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Boston Celtics: Team has found their defensive tenacity again

By Ryan Feyre

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics watches from the bench during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 8, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Celtics defeated the Suns 116-109 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics watches from the bench during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on November 8, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Celtics defeated the Suns 116-109 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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In the midst of a six-game winning streak, the Boston Celtics have once again looked like the best defense in the entire NBA.

After an inconsistent start to the 2018-2019 NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics have rattled off six straight wins, capped off by a 113-100 drubbing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at TD Garden.

The victory itself puts Boston at 16-10, and catapults them to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, where they’re only four games behind the first place Toronto Raptors.

The win streak started back on November 26th, where the Celtics defeated New Orleans on the road by 17. Ever since then, Brad Stevens’ squad has learned how to communicate with each other on the floor in real time, especially on the defensive end.

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According to NBAstats.com, the Boston Celtics have had the second best defense in the league, with a rating of 97.8. The only other team to have a defensive rating under 100 during that same span are the Indiana Pacers (96.8; 4-1 in their last five contests).

The key to the vaunted Celtics’ defense has been their three-point prevention. Opponents are currently only shooting 30.8 percent against them from the 25-29 ft range, which ranks first in the league. With the way the game is being played today, defending the three is more important than it’s ever been. The Celtics are finally attacking the perimeter, and it’s paying huge dividends for them at the moment.

Their suffocated defense peaked in what was probably their most complete performance of the season on Saturday night, where Stevens and company won by a franchise-record 56 points against a depleted Chicago Bulls team.

The Boston Celtics held the struggling bottom-dwellers to 77 points. The beatdown almost lead to a boycott of practice from Chicago’s players, where many stated that  interim coach Jim Boyle was being way too harsh, making his team run traditional drills. Very rarely does something like this occur from a professional basketball organization.

Against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans

The victory against the Pelicans looks really good for the Boston Celtics’ possible pursuit of Anthony Davis, a theory I was widely criticized for back in the beginning of the season. Either way, with the absence of Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, and Gordon Hayward, Boston still ended up pulling out the win. Davis should look at their depth and resilience and take notes. Yes, the superstar had 41 points and seven rebounds, but it took 34 shots to get there.

Boston did what they do best; force three-point shots. And for a New Orleans squad that generally doesn’t have lethal three-point shooters, things can get ugly. The Pelicans finished the game 8-26 from three, which is good for 30.8 percent (right around the average teams are shooting again the Celtics from that range). The Pelicans already weren’t good from three prior to Monday’s game, and the Cs exploited that.

light. Related Story. The push for Anthony Davis has begun

The contest reminded me a lot of the playoffs back in May, where even without a lot of their core talent, Stevens was able to make adjustments, and pull out a victory based on grit and ball movement. Rookie Robert Williams actually gave Davis some fits in the paint, and even blocked the star center at one point in the contest.

The Celtics have also been surprisingly great on offense during throughout their winning streak. They’ve scored 115 or more points in five of their past six games, and have the best field goal percentage in the league in their six-game span (51 percent).

A lot of their success has to do with lineup adjustments. Moving Jaylen Brown to the bench has boosted his recently declining confidence. The forward has looked better and more alert than he’s ever been on the offensive end, scoring at least 15 in each of his last three appearances.

Again, they’re moving the ball a lot more as well (29.6 assists-per-game in their past five games; best in the NBA during that span). Things tend to click when one person doesn’t handle the rock for too long. Too many times in the beginning of the season, the Celtics would use isolation plays to force up terrible looks at the end of the shot clock. Issues like these are happening less and less recently.

Next. Boston Celtics: 3 players who shined in clipping the Pelicans. dark

The Boston Celtics have had a successful December because they’re going back to their roots. Defense has always been the backbone of a Brad Stevens team, and 2018-2019 looks to be no different as we head into the Christmas season.

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