10 takeaways from Mazzulla and Udoka’s tactical battle in Houston

#1 – Joe Mazzulla vs. Ime Udoka

As the sport began, my focus was on the 2 teaching staffs. Ime Udoka, the previous Celtics coach, was going through his former assistant, Joe Mazzulla. Each are actually on the prime of their respective conferences. Each are enjoying with totally different playstyles that spotlight their strengths and attempt to disguise their weaknesses.

Whereas the Celtics are dominating due to their stellar offense, the Rockets are profitable their video games on the defensive finish. But, there are some similarities of their sport plans. Each the Celtics and the Rockets try to maintain their middle near the rim—just like the 2022 Celtics did with Robert Williams—again when each Ime and Joe have been on the teaching workers.

Much more attention-grabbing is that, again in 2022, this defensive model that introduced the Celtics to the NBA Finals was Joe Mazzulla’s thought. Malcolm Brogdon at the very least mentioned so.

A couple of years later, each Ime Udoka and Joe Mazzulla are utilizing an analogous defensive technique with Alperen Sengun and Kristaps Porziņģis.

#2 – Boston attacking Houston defensive technique

As Joe Mazzulla was (apparently) behind this defensive model, he has the blueprint to disrupt it too. As Ime Udoka places Sengun on Jrue Vacation, Joe Mazzulla knew the best way to react to punish this technique. First, he can ask Jrue Vacation to drive on the massive man:

He additionally multiplied the off-ball screens to drive Sengun to get misplaced a bit of bit. By making a mismatch for Kristaps Porziņģis on Fred VanVleet, the Celtics compelled Sengun to modify off-ball and depart Derrick White open for a minute—chess, not checkers:

One other approach to create issues for the Houston defensive technique is to make use of the Sengun matchup as a screener. This forces Sengun to depart the paint, and he’s not an incredible defensive participant. Plus, this opens the rim behind him.

Protected to say Joe Mazzulla was able to counter his personal defensive technique.

#3 – Zone protection for the Celtics

The tactical battle doesn’t cease right here. Joe Mazzulla was prepared offensively but in addition defensively. To begin the sport, Joe Mazzulla arrange a 3-2 zone to place strain on the ball handlers and drive the Rockets to take mid-range photographs.

As Ime Udoka in all probability ready a sport plan to assault Porziņģis’s roaming function, the Rockets discovered themselves going through a zone the place they couldn’t actually drive the Celtics’ large man to depart the paint. But, that they had one other useful gizmo to assault the Celtics’ protection: Alperen Sengun.

#4 – Alperen Sengun scorching early

Because the Celtics have been in zone protection to begin possession, the Rockets may assault from the facet post-up—and so they have the ample participant for that. With the Turkish large man, the Rockets put a number of strain on Porziņģis, who struggled towards these kinds of gamers.

No disgrace in that, Sengun is a superb post-up participant who could make powerful photographs, use his deal with, and decrease middle of gravity to punish slower or taller large males.

After solely 4 minutes, Sengun had scored 8 factors, and Porziņģis had already made 2 fouls. That is the place a brand new Joe Mazzulla adjustment arrived.

#5 – Luke Kornet, Sengun-stopper

I tracked each try from Sengun whereas defended by Kornet… and the Turkish large man solely made 1 out of his 9 makes an attempt towards the Celtics’ reserve large man. That means he was 5 out of 6 on all his different makes an attempt.

Kornet’s sturdy body was tougher to put up up towards for Sengun, and the dimensions benefit remained the identical with Kornet because it did with Porziņģis. Due to this fact, the Celtics may carry on utilizing the identical technique to hold a giant man near the rim and concede the Sengun post-up each now and again. However, one large man wasn’t sufficient for Joe Mazzulla.

#6 – Double large lineups to begin the 2nd half

The issue the Rockets have that the Celtics don’t on this tactical battle is spacing. The Rockets are twenty ninth in eFG% this season, and make up for that by being a staff that wins the possession battle. Certainly, they’re 1st in offensive rebound price and sixth in turnover price.

To counter that, the Celtics determined to begin the second half with two large males. This creates a fair greater spacing downside for the Rockets, as there are two giants within the paint—plus the rebounding turns into even more durable to get. Their offensive rebound price dropped from 42% to 30% within the second half due to that adjustment.

Even crazier, the Celtics have been capable of have a greater offensive rebound price than the Rockets and restrict their turnovers sufficient to additionally dominate the possession battle. An entire domination from Joe Mazzulla on the tactical facet. After all, Joe Mazzulla has higher instruments than Ime Udoka, however he left him no probability.

#7 – Payton Pritchard’s sport evolution

Sufficient with the teaching changes; let’s discuss gamers. One which stood out to me was Payton Pritchard. He performed nearer to the rim with 4 makes an attempt on the basket and used his velocity and deal with to drive in a crowded paint.

I believe it could be nice if Pritchard began driving once more at the next price this season. Final season, he drove 6 instances per sport for 22 minutes. This season, the drive quantity is right down to 4.5 per sport with 29 minutes on the ground. But, he’s very environment friendly on this state of affairs, producing 2.2 factors per 1.5 shot makes an attempt and nearly by no means shedding the ball in these conditions.

Let’s control that—Pritchard’s driving sport may assist him climb even increased within the Celtics’ rotation. His passing has additionally been rising currently. As we see within the graph beneath, his 10-game rolling common on the playmaking ratio from cleaningtheglass.com has stepped up currently.

May this even be a brand new layer to his sport? Final night time, two of his finest passes generated free throws…

So it doesn’t seem on the boxscore, but it surely feels an increasing number of like Payton Pritchard’s passing sport is taking one other step.

#8 – Derrick White enjoying like an all-star

During the last two video games with Jaylen Brown sidelined, Derrick White has shined and performed like an all-star. With 49 factors, 4 assists, and 4 blocks on 66 True Taking pictures %, Derrick White has delivered once more.

After a tough stretch together with his taking pictures, he doesn’t appear bothered and retains on taking pictures these pull-ups and catch-and-shoots. He’s actually nice for the Celtics, as they produce other gamers moreover Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to assault mismatches. Your complete beginning 5 can do it, and Derrick White confirmed it final night time, as did Jrue Vacation.

#9 – Jrue Vacation, greater than a guard, greater than a giant man

Vacation positively performed like a contemporary large man final night time, mixing up catch-and-shoot threes with post-up strikes. He additionally disrupted the Rockets’ protection with laborious screens to generate mismatches and drive switches.

What actually impressed me was his skill to assault Sengun on the post-up, forcing the massive man to concede house after which rating over him—like a robust middle. Nevertheless, he’s not a giant man, so he may push the tempo in transition to search out his teammates.

For this reason the Celtics are laborious to scheme towards: one participant can play a number of roles and shift into a brand new pores and skin if wanted.

#10 – Pindown actions for Kristaps Porziņģis

Out of the same old beginning 5, it was Porziņģis who had a tough sport, on each ends of the ground. The Celtics’ large man was focused early by Sengun, as talked about earlier than, and couldn’t discover a simple post-up place towards the powerful Rockets.

To adapt and assist Porziņģis, the Celtics ran a few pindown actions to provide him the ball within the paint whereas defended by Fred VanVleet. This helped him get into his sport with a number of free throws and opened issues up for the remainder of the staff.

Sure, Porziņģis is a mismatch killer on the post-up, however he must be put in the suitable state of affairs. The Celtics seen early within the sport that this wasn’t the case and tailored effectively. An awesome tactical sport from the Celtics’ teaching workers.