Midway through the third quarter, Joe Mazzulla threw a curveball. After playing man defense for the first half, utilizing their normal switching system the usually has a big man in drop, the Boston Celtics went to a zone. Specifically, they went to a 2-1-2 zone.
As we’ve seen in previous iterations of this defensive alignment, Jrue Holiday is used as a quarterback in the middle of the floor. His strength and speed allow him to close out on drives, remove space, and marshall the defense around him. Having Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet on the backline gives the Celtics elite rim protection and length, while Tatum’s presence as part of the front two is a great way of adding point-of-attack defense on the perimeter.