Celtics News: Joe Mazzulla Pinpoints Move That Helped Boston Win It All Last Year

Jeremy Hanna | 2 Hours Ago

Oct 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla celebrates with Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics proved they were the best team in the NBA last season when they won the NBA Championship for the first time since 2008.

While there were plenty of players who contributed to Boston's success that season, guard Jrue Holiday proved to be one of the most significant pieces. Not just because of his amazing stat line, but because of his leadership.

In a recent article by Jared Weiss of The Athletic, head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed a key strategy led by Holiday that proved to be a game changer for the Celtics.

One defensive scheme featured a zone defense that put Holiday in the middle. However, it was his job to tell the team when it was time to utilize this strategy. When it was time, Holiday would tell his teammates, "21 Savage."

“I can’t remember if it was one of the guys’ favorite rappers, but I was like, ‘Let’s come up with a name just to make it fun,’ ” Mazzulla said. “Maybe it’s because Jrue’s a savage and he’s in the middle?”

Holiday could make the play last as long or short as he wanted. It all depended on what Holiday felt was the "emotional pulse of the game."

“It f----- up the offense, really,” Holiday said. “Even if we go on a run, they call a timeout, they’re trying to adjust to what we’re doing. So we throw something different at ’em to mess them up too.”

Power forward/center Al Horford believed the defense worked because it was perfect for cleaning up a teammate's mistake.

“It’s communication and some instinct, to be honest,” Horford said. “If there’s a breakdown or a mistake, he’s covering it up and then we’re reacting off of it and it’s just automatic. We’ve done a good job of trusting each other and instincts just take over.”

“I think it just opened up his creativity and his instincts to do things that, just in the course of the game, he has the ability to do,” Mazzulla said. “When Jrue’s at his best, he’s not thinking. He’s just instinctually reacting and he can change a defensive possession and change an entire game.”

In the end, it's clear that Holiday has the type of leadership and emtional connection to the game that can't be taught and coaches love.

“He has such a great competitive edge to him but he doesn’t let the emotions of the game overwhelm him,” Charles Lee, who coached Holiday to the 2021 NBA Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, said. “He’s able to embrace those emotions. He trusts his game. He’s fearless. That’s why he’s able to just make big plays in those moments. He doesn’t shrink at all.”

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