Much has been made about the offense of the Boston Celtics through two games this season, and rightfully so. It’s clicking on all cylinders and it’s been very efficient while featuring multiple scoring options.
It has forced Boston’s defense to play catch up, but the Celtics were up to the task on that end of the floor in a 111-104 win over the Miami Heat on Friday at FTX Arena.
It was a much stronger defensive showing against the Heat after a pedestrian effort on that end of the floor in a season-opening win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston totaled 11 blocks, led by three swats from Derrick White of all players, and held Miami to 30.8% shooting from beyond the 3-point line.
The defensive intensity and buy in of the Celtics have certainly caught the eye of newcomer Malcolm Brogdon, who hasn’t seen much like it, if at all, during his NBA career.
“It’s very special. I haven’t played on a team like this where one through five, everybody that’s on the floor takes pride in the defensive end,” Brogdon said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. “It’s a championship characteristic for sure.”
Brogdon, who tallied seven points, five rebounds and three assists against the Heat, isn’t the only one impressed by the defensive play. Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla agrees with Brogdon’s assessment that having a strong defense, like Boston had last year when it had the best defensive rating in the NBA, can be an integral part of the team’s success.
“I love that our guys love playing defense,” Mazzulla said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. “Anytime you have a group of guys that love defense, you have a chance to be special. Since I’ve been here as a Celtic, every guy on this team has loved playing defense.”
The Celtics look to continue setting the tone on the defensive end on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
