“What we do a lot now is.… What’s wrong with Giannis? What’s wrong with Kevin? Instead of looking at the other side” - JJ Redick says the Boston Celtics have the best playoff defense in recent memory
The Boston Celtics and their admirable defensive efforts were mentioned in Friday’s episode of “The Old Man & the Three.” Tim Legler joined JJ Redick to converse about this year's playoffs.
During the conversation, Redick outlined just how great Boston has been playing in the postseason and what their defense has proven to him. Redick explained:
“In terms of this years playoffs.… I’m probably most fascinated by Boston, Milwaukee.”
Redick articulated why the series has proven to be so impressive to him. He explained the narratives viewers build on the series and how Boston is breaking that mold. Redick said:
“I think what we do a lot now is.… What’s wrong with Giannis? What’s wrong with Kevin? Instead of looking at the other side as a chance to sort of credit not just Boston’s defense, but the uniqueness of like what ultimately is built as like a playoff defense.
"Switchable parts, a lot of size, a lot of strength, a lot of mobility.”
The Boston Celtics finished the season second in the Eastern Conference with 51 wins to 31 losses. They faced the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. After sweeping Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the rest of the league took notice of Boston.
The squad had already proven to be defensive aggressors with great offensive outlets. However, sweeping the Brooklyn Nets' star duo was their most impressive feat to date.
Redick explained why the Celtics' defense is so exceptional, stating:
“I can’t remember, in my career, and I’ve played against great defenses, and switching defense and all that, like I don’t know that there's a better defense with their personnel and their game plan that’s built for the playoffs than them, in recent memory.”
Boston Celtics are the best defensive team in this years playoffs
This year's Defensive Player of the Year was the Boston Celtics' very own, Marcus Smart. Smart alone is a major issue for opponents.
Now add Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, Al Horford, Grant Williams and Daniel Theis. The Celtics are absolutely stacked with defensive length and athleticism. They have players that can switch; they have size, strength and speed.
As many love to reiterate, “defense wins championships”, so let this year be a nod to that statement. The way the Boston Celtics are playing, they might just add some weight to the old saying.
The Celtics face off against the Bucks in Game 3 on Saturday with the series tied at one apiece. Game 1 was a blowout for Milwaukee, having bested the Celtics 101-89. Game 2 was a blowout for the Celtics, having won 109-86.