a team focused on defense in 2022 under Ime Udoka to an offensive one under Mazzulla. Nobody disputes that. Training camp featured a focus on spacing, screening, the four factors, shot totals and pace that persisted throughout the regular season. Boston started poorly on the defensive end, but finished the regular season ranked No. 2 with a 110.6 defensive rating, nearly four points per 100 worse than its suffocating 2022 unit. The league average offensive rating increased by 2.8 points per 100 possessions this season, accounting for some of that change, as did a smaller starting lineup, individual efforts and fewer forced turnovers as the team's system tried to lure opponents into taking mid-rangers with a heavy drop scheme. Mazzulla's argument, that the team's offense can strengthen its defense, panned out through a somewhat winding road.

While many bemoaned the transition from defense-first Udoka to Mazzulla, the latter served on Udoka's staff and actually spearheaded defensive game plans for the Celtics late in the postseason. The same team that dropped against Steph Curry did so against Young in round one, with an aim to take the rim and pick-and-roll actions away. Boston still switches against screens along the perimeter, sometimes pre-switching to anticipate opponent's screening desires. They stash Robert Williams III on lesser offensive threats to allow him to help in the lane and the team's defensive rebounding in the aggregate ranked No. 1 despite Williams III playing fewer minutes and moving to the bench. 

"Ime was a little bit more defensively focused than Joe was, which is ok, but that's just what it was," Marcus Smart told Boston Sports Journal before Game 3. "A lot of the times Joe was right there with Ime. Ime was going to Joe as well for certain defensive lineups, certain defensive matchups and stuff like that, so Joe's been there, but now it's all on him now. Joe's big on defense, he's a defensive guy, but it's just overshadowed by how good our offense has been, which is earned, but we gotta get back to defense. That's what's going to win us the games." 

Many teammates agreed. Nearly every Celtics player who spoke after Game 1 against Philadelphia believed the 76ers didn't feel their defense. Jayson Tatum said before Game 3 the Celtics hadn't approached their defensive success from one year ago. Al Horford entered the postseason saying Boston's defense succeeded, but could reach an even higher level into the playoffs. After Harden's 45 points on 17-for-30 shooting on Monday, Jaylen Brown assumed the matchup for nearly every possession since, something last year's team might not have done, and Harden practically disappeared from the series since. 

Brown stopped switching, fighting over screens and repeatedly contesting his pull-up jump shots. Harden couldn't create separation. The Celtics, following his lead, turned stops into baskets, making the Sixers pay for nearly every turnover. Udoka spoke throughout last season about how unnatural his defensive system translated to some players, particularly Brown, who he described as a strong one-on-one defender. Brown's biggest weakness in recent seasons came guarding away from the ball, communicating the switches and rotations that come after some of the Celtics' more aggressive defensive sets. Switching, however, proved a necessary step for Brown under Udoka to adjust to modern offenses. 

"Because of the rules, it's really tough to be a great individual defender," Doc Rivers said, describing how defense evolved in recent decades. "Marcus Smart is one of the best defenders in the league and yet Curry won MVP in the Finals last year, and that doesn't mean he wasn't a great defensive player. It's just hard, it's much harder, it's hard to put your hands on anyone now and so your team defense, your team defense, your rotations, your low man helps have to be on point every night, and if they're not, teams are going to take advantage of it." 

Malcolm Brogdon faced a similar, longer learning curve joining a team with a different system and players he never competed with throughout his career who shared years to the extent unwritten rules and communication formed. Those new additions to the lineup, along with different rotations with Derrick White starting and Williams III sitting for half of the season, then coming off the bench, created a partial reset for the group. 

Sam Hauser entered the rotation, and became a switching target that the Celtics needed to stunt to protect. Horford almost always dropped, compared to last year when he switched more often and aggressively in the pick-and-roll. Luke Kornet, Blake Griffin and Williams III always dropped as the single big on the floor, so the Celtics needed to grow accustomed to guarding high screen actions, dealing with opponents growing hot from mid-range and gang rebounding.

"It's just getting used to the rotations, getting used to our schemes," Brogdon said. "We're a team that switches it up almost every game, we have a new scheme, a new way we're defending somebody, I think that's what makes us really good. Then we have guys that are all versatile. In the past, I'm used to guarding the best play in 90% of the possessions of the game. Now, I don't have to do that. You switch off, and the next guy can guard him equally as well ... there's some chemistry that these guys have from just years, just years of playing together, six, seven, eight years ... so for a new guy like me, it's going to take me a while to catch up, and I still am." 

The style looked different, more about setting the defense after taking preferable and quicker shots, placing less of an emphasis on the offensive glass than last year's double big lineup relied upon and less upon defensive aggression that mandated Williams III protect the rim on the back line. By contrast, the team also relies more on threes, along with smaller and less reliable defenders than Udoka, who avoided Payton Pritchard, Hauser and sometimes White in favor of larger lineups that played sturdier defense. 

