Inside The Celtics

Jrue Holiday Discusses Celtics' Offense and Their Mindset: 'That's How Most People Like to Play Basketball'

Jrue Holiday registers 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block in the Celtics' 155-104 win against the Pacers.

Bobby Krivitsky

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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Wednesday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics improved to 4-0 with a 155-104 blowout win over the Indiana Pacers.

They registered the second-most points in franchise history. It's also their third-largest margin of victory since 2000, per the team's radio play-by-play broadcaster for 98.5 The Sports Hub, Sean Grande.

It also comes on the heels of the C's steamrolling the Washington Wizards Monday night in the nation's capital, earning a 126-107 win in a game they led wire-to-wire.

After that victory, from Jayson Tatum to Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla, the team voiced the importance of not letting their opponent dictate their effort.

That was repeatedly a problem last season, but one Boston's made good on addressing in its first two opportunities to do so in the 2023-24 campaign.

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Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) goes through the Indiana Pacers defense to dunk during the first quarter at TD Garden.

"I think there's a maturity, there's a competitive nature, being able to just lock into whoever you're playing against," stated Jrue Holiday after Wednesday's win.

"I know that there are times where there's a lesser caliber team, or how you look at a team on a stat sheet, you can be like, 'All right, well, this can be an easy night for us.' But again, I think that's a part of the mindset that we're having is (that) each game is different. Each game is an NBA game. Each player is an NBA player, and any night, they can go out and give you 40 (or) 50 points. So, I think as a team, we are really locked into that mentality."

The two-time All-Star, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block against the Pacers, conveyed the following to Inside The Celtics about his comfort level offensively with his new team.

"Think I'm pretty comfortable again. I feel like (with) the talent that we have, it makes the game easy for me. Honestly, I feel like because of the talent (we have), they have to guard them. I think anybody here thinks that they can go one-on-one and be able to score against anyone. But I think with the talent we have, we have disadvantages (to attack) everywhere. So, then that's what makes our offense pretty good."

To that point, Holiday also discussed how the team with the best top six in the NBA embracing having a roster filled with players who are post-up threats makes them that much more challenging to defend.

"At any moment, we know, like if our three ball's not falling, we can also go into the paint and post up. We got JB and JT in the midrange and going one-on-one with KP down there. I feel like we have a lot of bases covered, but again, I think it's more about not getting bored, not getting complacent, being able to lock into every game and each opponent."

And while there were plenty of examples of Boston relying too heavily on isolations and lacking activity and ball movement against the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, they've capitalized on a chance to remedy that against two lower-quality defenses in Washington and Indiana.

"The ball has energy," expressed the former UCLA Bruin. "That's how most people like to play basketball. I think, sometimes, when it gets too stagnant, or you're playing one-on-one, it can get pretty dry, but when you're moving like that and curling to the basket, there is a good feeling of getting your man a bucket. So, if I'm setting a screen and he scores off of me setting a screen, it's like I'm still making something happen without necessarily being in that play.

"Not only that, I think trust, just being able to trust each other, knowing that we have great scores on this team, and being able to sacrifice, like it might not be my game today on scoring, but there's something else that I can do. So, yeah, (we're) still trying to figure it out. I think that we can get to another level."

Further Reading

Celtics Continue Showing Growth in Key Area, Make Light Work of Pacers

What the 76ers' Trading James Harden Means for the Celtics

Weighing Whether Celtics Should Sign Danny Green

After Dominant Display vs. Wizards, Celtics Discuss Not Playing Down to Competition

Here's Where Jaylen Brown Impressed Joe Mazzulla the Most in Celtics' Win vs. Heat

Kristaps Porzingis Gives Glimpse of How He'll Boost Celtics Late-Game Offense

Celtics Embracing Sacrifice in Championship Pursuit: 'Have to Buy into That'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative

Here's What to Know About Celtics' 2023-24 Schedule

Dwyane Wade Discusses Jayson Tatum's Next Step, Him and Jaylen Brown's Challenge, Heat Culture, Pat Riley, Damian Lillard, and Life After Basketball

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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