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The Celtics beat a critically depleted Pacers crew and at this level of the season, a win is a win as groups jockey for playoff positioning. Nonetheless, with simply 4 video games left together with the ultimate common season house sport on Sunday, Boston should iron out a number of particulars earlier than the postseason, notably with Robert Williams nonetheless set to overlook not less than the primary spherical.
Indiana got here into Boston as one of many higher offensive groups during the last fifteen video games (116.1 factors per 100 possessions). As head coach Ime Udoka famous after the sport, they play quick and free with nothing to lose at 25-53.
With dynamic level guard Tyrese Haliburton on the helm (who completed with a ridiculous 30 factors on 10-for-11 taking pictures, making all six 3-pointers) and shooters scattered across the perimeter, he unlocks the fast-paced offense with a well-known play of a Rick Carlisle-engineered system: the excessive pick-and-roll.
It’s efficient in opposition to Boston’s switching protection for quite a few causes. If a giant does change out so far-off from the basket, it forces a mismatch forty ft away from the basket and eliminates a rim protector from the play. However in opposition to the Celtics, Indiana wasn’t precisely attempting to create that small-on-big situation essentially. As a substitute, they tried capitalizing on these small areas when defenders have been within the technique of both switching or making the choice to change and attacking these gaps.
Watch how Haliburton negotiates this Goga Bitadze excessive display. Bitadze slips it and rolls to the rim, giving Haliburton an choice to dump it to him if Horford commits, however there’s extra. Haliburton can also be probing the sturdy aspect protection simply in case he can appeal to a helper. See how Buddy Hield is concerned in that cross motion with Jayson Tatum simply earlier than the Haliburton-Bitadze motion? It’s meant to have interaction Tatum’s consideration; Tatum stays house on Hield, however you may see how Haliburton checks down on doable receivers earlier than going into his floater.
Right here’s an analogous motion once more. This time, Grant Williams does settle for the change on to the ball handler (Lance Stephenson) with Derrick White checking the rolling Bitadze. Sadly, White and Payton Pritchard fail to speak the second motion and Bitadze has an open lane for a dunk.
“Communication-wise, it’s a number of video games in a row now the place we haven’t been as sharp as we must be with the switching and the communication,” Udoka stated after the sport. “That was slightly extra obvious tonight similar to final sport.”
Later within the sport, Williams truly does attempt to quarterback the protection from the again line, yelling for White to go “WIDE!” on the excessive decide. Williams can’t change on to the driving Haliburton as a result of it’s going to lead Isaiah Jackson open on a tough roll to the rim. White doesn’t pressure him huge sufficient and Brown doesn’t stunt over sufficient to eradicate the driving lane.
After the layup, NBC Sports activities Boston’s Brian Scalabrine notes, “they bought to actually determine this out.” The Celtics gained’t have Timelord when the playoffs begin in two weeks and as Marcus Smart suggested, “we did get slightly coddled with the truth that Rob was again there to wash up numerous these errors for us.” However even with out Williams, Boston is aware of that their calling card is their protection and in the event that they’re to make any noise within the playoffs, they must get again to that id.
“There’s numerous areas tonight the place we may have been higher. Will we miss Rob? After all, however among the errors tonight weren’t as a result of we didn’t have Rob,” Tatum said after the Celtics gave up 17-of-36 taking pictures from behind the arc to the Pacers. “A whole lot of the communication on the perimeter, that was our fault. We gotta be higher.”
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