The great Glenn Ordway used to always say ball movement is the movement of the ball. Boston put that on full display during its dominant series-tying 109-86 win over the Bucks Tuesday.
All night long, the Celtics passed up good shots for great ones, moving the rock around in dizzying fashion. It was almost as if Ime Udoka found a way to transport the championship-winning Spurs to the TD Garden for Game 2. Udoka did coach under Gregg Popovich for seven years, after all.
The Celtics' passing clinic was on its fullest display with 3:48 left in the second quarter, when they tossed the ball around six times before Al Horford put up the ball for an easy two.
Jaylen Brown drove inside before dishing off the ball to Derrick White, who spun around and found Horford in the corner. Horford then swung the ball back to Brown; Brown passed to White; White found a streaking Jayson Tatum at the free throw line; and Tatum tossed the ball underneath to Horford.
It was a basketball masterpiece.
While the Celtics were dominant from three-point range — they set a franchise record with 20 made 3s — they didn't just rely on their shooting to win. They were also excellent on the defensive end, pestering Giannis Antetokounmpo and holding him to just 11-for-27 from the field. In the first half, he scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Al Horford and Grant Williams took turns with Antetokounmpo, bodying him and forcing the two-time MVP into tough fadeaway jumpers or offensive fouls.
Shooting lights out from beyond the arc may not be sustainable, but great ball movement and defense is. The Celtics are in good shape, especially when Brown plays like a top-15 player, just like he did Tuesday.
