How the Celtics outsmarted the Mavs | NBA Finals Game 3 analysis

What big halftime adjustment killed Dallas’s scheme and swung the game for Boston? This detailed film breakdown & scouting report explores the Celtics brilliant answer to the Mavericks big Game 3 adjustment, Coach Joe Mazzulla’s spacing principles, the high IQ plays of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and more.

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showing it off there on the offensive rebound gaard and Lively had an impact Tatum goes back door another nice pass this one from Jay BR that looked like a basic entry pass and a layup but it was actually one of the smartest most surgical in-game counters I’ve ever seen and to appreciate why we need to go back to the earlier games in Boston where the Celtics had a ton of success stretching out the MAV shop blocking centers by spacing to the three-point line and sticking a guard on the Baseline so a smaller player would have to protect the rim Jason kids answer to this in game three was to keep their Center Low even if it meant guarding a smaller player like Drew holiday in isolation so this is essentially a oneman Zone where the center is roaming off his man in the corner toward the balls side and then someone else takes Boston Center and this really packs the paint against the Celtics drives here it is again where Al Horford space is above the ark Gafford now matches up with the corner and roams over to help Luca and they force the kick out instead of something at the rim and they’re trying to avoid situations where their shop blocker is stuck on the outside while Boston assaults the basket against smaller players here it is executed perfectly where gaffer doesn’t match up with Horford but instead Luca picks him up so Gafford can get to the rim and he saves adjacent Tatum layup and it’s a transition stop and the Celtics weren’t totally dialed in attacking this coverage Gafford moves over to the balls side Boston Center Xavier Tilman is uncovered but Tatum isn’t ready to play off him and they end up with an awkward moving screen and here Jaylen Brown is trying to screen Derek Lively but remember Lively staying low so this action doesn’t stress the Dallas defense in any way Lively roams over to the balls side making it harder for Tatum to drive and he ends up with a tough late clock shot instead so look what the Celtics do to start the third quarter they have drew holiday act like he’s spacing to the far corner but he’s really pulling Gafford to the near side of the floor so he’s out of the paint or has to deal with Drew in isolation and this play sort of goes nowhere and is well defended but it still set the tone for the rest of the quarter because the next time down they’re attacking Gafford again waiting for him to roam to the strong side before instantly swinging it back to the weak side that puts the Mavs defense in the blender and Drew ends up with a layup and this is yet another brilliant holiday cut where instead of floating back out behind the line he s suddenly darts into all this open space and that’s a great pass by Derek white this time the Celtics attack from the opposite side everyone is spacing behind the ark holidays in the corner they wait for Gafford to roam over to the strong side and again quickly reverse it but oh no it’s a Tatum layup and this is a direct assault on the one man Zone because he’s now freaked out about recovering to Holiday in the corner but Tatum’s looking for the inside seal here because Boston spacing pulls the other three Mavs out of the lane and that’s truly basketball chess this was probably a halftime call out because they had this exact same setup in the first half only Jaylen wasn’t looking for the quick reversal and he wasn’t looking for Tatum on that inside seal and so Gafford was able to recover and get a much better contest on this drive but in the third they’re just getting going it’s the exact same setup again only Drew is on the ball and whites in the far corner now Gafford is thinking about that entry to Tatum and so Brown suddenly can attack Kyrie one-on-one without a shot Blocker in the lane and it’s a lot easier if it ain’t broke don’t fix it so they go to it again now Luca is thinking don’t give up that inside seal but that leaves holiday for a warm-up shot and the next time down they’re in transition so the setup is a little bit different but they can just fall back on Hunting donic he’s thinking about navigating the handoff but the ball’s long gone and Tatum makes a nice little cut into empty space and that’s an excellent decision from Brown and a fivepoint lead after a Dallas timeout they throw out a full-on two3 Zone Tatum Blows By Luca Washington has no idea that brown cut and we’re back in dunk City and watch how in sync the Celtics are attacking this white tells Brown to lift up to set the screen Horford’s directing traffic Tatum tells white to go to the top white tells Tatum to take the corner position Brown ends up with the inside seal on the screen Lively has to then help so Tatum thinks about the cut but spotting up is actually better and BR sounds a little late with that pass but it’s another great shot so everyone’s on the same page with this counter strategy Horford wants the ball to change sides but Lively is already retreating so Drew just feeds the post then Tatum waits to see where Lively goes and he can spray it out and Lively can’t run faster than the ball Boston has done well with this side to side action throughout the series but they change sides incredibly well after halftime of this game and in the fourth quarter it came full circle with everyone communicating to set up the spacing they change sides and Lively recovers out to Tatum but Brown now has a mismatch in the post and drills another one and this is the exact same counter we saw get Tatum a lay up to start the third only this time Jaylen sets the screen and seals inside he’s actually looking for the pass now white doesn’t see it but it’s an easy pass for Tatum and brown loves that shot Jaylen was cooking during this stretch to help extend the Boston lead with that long jumper stretching it out to 10 and then he pulled Gafford out in a cross match to set up a rare Tillman 3 and at the end of the quarter the Mavs tried going small Luca provides no resistance on the pick and roll and then Brown can detonate on the little guys to finish this run the the Celtics go to an Iverson cut for white Luca stays with it so now they want to change sides and stretch out the big man Tatum gets Lively switched onto him and this time JT can drive and set up brown for the corner three and the next time down it’s the same play only white feels Luca automatically running to the other side changes his route and all of a sudden it’s a 21-point lead and white not only adjusted but Horford spotted it and screened his own man to make that shot easier and man Boston’s just an incredibly smart well- coached team with high IQ veterans take this sneaky Drew holiday cut behind Lively and the pass was off or that’s probably a layup but then look at the incredible spacing and ball movement here where Drew is there again and no looks at to an open Horford and then he comes out of the crowd to grab it and finish the play here’s one in the first where they’re hunting donic Gafford switches into the action instead so Horford immediately knows to set another screen to force Luca into the pick and roll and meanwhile Sam Hower sees his man turn his head so he Sprints to the now vacant corner and that is just basketball Perfection sometimes with Boston it’s a little thing like Tatum spotting Luca flat-footed and looking the other way so a basic pass is an easy three and when the game was tight at the end white realized Kyrie wasn’t looking at the ball SLI this pass into Tatum who finishes with a dunk and wouldn’t you know it this is the same move they started the half with where Drew drags the center across the court to the near side so the shop Locker not in the paint to help on Tatum Boston might even be smarter defensively Brown misses on the steel and Pritchard immediately peels over to stop Lucas Drive White Sprints around the screen to take away the corner Brown switches back to the top and there’s no easy shot despite a breakdown and check out this peel switch where Kyrie beats white but Drew sees it and jumps right in front while white seamlessly switches to the corner killing any Dallas advantage and this one might even be better holiday refuses to be screened when they try to reset the play Hower tips it into the back court but he can’t quite come up with it so Brown instantly takes Kyrie while Hower peels off to his man and then he’s in perfect position to help on the drive and it’s another Dead trip for Dallas Boston’s even been hyper disciplined about staying down on Don’s up fakes throughout the series and it’s one of the reasons hasn’t really punished Hower and Pritchard on these switches so thanks to some wonderful coaching from Joe moula an amazing in-game adjustment to puncture Dallas’s big defensive move and the great decision making of all these veteran players the Boston Celtics have taken a commanding 3 nothing lead in the NBA finals and are now one game away from the title to support this channel check out patreon.com thinking basketball we have a Discord Community extra content and stats that we use to research these videos and the thinking basketball podcast thanks as always for watching this one all the way through and of course I hope you’re having a great day