When Jrue Holiday was sent to Portland as collateral damage from the Damian Lillard trade, Brad Stevens saw a golden opportunity to acquire a player he had longed for.
“There’s a list of guys in the league that you always think you’ll never have a real chance to get that you think are perfect fits,” Stevens said back in October. “Jrue is one of those guys.”
A few days later, Stevens couldn’t stop smiling when Holiday was officially announced as a Celtic. He knew he had built a championship-caliber roster, and Holiday felt like the final piece of the puzzle. Stevens had just landed a special player—an NBA champion, an All-Star, and one of the league’s best two-way talents.
Throughout Boston’s 64-win regular season, Holiday provided a steady hand on both ends of the floor, earning his fourth consecutive All-Defensive selection and the sixth of his career. He has elevated his game even further in the postseason, stepping up big when the Celtics needed it most.
With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined and Derrick White experiencing a bit of a shooting slump, Holiday has picked up the slack. Over the last five games, the 33-year-old is averaging 18.0 points on 34-of-53 (64.2%) shooting from the field and 15-of-28 (53.6%), with 5.6 (2.2 offensive) rebounds and a team-best 6.4 assists, en route to +60.
In Game 2, Holiday posted a 15-point, 10-assist double-double on 6-of-7 shooting (85.7%), becoming the first player with 10+ assists and a shooting percentage above 80% in a Conference Finals game since 1990. This also marked his fifth consecutive game with at least 13 points, with the Celtics advancing to 34-1 this season when he scores at least 14.
Defensively, over those five games, Holiday averaged 1.2 steals, holding opponents to a mere 42.3% from the field and 30.6% from deep.
It’s clear that Holiday’s presence has been instrumental for the Celtics, as highlighted by their NBA-best 7-1 record since Porzingis’ went down with a calf injury. The Celtics have an impressive 11.4 average margin of victory over that stretch.
Holiday’s championship pedigree and leadership qualities have provided the Celtics a much-needed boost. His experience is invaluable, especially in the postseason, where his composure and reliability have been pivotal. As history shows, teams with prior champions on their roster tend to have an edge. Since 2000, only three teams have won the Finals without a prior champion on their roster.
Control what you can control
All postseason, Joe Mazzulla has remained consistent in his belief that the recipe for winning does not change between the regular season and playoffs. He reiterated that point prior to Game 2.
“The things remain the same,” Mazzulla said. “The scouting reports remain the same. Personnel tendencies are the same. You just to do them with a higher level of intensity, a higher level of focus, but the details and the process that go into winning a game remain the same.”
Mazzulla has stressed the importance of managing the controllable factors—the margins, effort, intensity, and focus. In Game 2, the effectiveness of this philosophy was unmistakable, especially evident in the opening quarter.
Despite Indiana shooting 57.9% compared to the Celtics’ 41.7%, Boston trailed by just two points, a testament to the importance of the margins. Boston was able to keep things close primarily due to their dominance on the glass, boasting a 12-6 advantage (including 6-0 offensive rebounds), which resulted in five more shot attempts for Boston (24-19).
In Game 2, Boston dominated the margins, outshooting, outrebounding, attempting more free throws, and committing fewer turnovers than Indiana.
You can’t control whether or not shots are falling, but you can control the process—and that is a winning process.
All-NBA Jay(son)
Jayson Tatum earned a place on the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive season on Wednesday night.
The 26-year-old is only the sixth Celtic in franchise history to receive this honor at least three times. Tatum joins the ranks of Bob Cousy (10 times), Larry Bird (nine), John Havlicek (four), and Bill Sharman (four). With his third selection, Tatum ties Ed Macauley and the legendary Bill Russell for the fifth-most First Team selections in franchise history.
“It’s special. Something I strive to do - I expect. But that’s nothing I take for granted. It’s an honor to be on First-Team All-NBA. So many talented guys in this league - the talent just gets better and better each and every year,” Tatum said on being named All-NBA.
“Very fortunate to make that team again. Thankful for everybody that has helped me along the way. Success is not something that you do by yourself. There’s a lot of people that were so great in helping me get to where I’m at.”
With a 23-point night in Game 2, Tatum now holds the record for the most playoff points scored within a player’s first seven seasons with 2,538 career points, passing Larry Bird (2,520), Julius Erving (2,472), and Michael Jordan (2,425)
“I think every year you try to grow,” Mazzulla said on Tatum. “I think he’s gotten better, and I think because of the type of team that we have, he’s been guarded differently and in different ways throughout the season, and he’s been able to kind of solve the puzzles, so to speak. Throughout the game, and continues to play a high level of defense. Just continues to get better as a player.”
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