The two approaches led to comparable results. To Hauser's surprise, he looked at his phone near the end of the regular season and saw a text from a friend letting him know he led the NBA in defensive rating. 

"How about that? ... I had no clue," he told BSJ. "I can credit my teammates for helping me out with that. I'm surprised, but I guess I'll try to keep that up ... we have a lot of guy who are veterans and have played together for a long time, especially JB, Marcus and JT, so they're used to understanding where to be, when to be there and terminology is a huge thing. I think that's different everywhere you go, so I think learning that, getting that down pat is really important, and then we do a lot of different things with switching up our defense, switching up looks, so I think it goes back to getting game reps and live action. There have been a few times where they just kind of read and react off each other without even having to say anything. It's really impressive and it shows that they've had a lot of time playing with each other, and have a chemistry." 

Smart, Horford and Grant Williams sat down with newer teammates throughout the season to walk through some of those gaps and as the postseason progressed into round two, Brogdon and Hauser reached a point where they feel far more comfortable in the system while they continue to learn it. Mike Muscala dove right in upon arrival from Oklahoma City to a completely different system than the one he played previous, and his learning curve will continue through the summer into next training camp toward a possible role next year, when he's almost certainly set to return on a $3.5-million team option. 

The Celtics' ability to play both side of the ball this season gave them the best chance of any team remaining to win the championship this year. While their five-out offense challenges a big like Embiid who wants to drop and protect the rim, Horford hit five threes over him on Friday, opposing offenses like Atlanta and Philadelphia's occasionally look starved trying to find a favorable matchup. Harden fell to 5-for-28 (17.9% FG) over the last two games and moments like Tatum's steal on Embiid above the break, Smart's steal on Harden in the lane before halftime and Williams III's three blocks allowed the Celtics to extend smaller leads to double-digits at the end of each half. 

Talk of defense filled the locker room in Philadelphia, Mazzulla noting the intensity Tatum and Brown played with on that end and how teammates follow their lead. Grant's presence in the series after mostly sitting to start the postseason added a familiar presence too. The Celtics talked all year about flipping a switch on that end, and with Embiid back in the lineup and Harden ravaging them in Game 1, they reached a level that left Harden thinking twice about putting up a layup driving to his right, firing out to the corner with nobody in front of him as the Philadelphia crowd groaned. 

"I think for us, we were focusing so much on offense. We were trying to build an offensive identity that kind of let things slack on the defensive end. But we definitely have the versatility, we have the guys, so we've just gotta put our mind back to it knowing we can do both and having that balance," Smart told BSJ on Friday. 

"We understood that our defense was pretty good, our offense was, as crazy as it sounds, more of our kryptonite. We understood that we're gonna have moments that our defense lapses, but we understand who we are defensively when it's time to turn it on, and we're gonna find our stride defensively. Offensively, we wanted to just correct some things." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week... 

Boston (lead 2-1 vs. Philadelphia): James Harden shocked the Celtics in Game 1 while Joel Embiid sat before Jaylen Brown locked down the star guard and guided Boston's offense through a 34-point blowout win in Game 2. Al Horford prevailed in Game 3 with five threes, while Marcus Smart, the winner of his third NBA hustle award, emerged as a steady offensive hand through a chest and shoulder injury. More bruises emerged in Game 3, Robert Williams III suffering an arm contusion that knocked him out of the fourth quarter and a resurgent Grant Williams had his head stepped on by Embiid. Joe Mazzulla asked for questions about adjustments following Game 1 and called himself the worst coach ever on Zoom after forgetting to recognize Smart's award in a film session. This matchup looks as favorable for Boston as it proved in past seasons. Game 4 is Sunday. 

Brooklyn: Reshaping Jacque Vaughn's staff by letting former Steve Nash assistants Igor Kokoskov, Brian Keefe and Tiago Splitter, reportedly beginning the process of replacing them by targeting former Hornets head coach James Borrego. New Orleans and Dallas could challenge Brooklyn for his services, though it doesn't appear likely a head coaching job will open for him. Borrego previously served as Vaughn's top assistant in Orlando. Ben Simmons, whose future with the Nets appears completely up in the air, could begin his return from his latest back injury in the World Cup with Australia. 

Cleveland: Offseason roster-building questions begin with J.B. Bickerstaff secure as head coach. Unrestricted free agent Caris LeVert likely takes highest priority, with their options to adjust the roster slim from there. The picks sent out in the LeVert and Donovan Mitchell trades largely left the Cavaliers without trade ammunition. Internal growth will rule here, including from Isaac Okoro, whose shooting improved mildly late in the year and still holds the best hope of helping Cleveland figure out its barren forward position. The Cavs remain below the luxury tax by about $35 million. 

