Tensions could not have been higher at Barclays Center on Friday night. Even when the game seemed over, an Hugo Gonzalez corner three lifted the Boston Celtics back into the picture. Yet the Brooklyn Nets refused to go away.
Back and forth and back and forth the two teams went, all the way into double overtime. And when Luka Garza and Neemias Queta fouled out, rookie big man Amari Williams swooped in and saved the day for the Celtics.
It may not have been pretty—it was the opposite of pretty—but the Celtics brought home a 130-126 win in Brooklyn on Friday.
But what happened along the way?
1. The genius of Jordi Fernandez
Prior to Friday night, the Celtics were getting blitzed. The Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and Indiana Pacers brought their big men up to the level of screens to pressure Boston’s ball-handlers. As a result, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta feasted.
And that’s how it started in Brooklyn, too. But Jordi Fernandez is not a one-dimensional man.
“They just do a good job of either blitzing, being up to touch, switch,” said Payton Pritchard. “And to be honest, their bigs are pretty agile and active. So, they're big, and they can be difficult at times.”
Fernandez rotated his defensive coverages like an eternal merry-go-round. It was enough to throw Boston off its rhythm, at least temporarily.
“First half, they probably stymied us a little bit into some tough shots, and not the offense that we wanted to play,” said Joe Mazzulla. “Just on their switchy groups and whatnot. That takes a little bit of time to figure out. I thought we handled their blitz decent in the first half.
“Second half, I thought we had a much better rhythm on their defenses, and I thought we executed a little bit better.”
The second half was better. Pritchard snapped the spell of Fernandez’s switch-heavy defense. Brooklyn found success switching, but Pritchard broke the Nets down in isolation. But then, Fernandez altered the Nets’ game plan again.
“Unique coverages,” said Jaylen Brown. “They blitzed a lot of screen-and-rolls. They doubled anytime I had a favorable matchup, and then they switched their five on the big. We just came out and just played basketball. Was able to find a way in the end. It wasn't the prettiest or the cleanest game, but I'll take the win more than anything.”
As Brooklyn relentlessly doubled Brown, he made pass after pass, racking up 12 assists on the night. It was a brutal endeavor, but the Celtics eventually fought through Fernandez’s defensive fun house.
2. The rookies!
Gonzalez hit the biggest shot of the night. A breakdown in Brooklyn’s defensive coverages left him wide-open in the corner as the seconds ticked off the game clock in overtime.
Baylor Scheierman found him, and the rookie nailed a triple to tie the game. But that wasn’t the only rookie moment of the night.
Williams saved the day when Garza and Queta fouled out. In the second overtime period alone, he had an and-one under the rim and the game-sealing block, which ended with his teammates mobbing him on the court.
The big man did shootaround in Maine this morning, was ready to play at the Portland Expo, but ended up flying to New York when Queta came down with an illness. That decision changed the course of the entire evening.
And Williams was as cool as a cucumber.
“I mean, the first time against Detroit, I was kind of nervous, I'm not gonna lie,” Williams said with a smile. “But now it's just, I feel like every game's the same, so just kind of being ready and just knowing that whatever happens happens,”
3. Payton Pritchard heroics
Mentioning him as part of Boston breaking down the Nets’ defensive coverages isn’t enough. Without Pritchard, the Celtics don’t get back in this basketball game.
When the third quarter rolled around, Boston looked comatose. Everything the Nets did turned to gold, and the Celtics’ offense was in a complete state of disarray.
That’s when Pritchard stepped in to save the day. His 12-point third quarter gave Boston the exact juice it needed to propel itself back into the contest.
4. Covering Michael Porter Jr.
There were multiple times throughout this game when Mazzulla had his head in his hands, frustrated that the Celtics messed up their coverage against Michael Porter Jr.
On one of the first plays of his night, Gonzalez messed up the game plan, and Mazzulla ended up yanking him.
Sometimes, Queta didn’t press up enough in the pick-and-roll. Other times, Scheierman forgot to switch, giving Porter space to rise up. Hauser was Porter’s primary defender for most of the night, but it took a team effort to try to slow him down.
And he still finished the game with 30 points.
5. Neeemias Queta fought hard
Though he ended up fouling out of this game with only five rebounds, that stat isn’t indicative of how impressive Queta fought in this game.
When Boston’s offense was sputtering, his work on the offensive glass was the only thing keeping them afloat. Because even when Queta failed to snag the offensive rebound, he drew a foul while gunning for it.
It gave the Celtics a lot more second-chance opportunities at a point in the game when they desperately needed just that.
6. A Celtics home game
Just a small note here: Barclays Center may as well have been TD Garden on Friday night. There was more green in that building than any color on the Nets’ jerseys.
When the Celtics made a big play, the place went nuts. When the refs called a foul on Pritchard, the crowd was angry. Nets fans got absolutely outdone in their own building.
