During their postseason run, the Boston Celtics defense has been challenged by going up against a myriad of talented offenses.
The Celtics have succeeded at suffocating both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, putting the breaks on the one-man show that is Giannis Antetokounmpo and dealing with a red-hot Jimmy Butler.
But now, Boston’s stiffest test awaits in the NBA Finals in the form of the sharpshooting Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors, who can light things up from beyond the arc with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way, offer different obstacles for Boston’s defense to try to overcome, but Grant Williams feels the Celtics are well-suited to defend one of the more potent offenses in the league.
“They’re unlike any other team,” Williams said on Wednesday during NBA Finals media day. “We’ve been through a team of great isolation players, we’ve been through a team that has a dominant man that can play any position and guard any position, and we played a team that is the most physical and grueling.
“Versus this team, I feel like has that physical nature, but they’re a lot more able to make shots, or a lot more movement and a lot more chasing, and I feel like our team is built for that. We’re built for not only that, but also the physical nature.”
Boston’s hyper-switching defense and versatile wings should alleviate some of the stress the Warriors put on opposing defenses, as Golden State emphasizes off-ball movement and loves to frequently run Curry off of screens for open looks from 3-point range.
But Williams understands there’s way more to pay attention to than just how Golden State moves without the basketball.
“Chasing those guys like, Steph, Klay, Jordan (Poole), we know exactly how much they move off the ball, but they’re just as much as a threat on the ball as they are off,” Williams said. “You have to take priority and understand what you want to take away from them, but also what you want to accomplish as a defense.”
The Celtics will look to put the clamps on the Warriors when the NBA Finals start on Thursday. Game 1 is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