Dallas: Will they keep Kyrie Irving? It's one of the largest offseason questions, one that could shape Luka Dončić's future with the Mavs as well. Mark Cuban expressed every intent to re-sign the unrestricted free agent, whose list of suitors may not extend long who would pay what Dallas would. Irving owns control over his destination though, and Dončić inevitably shares some input too. A rival source told Steve Bulpett Dončić doesn't want to share, part of the complications after the trade that sunk the Mavericks' season. Dallas finished the season 9-18 after Irving joined the lineup.

"Everyone there has been saying Kyrie is incredible, and that's in private, too. Luka's said it, and he means it," the source told Bulpett. "But I think that he just doesn't want to share. He just doesn't know how. He's out there on the court and the ball has been in his hands; no matter what, it's his ball. And now there's actually consideration that I might need to pass the ball to somebody else and let them do the magic, instead of me just waiting for the clock to run down and shoot a step-back three from the hash mark."

Denver (lead 2-1 vs. Phoenix): Nikola Jokić rolled into round two averaging 31.0 PPG, 17.0 RPG and 9.1 APG while shooting 52.9% through three games, not bad for the MVP runner-up and good enough to place the Nuggets ahead of the Suns so far. Jamal Murray's shooting slipped to 42.6%, losing his three (28%), something to watch after a scorching start against the Timberwolves in round one. Michael Porter Jr. also shot less often than Aaron Gordon, something Denver's offense needs to adjust to generate more threes. The Nuggets should hold a larger three-point attempt advantage than 94-82 against a Suns team that rarely takes threes. They also need to figure out how to contain Devin Booker after their Game 3 loss. Denver's ability to withstand minutes where Jokić sits emerged as a key difference compared to recent postseasons.

Detroit: Pistons owner Tom Gores will host head coaching candidates Charles Lee, Jarron Collins and Kevin Ollie in Angeles as the team ramps up its coaching candidates, reportedly looking at other names too, but focused on the big three that emerged early in the process. James Edwards III wrote Ollie is the favorite to land the job, who overlapped with Pistons GM Troy Weaver during Ollie's final playing season with the Thunder. Ollie coached the University of Connecticut from 2010-2018, winning the 2014 national championship, before a tumultuous exit in 2018 led him to join Overtime Elite, a post-high school team for prospects based in Atlanta that emerged in recent years an alternative to college. Ollie hasn't coached in the NBA. The Pistons fired assistant GM Rob Murphy after allegations of inappropriate conduct toward a former Detroit employee. 

Golden State (tied 1-1 vs. Lakers): Unloaded on the Lakers after their Game 1 loss, receiving 8-for-11 three-point shooting from Klay Thompson while Steph Curry scored 20 points with 12 assists in a vintage night for the backcourt. The Warriors slowed Anthony Davis, in part, by starting JaMychal Green in place of Kevon Looney, who played through illness in the win. Davis, who scored 30 points with 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in LA's Game 1 win, slipped to 11 points and seven rebounds before the Lakers sat their starters in the fourth. The Warriors undoubtedly control the three-point line and, despite aging themselves, may hold the stamina and health advantage over the Lakers in a fascinating series that turns to LA on Saturday. 

Lakers (tied 1-1 vs. Golden State): They'll take the split in San Francisco, receiving an iconic Anthony Davis performance that showed the Lakers can win a championship if he plays at that level. Davis' overall postseason averages fall well below that ceiling though, with his 11 points in Game 2 only the latest letdown after an up-and-down Memphis series. He's averaging 20.8 PPG, 14.0 RPG and 4.1 BPG on 50% shooting. The Warriors packed the paint against him and forced him to take jump shots that he hit in Game 1 and missed in Game 2. 

Meanwhile, LeBron James' push to take an early lead in the second game finished with a 23-point performance on 10-for-18 shooting, with the Lakers' continued reliance on James leading their offense in a series now played every other day raised LA's largest concern -- sustainability. If they win it all, Patrick Beverley wants a ring, and said Russell Westbrook does too. Don't forget Matt Ryan, Thomas Bryant and Kendrick Nunn.

Memphis: Informed unrestricted free agent Dillon Brooks they will not sign him under any circumstances, according to Shams Charania, after a struggle-filled postseason defined by his trash talk. The stunning wording of the reporting might be a first in  NBA history, where a team publicly indicates it will let one of its mainstays in recent seasons walk in free agency. Brooks played his first six seasons in Memphis, averaging 14.5 PPG on 41.6% shooting as the link between the Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol era and this budding Ja Morant one. That's the point, though, as Brooks' stature atop the team took on one similar to Monta Ellis blocking Steph Curry early in the latter's Golden State years. The Grizzlies won't receive anything back for Brooks though, the Warriors traded Ellis for Andrew Bogut, and a Memphis team that lost Brandon Clarke (Achilles) grows thinner.

