Behind the scenes of scouting Luka Doncic at Celtics practice

BOSTON — Defending Luka Doncic takes a group effort. There isn’t any singular resolution to slowing down the Dallas Mavericks star. However in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics discovered one thing that labored.

Boston switched every part, guarding Doncic straight up and selecting to remove the passes he often generates. Dereck Full of life II and Daniel Gafford’s lob sport was eradicated, and the Celtics took away nook threes as effectively. “They’re a scrappy group defensively,” Gafford mentioned at apply on Saturday.

The Celtics have been tirelessly prepping to protect Doncic’s distinctive fashion of play, and assistant coach DJ MacLeay’s scouting has been a focus of their efforts.

“I’m certain it was a collective effort, however coach DJ MacCleay has been sort of main that cost,” Sam Hauser revealed at apply on Saturday.

However MacLeay is doing extra than simply scouting.

In Dallas’ heliocentric offense, Doncic is the solar, and the remainder of the group revolves round him. At Celtics apply, MacLeay and Svi Mykailiuk are the suns.

“He’s actually been Luka,” Xavier Tillman advised CelticsBlog at apply. “He’s been Luka. Him and Svi [Mykhailiuk].”

Picture by Chris Marion/NBAE through Getty Photographs (left) and Richie LeMay of CLNS Media (proper)

Each have been important in Boston’s apply routine, however Mykhailiuk has taken to the position of Doncic a bit extra naturally.

“What? Svi,” Tillman mentioned with fun when requested who has been the higher Doncic. “Svi’s bought sport. Svi’s good. Svi’s actually good.”

That mentioned, MacLeay has perfected a few of Doncic’s strikes, too.

“He loves the bump. He [has] a great bump spin,” Tillman mentioned of MacLeay. “You know the way Luka is actually good at rolling off defenders? D-Mac bought that locked down.”

MacLeay has labored carefully with Tillman and quite a few different Celtics gamers this 12 months, significantly the massive males.

Earlier than video games, MacLeay, Tillman, and participant growth coach Jermaine Bucknor compete in one-on-one drills the place the coaches try to attain on Tillman. The trio’s competitiveness all the time shines by means of as they maintain rating. Tillman’s competitions with the coaches have been part of his routine since he joined the Celtics forward of the commerce deadline.

“I really feel like that’s one thing that I sit up for after I come into the fitness center, and I’ve my particular person time on the courtroom, is to get with these guys and do aggressive stuff,” mentioned Tillman. “Being a dad at house, there’s not a number of time the place you get to be aggressive, so after I get to be aggressive, I adore it.”

MacLeay’s meticulous scouting of Doncic and the Mavs and subsequent performing gig in apply have been essential to Boston’s defensive sport plan within the NBA Finals.

“DJ’s been nice for us,” mentioned Al Horford. “Simply very clear together with his ideas [and] what he needs us to do. Simply sort of creating how he needs us to execute issues. And I really feel like our group, we’ve clearly purchased in, and we’re actually locked in and making an attempt to do it the most effective we will.”

Picture by Adam Glanzman/Getty Photographs

Doncic scored 30 factors in Sport 1, however he solely dished out one help and created simply six potential assists. It’s the fewest assists Doncic has had in a sport all season.

Blended in with a number of possessions of drop protection when Kristaps Porzingis was on the ground, the Celtics pressured Doncic into enjoying one-on-one with little or no room to arrange his teammates.

“They did their job effectively,” mentioned Mavs ahead Derrick Jones Jr. “They protected the rim how they’re imagined to. They sat down on our bigs’ legs, so we couldn’t get our lobs off.”

Dallas’ lack of lobs was staggering. On their highway to the Finals, they transformed 57 alley-oops— fifteen greater than the following 4 groups mixed. They averaged over three per sport, but towards the Celtics, that they had none.

An enormous a part of Boston’s skill to forestall the Mavericks’ alley-oop offense was placing Tatum on Full of life and Gafford. Having him in that spot permits the Celtics to change when both of Dallas’ bigs set a display screen for Doncic, stopping them from rolling to the rim.

However that plan additionally requires strong rebounding, and Tatum was a monster on the glass in Sport 1, snagging 11 boards, together with 9 on the defensive finish.

The MacLeay and Mykhailiuk-led Doncic prep takes up an enormous chunk of apply. “I really feel like, it’s most likely like, if it’s an hour, it’s most likely like a great 20 minutes,” Tillman mentioned of Celtics apply. “In all probability a 3rd of it’s the protection.”

However rebounding has additionally been a serious focus.

“A giant portion [of practice] truly is rebounding for us,” mentioned Tillman. “Like, I feel Joe is actually distinguished on not giving up second-chance factors. Particularly watching the playoffs, you’ll see groups with, like, not massive leads, however first rate leads, and so they’ll surrender an offensive rebound [and a] three, and the group shall be proper again in it.

“Like, ‘see, they may have gotten the board and killed the entire sport, however as a substitute, they gave it up.’ So, that’s what we work on loads. Simply totally different boxout drills and stuff like that.”

Picture by Brian Babineau/NBAE through Getty Photographs

The way through which Boston guarded Doncic took greater than particular person defenders. He shot 4/6 towards Jaylen Brown and 5/7 towards Porzingis, however the Celtics’ collective protection restricted his effectiveness.

Change protection is simply as robust as a group’s weakest defender. In Sport 1, Doncic handled Horford as his main dart board, focusing on him at any time when he bought the prospect. However his plan failed.

The Slovenian celebrity shot an abysmal 1/8 towards Horford. He additionally shot 0/2 towards Payton Pritchard and 0/1 towards Hauser. After Sport 1, Jrue Vacation praised the latter two. “Even our white guys guard,” he mentioned.

If the Celtics plan to make the most of this identical defensive fashion transferring ahead, everybody who touches the courtroom must be performing on the identical commonplace on that finish.

“He’s most likely our greatest defender, so listening to that’s fairly empowering,” Hauser mentioned of Vacation’s remark. “Actually, all you’re making an attempt to do is make it as onerous as you possibly can on a man like [Luka]. He’s so good. He’s going to make some powerful photographs even in the event you do play actually good protection.

“You must understand it’s going to occur and simply need to have a next-play mentality when it comes to that. We have been actually related final sport, and we now have to proceed to be that manner.”

Doncic’s outbursts are inevitable. He led the Mavs on a 31-12 run to chop Boston’s as soon as 29-point lead right down to eight within the second and third quarters of on Thursday night time. However the Celtics’ protection stopped him from enjoying the sport on his phrases and held Dallas to simply 89 factors in Sport 1.

MacLeay and Mykhailiuk aren’t Doncic, however based mostly on Boston’s profitable Sport 1 defensive efficiency, they’ve been doing one thing proper in apply.