Celtics' All-Defensive Backcourt Relishing Chance to Guard Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in NBA Finals

Bobby Krivitsky | Jun 3, 2024

Apr 3, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) high fives guard Jrue Holiday (4) before a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Stan Van Gundy called them "the most talented backcourt in the history of the NBA," They're two of the most impressive scorers the league has ever seen, and now they stand between the Celtics and Banner 18.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving each generated 36 points in the Mavericks' closeout win over the Timberwolves to reach this stage. The former is nearly averaging a triple-double this postseason, producing 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in Dallas' Finals run. Irving is registering 22.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per playoff tilt. He's also burying 42.1% of the 6.3 threes he's hoisting in what's been a renaissance season.

Boston will cycle through defenders and pick-and-roll coverages, hoping to prevent those two from taking over the series. The All-Defensive backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will prominently feature in those plans.

Understanding the outsized impact that the job the Celtics do against Doncic and Irving will have on who lifts the Larry O'Brien Trophy, it's an opportunity the Celtics' guards are relishing.

"Two completely different players, but some of the best guards in this NBA, and so, it's gonna be a challenge, obviously," voiced White on Saturday at the Auerbach Center. "Luka, with his size and physicality, and Kyrie, with his creativity. It's definitely a challenge, and it's gonna be a lot of different guys thrown at them and a lot of different matchups, and you've just gotta take the challenge."

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Jrue Holiday, a six-time All-Defensive team selection, shared about what it's like guarding the Mavericks' star tandem: "It's hard, but it's fun. (They're) two of the best scorers in the league. They've been doing it all of their career, and you've seen what they've been doing in the playoffs. They are in a really good groove, not just scoring but playmaking, making the team better in crucial moments and (in) closeout games and whatever it is. They've been performing very, very great. So, it's not going to (be) easy, but it will be fun."

And while challenges like this, especially when encountering them on the NBA's brightest stage, can cause some to buckle under the pressure, White is embracing an opportunity he's eager for.

"That's the fun thing about being a guard in the NBA now," the former Colorado Buffalo conveyed. "Every night, it's somebody different. And, obviously, Kyrie and Luka are at the top of that list, and this is what you want to play, this is what you dream about as a kid, and it's the NBA Finals, it's gonna be a challenge, and so we've just gotta be up for it, and it's gonna be a lot of fun."

But it's easy to talk about embracing that challenge from a podium. When the ball is tipped, the pressure's mounting, and Irving and Doncic are getting the best of Boston, an unavoidable scenario when combatting players of their skill level, whether the Celtics stay the course is a test with significant implications on their ability to prevail on a game-to-game basis and in this series.

"We know they're great players," stated White. "(There) isn't really no stopping them. You just try to make it difficult for them, and they're gonna make tough shots, and they're gonna take tough shots. So, just continue to trust the game plan, trust that over the 48 minutes, what we're doing is gonna work, and so there's gonna be stretches, there are gonna be runs where they might hit, three, four, five in a row, tough shots, but you've just gotta continue to trust the game plan and trust that it's gonna work out in the long run."

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The Celtics' poise against the Pacers, withstanding the blows from Indiana's high-octane offense, understanding their strategy on defense would keep them within striking distance, was crucial to maintaining the composure necessary to limit the damage from beyond the arc, stay the course, and allow their experience and talent advantage to win out in crunch time, defined as the final five minutes of matchups within five points.

Against the Mavericks, they'll face an exponentially more difficult version of the same test. The Pacers score at a higher clip, and relentlessly pushing the pace creates chaos and confusion for the opposition. But when it's Irving and Doncic dismantling defenses or coming through in clutch moments, it registers differently than when it's coming from Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam.

But Boston's tune-up for this test should help with its final exam. And if the Celtics, yielding just 101.3 points per game this postseason, the third-fewest, and limiting opponents to 8.8 points per contest in crunch time in this year's playoffs, per NBA.com, can again elevate to a level defensively that only they can reach, there's likely a parade down Boylston Street in their plans for this summer.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Grateful for Second Chance in NBA Finals

Kristaps Porzingis Making Encouraging Progress Toward NBA Finals Return

NBA Finals MVP Odds: Jayson Tatum Front-Runner for Bill Russell Trophy

NBA Finals Betting Lines: Celtics Significant Favorites Over Mavs

Joe Mazzulla Eviscerates Contrived Narrative about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals Has Kyrie Irving Between Boston and Banner 18

Al Horford Returns to NBA Finals Aiming to Add to a Legacy Already Cemented

Jaylen Brown's Evolution Propels Him to Eastern Conference Finals MVP