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Celtics Prove They Can Defend at High Level

Marc D'Amico
Team Reporter and Analyst

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BOSTON – Brad Stevens has walked away from seven losses this season with a palpable level of frustration.

He and his Celtics suffered their eighth loss of the season Sunday night, but this one tasted a little bit different.

“I told the team just now… this loss is the most we can build off of, of any of the other ones,” Stevens said after falling to Portland on Sunday, “because we really defended a team that’s a really good offensive team.”

The Trail Blazers stand as the league’s second-best 3-point shooting team and seventh-best scoring team. They have two 20-point scorers and five players who average at least 10.7 points per game. They had scored at least 101 points in eight of their previous nine games.

But the Celtics had an answer on Sunday.

Boston’s defense buckled down and contained the explosive Trail Blazers. Portland mustered up only 94 points on 43.0 percent shooting against a Celtics defense that flew around all night long.

Boston held strong throughout the contest, showcasing top-flight defensive rotations and close-outs. The speed and authority with which it played defense was something we hadn’t yet seen this season.

“They were the best we’ve had,” Stevens stated of his team’s rotations. “We had to double the post some, and that’s scary with their shooting, but we got out to their shooters pretty well, especially in the first half.”

Portland could whip the ball around the perimeter as many times as it wanted. Open looks were few and far between.

As Stevens highlighted, this was particularly evident during the first half. The Trail Blazers shot just 30.8 percent from the field during the first quarter and 40.9 percent from the field during the second quarter. It was a complete team effort that yielded results.

“Obviously energy and communication was a big deal,” said Evan Turner, who contributed 10 points and five rebounds. “I think for the most part we were tough at the rim and I think there was a lot of second and third efforts.”

No member of the Celtics could have made that statement following the first seven losses of the season. If they had, they’d have been lying.

Sunday’s defense just looked different. It looked like a defense that can put stress on any offense in the league, even one that possesses an interior presence like All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and 3-point marksmen like Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum.

“That’s why I leave here encouraged,” Stevens said. “I think as we enter a five-day stretch before we play two more contenders, we have something to build off of instead of just trying to believe we can do it without any real proof. Today is good proof for us.”

We already had proof that Boston’s offense can score on anyone. Now we have proof that it can hang with the best at the other end of the court, too.

Was it enough to log a win Sunday night? No, it wasn’t. It was, however, enough to be encouraging as the Celtics head into the home stretch of a brutal November schedule.