Boston Celtics: Defense the key to 12-game winning streak
It’s early in the season, but let’s face it guys, the Boston Celtics are actually really good at this whole basketball thing.
After Gordon Hayward went down, the season was deemed lost. Every national announcer wrote the Boston Celtics off. Heck, I know I was pretty upset about the upcoming season too. However, Brad Stevens is proving exactly how important coaching really is.
I mean, let’s face it guys the NBA is a star driven league. Who talks about coaches? If you’re not Gregg Popovich or Steve Kerr, forget it.
Up in New England, among the changing leaves and frosty weather, Brad Stevens has made his way into the Popovich-Kerr conversation. He won’t want credit for it, but he’s got this team rolling.
The Celtics do have offensive lapses at times, and that’ll sort itself out. However, the switching I’ve seen defensively is really fun. We usually don’t associate the word ‘defense’ with ‘fun’ (unless you’re me, I love defense), but watching this guys defend is really a treat.
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I mean, let’s face it guys this is a longer and more athletic team than last year. Last season was fun, but this season Brad and co. have the personnel to really defend and play their style. Marcus Morris is better than I thought he was honestly, so he’s going to be a big help. Jayson Tatum? He already knows how to use his length to finish at the rim.
Also, let’s not forget Shane Larkin! This guy is like five foot eleven and he’s defending like a bulldog.
It’s been a season of surprises so far, and I can’t stress how important it is that guys are stepping up.
It’s all very New England Patriots-like, which is a great sign for the organization and its fans. The best part about all this? The Boston Celtics are winning with defense. If you look at last season, Stevens tried to instill that defensive culture as well, the difference is that this season he actually has the guys he needs to play the defense he wants.
When Kyrie Irving has bought into your defensive scheme, your whole team is going to buy in.
Next: Boston Celtics: Terry Rozier is having a career year so far
We’re watching something pretty special right now, and it’s important we sit back and just appreciate what these guys are doing.