BOSTON — The Boston Celtics entered Wednesday night’s game with an 8-14 record against the other nine top-10 teams in the NBA this season (in terms of record). Yet they managed to walk out 9-14.
Led by Jaylen Brown’s 31 points, Boston clawed and scratched its way to a win, snapping the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 12-game win streak. The fully-healthy Thunder, to be exact.
It wasn’t a perfect performance. No performance ever is. But on Wednesday, it was enough, and that’s what matters.
But how did it all unfold?
1. Quick thinking
If beating the Thunder is the solar system, then this is the Sun. It’s at the center of everything. Without it, the Celtics would have wilted under the pressure of OKC’s defense.
Oftentimes, playing “fast” is associated with constant ball movement. Off-ball movement. Never stopping. But against the Thunder, in particular, that’s not necessarily the case.
It’s about slow vs. fast. It’s about hesitation vs. action.
Oklahoma City sends a lot of help on defense. On Wednesday night, almost every single time Brown or Jayson Tatum touched the paint, the Thunder sent a help defender. However, when the Celtics were slow to make a decision, that help was far more effective.
Here’s an example. At every point in the play, the Celtics are just a half-second behind the Thunder. First, OKC closes the window for Derrick White to make the pass to Tatum, who is coming off a flare screen from Neemias Queta.
Then, Jalen Williams catches up to White, so Queta can’t hand the ball off. Then, Payton Pritchard doesn’t pass to Queta on the roll in time, because Isaiah Joe was showing help from the corner. Then, White doesn’t get the dump-in pass to Queta in the lane, and he ends up with an awkward shot at the rim.
Had the Celtics been a tiny bit quicker to make any of those decisions, or if they had run a half-step faster or zipped a pass a bit more, they could have ended up with a better shot. Those are the miniature battles in a possession where it's won or lost.
It’s a similar story in this play. Tatum gets a screen from Queta, but rather than continuing his drive (albeit into an awaiting Lu Dort) or finding a pass, he stops.
The Celtics have to reset, and then the opposite occurs.
As soon as White sees that he has a shred of space to drive on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he takes it. And since he took advantage of the small gap OKC gave him, Boston ends up with a good look at the rim.
Tatum picking up the ball here could have thrown a wrench in the entire possession.
As the first half unfolded, Tatum stopped the ball a few times at the top of the key. It wasn’t the concept of going one-on-one that was hurting the Celtics. It was the hesitation.
Boston’s offense fell into a few pockets of stagnation, which is a death sentence against the Thunder’s defense. Tatum improved as the game went on, matching the Celtics’ quick-thinking needs and following in the footsteps of Brown.
Brown’s unrelenting desire to act quickly was what helped him break down OKC’s defense on Wednesday night.
“They're very physical. So, if you don't own your space, if you don't fight to get open, set up your catches, none of that stuff, if you don't do that, they can make it a long night,” Brown said. “But I thought we did a good job of keeping our man between the ball and the basket, protecting it, getting the ball where we wanted to get the ball, initiating our offense when we wanted to initiate it, versus them dictating where we go. And I think that was the difference tonight.”
Look at this play. It doesn’t come across as particularly speedy or fast-paced, but it’s a pair of quick decisions made in tandem.
Brown waits for the screen from White, reads the defense, and reacts