Miami (tied 1-1 vs. New York): Jimmy Butler sprained his right ankle late in the Heat's upset win over the Knicks in Game 1, playing through pain as his teammates secured the win late and allowed him to sit out Game 2. Miami almost won again, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin scoring 43 points while the Heat defended down to the wire, losing 111-105 before a convenient three-day layoff. Butler will return for Game 3 on Saturday in Miami. The Heat still need production from others offensively, with Vincent shooting 39.4% from the field and Bam Adebayo only averaging 15.5 PPG in the series. They're also allowing over 25.0 PPG each to Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle. Butler can help there, but will he be near 100%?

Milwaukee: Fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after a 271-120 run over five seasons with the team that brought the Bucks their first championship since 1971 in 2021. Disappointing losses in 2019, 2020, 2021 and the latest first-round meltdown against the Heat ranked among some of the worst in NBA history, ultimately allowing whatever skepticism remain in the organization after Budenholzer survived doubts during the 2021 run to prevail. Charles Lee could slide over into the top chair after garnering interest from other teams in recent seasons and emerging as finalists for the Pistons job. Nick Nurse, recently fired by the Raptors, also seems like a logical fit for a long, defensive Bucks team. Budenholzer's former assistant coach Darvin Ham revealed Budenholzer's brother died in a car accident during the first-round series against Miami.  

"The decision to make this change was very difficult," Bucks GM Jon Horst said. "Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks' first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee."

Minnesota: GM Tim Connolly did not commit to remaining with the Timberwolves after his first season since arriving in Minnesota, with reports indicating he could become a candidate for the Wizards' job after they fired Tommy Sheppard. Connolly's early tenure after success with the Nuggets became defined by the Rudy Gobert trade, which could go down as one of the worst in NBA history and left the Timberwolves with effectively no flexibility or depth around Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Town and Gobert. They further tinkered by dealing upcoming free agent D'Angelo Russell for a sturdier and longer-term contract, but less flashy point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Connelly signed a five-year, $40-million deal as GM.

New York (tied 1-1 vs. Miami): Travel to Miami with some concern after nearly falling 0-2 at home to a Heat team without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, with Butler receiving enough time at home to recover and intend to play in Game 3. Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes both missed the Game 1 loss, returning to shoot 9-for-21 in Game 2 while Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett shot 11-for-19 from three. Grimes became a Butler stopper during the regular season, adding some relief to his return beyond the 1-for-3 shooting line. Randle worked around shooting struggles to serve eight assists, grab 12 rebounds and draw six free throws. The Knicks should win this series, but need to find consistency. 

Philadelphia (trail 1-2 vs. Boston): Joel Embiid won the NBA MVP award after a heated debate during the regular season turned enough in his favor to garner 73 first-place votes compared to 15 for Nikola Jokić, who fell short of his third straight, and 12 for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jayson Tatum, who finished fourth and did not receive a first-place vote, led the Celtics late in Game 3 after crucial threes by Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford staved off a Philadelphia comeback. Embiid, who returned for a demoralizing Game 2 loss, played better with 30 points on 9-for-19 shooting on Friday, but the success did not extend to his teammates, with James Harden falling to 5-for-28 shooting since his Game 1 masterpiece. They're in serious trouble against the surging Celtics, and with Embiid nowhere near 100%, it's hard to imagine how this picture improves. They're hitting threes.

“I think players have to show up,” Embiid said. “I gotta do my job. Other guys, everybody knows their role. They have to do their job. Players have to show up. Obviously, you can make any adjustments you want, but if the players don’t execute and they don’t show up and we don’t make shots, that’s on us. I just think that’s on us.”

Phoenix (trail 1-2 vs. Denver): Chris Paul (groin) will miss at least one week after suffering a strain in Game 2, before his Suns bounced back to force a Game 5 that could mark Paul's return to the lineup on the early end of his recovery. Devin Booker salvaged a win while Paul sat at home, scoring 47 points on 20-for-25 shooting in a nearly flawless performance against a Nuggets team that dominated the Denver end of the series. Booker is shooting 60.3% in the series and averaging 7.7 APG to go with his 36.3 PPG. They may not need Paul until he's healthy, though depth became a concern while Paul started the series 42.9% from the field. Only three Suns have averaged double-figures and Deandre Ayton sat late in Game 3. 

Sacramento (lost 3-4 vs. Golden State): A bitter end to their best season in two decades. The Kings managed only 100 points and the Warriors shot ahead in the second half after Sacramento led early. Domantas Sabonis, who later revealed he played through a broken thumb in the series, which he originally suffered in December on his non-shooting hand. De'Aaron Fox also played through a fracture on the tip of his right index finger that put his availability in doubt starting in Game 5. Sabonis admitted he lacked confidence in the series. GM Monte McNair won the executive of the year award.