The Celtics’ game plans throughout the Finals have been one of the main reasons they have built a 3-0 series lead. They have proposed attacking Luka Doncic and, to a lesser extent, Kyrie Irving. Those two haven’t done particularly well in 1v1 matchups or helping responsibilities.
Joe Mazzulla put maximum pressure on those two in the second half of Game 3 by using the same play over and over again to get them involved. The Celtics scored five different ways out of the game, exposing Luka and Kyrie’s defense. It was a big adjustment at halftime to take advantage of the way the Mavs were defending, which changed the course of the game.
The play: The Celtics empty the corner pick-and-roll with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
Empty corner pick-and-rolls are a common action in the NBA. The name is exactly what it suggests: it’s a pick-and-roll without any offensive player occupying the corner.
The Celtics ran this play early in the second half with Tatum setting a screen on the pick-and-roll. Knowing the Mavs were going to switch on the screen, they gave Tatum a mismatch over Irving.
White passed it to Brown, who had the angle to give Tatum an easy layup.
The Celtics ran the same play four times in a row, using Tatum and Brown in those empty corner actions to force Irving and Doncic to guard them. Each time, they found a different weak spot in Dallas’ offense.
Because it is important
Doncic was heavily criticized for his poor defense in Game 3. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst criticized him, calling his defensive effort “unacceptable. It’s a hole in the court.”
Windhorst is right, but some context is also needed. The Celtics came in with a nice adjustment at halftime to put maximum pressure on Doncic. He was forced to defend a lot of actions, which tired him out and contributed to him committing fouls with more than four minutes left in the game.
Mazzulla has earned criticism since taking over the team last year. He has found smart ways to attack Doncic and Irving that the Wolves couldn’t do in the previous round. He deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s gotten his two best offensive players into the Mavs’ two weakest links.
That empty corner pick-and-roll was the Finals adjustment. It may have earned the Celtics their 18th banner.
