PHOENIX — At first, it looked like the Boston Celtics had run out of juice. Two straight blowouts on the West Coast, but a quick trip to Arizona seemed to be the end of the line.
Shots weren’t falling, despite a good offensive process, and the Phoenix Suns were finding a way to put the ball in the basket.
Then, the Celtics flipped a switch. They went on a 50-11 run from midway through the second quarter through late in the third. It was pure dominance.
How?
1. Spain PnR
Spain pick-and-roll is when a ball-handler (let’s use Derrick White) gets a screen from a big man (Neemias Queta). But when the big goes to roll, a third player (Sam Hauser) sets a back screen on the screener’s man.
This is what it looks like drawn out.
The Basketball Action Dictionary
Spain pick-and-roll
This is an example from Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Queta sets a screen for White, but at the same time, Hauser sets one for Queta. That keeps Mark Williams from dropping back and forces Hauser’s matchup, Jamaree Bouyea, to make an impossible decision:
Either guard Queta in the post or run out to cover Hauser at the three-point line.
White pump-fakes the pass, Bouyea steps out toward Hauser, and White fires a pass to Queta, who eventually gets the bucket.
“I think those little three-man actions are tough to guard, and [you] got a lot of different options,” White said post-game. “And so, I think Sam got a couple threes off of it, and then able to get Neemi a lob on it. So, just trying to read the game, and just kind of force you to communicate extra. And so, we do a good job of kind of mixing it up, and it's not the same every time down the court, and just make the read off of that.”
Sometimes, the three-point line gets left open. Other times, the play puts the defense in rotation, and Boston can swing the ball around the perimeter to find an open man.
More on this action in the coming days. Boston has used this action a lot this season.
2. Ron Harper Jr. can play
That’s it, really.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Celtics have found another guy who fits perfectly into their system. For the second time this season, the first being against the Houston Rockets, Ron Harper Jr. got a start and absolutely made the most of it.
“He makes the most of it, that's for sure. And he fits right in,” Hauser said of Harper’s starting opportunities. “Nothing changes when he gets out there. There's no skipping a beat. He's a great player, he's a great defender, and he helps us in a lot of different ways, and tonight he was great. Hit some big shots, lot of big rebounds on the offensive end, so credit to him. He's doing an awesome job.”
Harper finished the game in Phoenix with eight points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-7 shooting from deep. But that doesn’t properly reflect his impact.
Four of Harper’s five rebounds came on the offensive end, and he was a force in that area of the game. His defense also stood out, as he completely shut off the Suns’ water whenever he was the primary defender.
“He just cares about the details,” said Joe Mazzulla. “Obviously, the offensive stuff, he can make shots, he can think, he can play. But defensively, just competing, understanding the details, executing the game plan, taking pride in defense. And he just loves basketball. Loves to play, loves to compete. So, just another guy [who] is continuing to- We can count on him. And that's the question you have to answer every night is, 'Can we count on you?' And he's earning that.”
3. Baylor Scheierman is a rebounding monster
Rebounding runs through Baylor Scheierman. It’s never been more obvious.
As the Celtics were making their incredible run in the third quarter, it was his rebounding that sparked it. He grabbed six boards in that frame alone, and his intensity carried over to the defensive end, too.
At one point, the Suns got a steal, and Scheierman sprinted all the way back on defense, held his ground, and gave Harper time to get a chasedown block. Boston scored in transition right after, and Scheierman let out a scream.
Scheierman shot poorly. Just 1-of-6 from three-point range. But watching the game, that wasn’t apparent.
His hustle was apparent. His rebounding was apparent. His defense was apparent. On a night when he failed to shoot the ball well, he still played the third-most minutes on the team (31:44) behind only White and Payton Pritchard.
In the third quarter, Mazzulla subbed Scheierman out with 4:08 to go. He went to the scorer's table, chugged some water, and was checked back in at 3:51. Seventeen seconds later. He played the other 11:43 of the period.
Heading into the season, if you had said that Scheierman was going to be just an average shooter, most would assume that meant his exit from the rotation.
That couldn’t be further from the case.
4. Baylor Scheierman makes his