The adage “defense wins championships” is often overused. Originally delivered by football coach Bear Bryant, the cliche has turned into an end-all, be-all when it comes to sports, including basketball. More goes into a title run than just defense.
But in the case of the Boston Celtics, when their defense is clicking on all gears, it’s easy to picture Banner 18 hanging in the rafters.
“Defense is going to help us propel to where we want to get to,” Jaylen Brown said after the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat. “And defensively tonight, we weren’t good enough.