Celtics Receive High Praise From Unlikely Knicks Star

Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Boston Celtics

Getty Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Boston Celtics

Praise is coming from every angle for the Boston Celtics, with most of it levied at the way the team has defended the Brooklyn Nets star pairing of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The Celtics own a two-game lead over the Nets and are headed to New York, where they will play their next two contests at the Barclays Center. Still, Brooklyn has their back against the wall and needs to find a way to break down Boston’s physically imposing defense.

It’s no secret that the Celtics were the best defensive team in the regular season, and that level of execution has carried over into their early games of the playoffs. Now, New York Knicks star RJ Barrett has weighed in on the difficulty of breaking down Boston’s rearguard and has shared his thoughts on how the Celtics are shutting teams down.

“They’re tough, especially when they had Robert Williams in there, he’s a big game-changer too. They just switch everything, and all of them are just aggressive. Marcus Smart kind of leads the charge there – they’re really good,” RJ Barrett noted during an appearance on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, “And you know playoff basketball. A team like Boston is going to look better just because the refs aren’t calling as many fouls, and if all five players are fouling, the refs can’t call off them. So every time he (Durant) catches the ball, they’re hitting him, they’re fouling him.”


Celtics Have Limited Kevin Durant

Durant came into this series as the clear-cut star and was widely considered to be levels above every other player in either team’s rotation. But over two games, the Celtics have held the superstar to just 31.7% shooting from the field and 28.6% from deep.

By removing the threat of Durant, the Nets are a far weaker unit that doesn’t have the depth to compete with the Celtics’ eight or nine-man rotation. Sure, both games have been incredibly competitive, and neither has been won by a big margin, but when the Celtics go on a run, the Nets look incapable of stopping them.

So, it’s understandable that Boston is currently receiving so much praise from players, media, and fans – because they’re shutting down arguably the greatest player alive, and doing it by working as a team. Still, Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams both deserve credit for the individual work they’ve been doing on Durant too, as both have played a big role in disrupting the superstar’s usual rhythm and forcing him to play at an uncomfortable pace.


Kyrie Irving Credit’s Boston’s Continuity

This current Celtics core has been together for multiple years now and has tasted differing levels of success and failure. Most of the players at Udoka’s disposal have been developed through the Celtics system, giving them a close bond and solid understanding on the court.

It’s that type of continuity that Irving believes is helping Boston see out these close games, and allowed them to fight back from a 17-point deficit in the Celtics’ April 20 victory. Players know where each other’s spots on the floor are, they understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can use that to their advantage, as they have been doing since the mid-way point of the season.

“I just think the timing is right. Their window is now for these young guys that are on this team that has matured. They’ve been through series together, they’ve been through seasons together, they’ve been through battles together,” Irving told the media, “We’re going against a team together for what, the last four, five years. So they don’t have to worry about that. And I don’t want us to worry about it in this series and make excuses on why things are not going right for us. It’s just time to strap up the boots and get the ammo ready.”

A two-game lead is a comfortable spot to find yourselves in when facing an opponent in the playoffs, but progressing out onto the next round isn’t guaranteed. The Celtics need to split their next two games in Brooklyn if they want to close out this series at home but make no mistake, they’ve put themselves in the driving seat and look good value to finish the job.

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