Well right now, the Celtics might be playing some of the best defense in history, and Doc Rivers' vision is being realized. Few people outside of Celtics fans and Doug Collins have taken note. Here are some quotes from a thought piece by John Hollinger at ESPN, posted by somebody over at CelticsBlog.
The defense, however, hasn't just been treading water; it's practically walking on it. Boston has allowed an astounding 92.9 points per 100 possessions over its past 15 games, according to NBA.com's advanced stats tool, a figure which has propelled it to the league lead in defensive efficiency.
Let me help you try to grasp the significance of that 92.9 figure. The league average in offensive efficiency in that stretch shot up to 103.0, as every NBA team (except the ones playing Boston) found its post-lockout offensive rhythm.
So in the past 15 games, Boston's defensive efficiency is a full 10 points better than the league average, a feat which nobody has done for a full season since … actually nobody has ever done that. Not even the 2008 champions, who were only 7.98 points better.
That gives you some idea of how awesome the Celtics' defense has been, but again the question comes up: How? Early in the season, the Celtics didn't defend even remotely this well. Boston permitted 100.5 points per 100 possessions in its first 10 games, leaving it in the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency. Kevin Garnett looked heavy-legged and unable to jump, and it wasn't clear how that problem might fix itself, plus the bench was a federal disaster zone.
I wrote about this very topic in January, when Kendrick Perkins and the Thunder visited and every Celtics fan was mourning Perk's departure as the reason for the team's decline.
It seems absurd now, but the mood in Boston in mid-January was rather pessimistic. Slowly but surely, the Celtics got better, and it rapidly coalesced coming out of the All-Star break. Garnett found his legs and has defended with his usual zeal ever since, plus he embraced a shift to the center position once Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox were lost for the season. That move finally allowed Boston to put its best frontcourt duo (Garnett and Brandon Bass) on the court for extended periods.
Other small but subtle shifts worked in Boston's favor: Shot-blocker Greg Stiemsma fortified the second unit, veteran castoffs like Mickael Pietrus and Ryan Hollins made a bad bench somewhat less awful, Rajon Rondo stopped missing games with nagging injuries, and Paul Pierce got in better shape.
So they were a better team once the tough part of the schedule came along. With those changes, the Celtics gutted out road wins in Atlanta and Milwaukee that kept themselves in the Atlantic Division race and allowed them to survive the grueling eight-game road trip.
And yet, they still were more or less scuffling along. Then Avery Bradley started playing regularly at shooting guard, and suddenly the Celtics found another level.
Bradley went in the starting lineup when Ray Allen went out with an injury, and he's been so good that Allen is now coming off the bench. Bradley's impact has been twofold. First, he had been abysmal offensively in previous trials at the point, but playing off the ball next to Rondo he's proved adequate: In this nine-game stretch as a starter, he's hit double figures six times.
Defensively, however, Bradley is a world-class pest. He's quick, athletic and relentless and excels at pressuring the ball, making up for being a bit undersized for the 2. While his rejection of Dwyane Wade last week is the play everyone is talking about, my heart was won earlier this season, when Orlando's guards could scarcely get the ball across the time line against him.
Add a heavy dose of Bradley to the mix, and the result has been that an already excellent defense has become an absolutely terrifying one. In this nine-game stretch, the Celtics have allowed 79 points or fewer five times, and the only teams to beat them are Chicago and San Antonio.
The lineup data supports the idea that Boston has found itself a defensive lineup for the ages. Check out the carnage on NBA.com's advanced stats tool: When Bradley and Garnett play together, Boston gives up 88.8 points per 100 possessions, allows 38.8 percent shooting and forces nearly one turnover for every assist. This is scary stuff, and it's not one of those small-minute flukes, either -- they've played 658 minutes together.
You think that's impressive? How's this: When Rondo and Bradley play together, opponents average 82.2 points per 100 possessions.
That's nearly 20 points below the league average. It's in 271 minutes, so it's not as robust a sample as the data with Garnett, but good heavens. The Celtics barely need to bother with an offense if the D is going to provide this kind of domination.
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Despite more season-ending injuries than any team in history (Jeff Green, Jermaine O'Neal, Chris Wilcox, ...), and despite being so bad at rebounding and not having as much offensive firepower as in the past --- all-world defense enables the Celtics to compete with and have a chance at beating the top 4 of OKC/Miami/Chicago/San Antonio.
