That’s how you bounce back!
The Boston Celtics beat the reigning champions in a tough matchup on Friday evening—just days after an opening-night collapse at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.
Oh, and they got the dub on their home floor, too.
Jayson Tatum answered all the online critics who came out of the woodwork after his poor shooting night against Detroit. Neemias Queta staked his claim for a starting role with Mitchell Robinson moving back to the bench, and Jordan Walsh showcased why his presence in the starting lineup could be key throughout the season.
There was so much to like from this matchup.
It all started with
Containing Jalen Brunson
The Celtics have struggled for years against smaller guards who can penetrate off the dribble. Ish Smith has lived rent-free in our nightmares.
So, whenever the Celtics face off against Jalen Brunson, there’s always the risk that he could find, exploit, and manipulate gaps in the defense.
Not this game.
Jordan Walsh is in the starting lineup for this specific reason — to hound, contain, and frustrate elite-level scorers, especially at the point of attack.
When on the floor, Walsh gave Brunson hell. He fought his way over screens, used his wingspan to shrink driving lanes, and contested shots without giving up fouls. Sure, Brunson still got his at times (19 points on 7-of-17 shooting), but for the most part, Walsh blunted one of New York’s sharpest weapons.
“Jordan continues to be really good at the start of games. Guarding the team’s best player, getting off to a good start defensively,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets in a preseason game on October 14. “Something he’s done well for us those last couple of games. It’s a huge role for him, that we’re going to need from him.”
The above clip complements Mazzulla’s quote well. Just minutes into the first half, Walsh sprints to get in front of Brunson, taking away the sideline in the process. Despite having to plant his feet, Walsh remained mobile, sliding with Brunson to deny driving angles and take away the middle of the floor.
Once it became clear that Brunson wasn’t getting to the rim — and even if he did, Mitchell Robinson and Walsh would have both been challenging him there — he settled for a pull-up jumper with a hand in his face.
Solid individual defense from Walsh, on one of the better-scoring guards the league has to offer.
While Walsh certainly set the tone on defense, the Celtics had a whole system built around containing Brunson, especially when guarding him in the pick-and-roll.
Mazzulla ran back the hedge-and-recover strategy we saw in Boston’s matchup with the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs. The aim of this strategy is to ensure that Brunson doesn’t get too much separation when coming off a screen, negating the threat of him pulling up or driving the lane.
As you can see in the above clip, Neemias Queta jumps out to hedge on Brunson, allowing Walsh — who has gotten caught up on a screen — to get back into the play before Queta recovers back to his man.
There’s an obvious risk here. As Andre Drummond rolled off that screen, Paul George slid over from the weak-side corner to tag. That allowed George’s man to lift out of the corner and offer a straight-line passing lane for Brunson. However, as Queta recovered quickly, George was able to shut down the lane and force Brunson to deal with Walsh head-on.
Unfortunately, the NBA has yet to upload its matchup data from yesterday’s games, so I’m unable to add any definitive numbers to showcase how good a job Walsh and the rest of Boston’s perimeter defense did at containing Brunson.
Still, between having high-level point-of-attack defense and leaning into a tried-and-tested system of limiting Brunson out of the PnR, the Celtics found ways to minimize the damage he could do in the half-court.
That’s a win in itself in my book.
Varying The Offense (A Quick Look At The Playbook)
Another aspect of yesterday’s game that stood out to me was how the Celtics looked to vary their offense. Some of their entry actions were excellent, and often led to solid scoring opportunities.
Let’s take a closer look at two plays that stood out (for me)…