Check-Mate: The Celtics Defensive Rotations to Slow Down LeBron James
How the Celtics managed to alleviate mismatch problems and how the Cavaliers countered in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals
The NBA has always been a league of strategic reactions. One seemingly dominant style will emerge, then teams will attack this strategy with a new scheme or tactic. Every strategy, offensive or defensive, has its weaknesses. And, in a seven game playoff series, the team that wins is the team that can be one step ahead in their adjustments from game-to-game.
The modern pace and space offense, with versatile, playmaking big men has led to switch heavy defenses. Boston and Golden State have been the torch bearers for front offices accumulating long, athletic wings that are able to guard fast-twitch point guards as well as muck it up with stronger forwards and, at times, centers.
So, how do teams counter a defensive style that seems to nullify traditional ball-screens and solve the problems created by elite modern offenses? Well, the solution and underlying theme of this year’s playoffs has been creating mismatches with a team’s weakest link defensively. We’ve seen Boston attack Philadelphia’s J.J. Redick, Houston isolate Stephen Curry, and Golden State attempt to involve James Harden in as many actions as possible.
Boston, under the leadership of Brad Stevens, has a defense built to defend LeBron James. But, even they must make a trade off of offense for defense when playing Terry Rozier at point guard, because Rozier, at 6'2", is a significant mismatch when switched on LeBron in the post.
To be fair, LeBron’s size and strength have been troublesome for everyone near the rim. LeBron has averaged 3.9 possessions in the post per game in the playoffs and has shot 59.1% on post ups, fourth of all players with more than 2 post ups per game in the playoffs. With Terry Rozier as the primary defender in the playoffs, according to data from Second Spectrum, LeBron has shot 4 of 7 from the field with 12 points on 22 possessions. Yet, in the past two games, both Cavalier wins, James is 4–4 with 11 points on 11 possessions.
By having LeBron take advantage of the Celtics switching Rozier onto LeBron, the Cavs have generated easy points. Most of these switches have come from a James-George Hill pick and roll with LeBron as the screener. Subsequently, with Rozier now switched onto him, LeBron can post on the smaller Rozier, while the Celtics’s help defenders are occupied with shooters. It’s also important to note that this action only creates an advantage if the players surrounding James are shooting it well, as they have in Games 3 and 4.
Celtics Re-switch Post Defense
The Cavs have been relentless in forcing the LeBron-Rozier switch, as have the Rockets with Curry. The Celtics have countered with even more switching, attempting to stay one step ahead of the Cavaliers’ bully-ball.
After the James-Hill pick and roll, Rozier attempts to play on the top side of LeBron as he creates position in the mid-post. This subtlety forces Hill’s entry pass to be lofted. In doing so, Horford, or whoever is in help position under the basket, makes a quick switch with Rozier. Rozier then scampers to the weak side corner to defend the open man, and the other three Celtics defenders rotate accordingly.
This strategy worked sparingly in the first half, but allowed the Celtics to make several defensive stands early in the third quarter as they mastered the tricky defensive rotations. The Celtics’ counter of more switching has a thin margin for error, banking that the Celtics can rotate faster than the Cavs can recognize the open man and swing the ball.
In the following clip, the Celtics again force another switch to get Horford on James in the post — a much more advantageous matchup for the Celtics than Rozier on James. While Rozier slips making the rotation, he is still able to recover to create a turnover. By taking the Cavaliers’ primary advantage and turning it into turnovers, the Celtics are able to create turnovers and easy scoring opportunities.
Cavaliers Inverted Pick and Roll
Sporadically throughout the series, the Cavaliers have deployed a counter that proved an incredibly useful tool in stopping the Celtics new switching gem. By inverting the pick and roll, with Hill setting the screen for a ball-handling James going towards the baseline, the Cavs force Rozier to switch onto LeBron. With James already having the ball and a size and strength advantage, James can back Rozier into the post without Horford or other Celtics being able to create a switch.
This should be the Cavs ace in the hole when their offense stalls or they need a quick bucket. While the other four players become simple pawns, it forces the Celtics to double team LeBron or give up an easy shot over Rozier. However, this does come at the peril of removing the Cavaliers’ role players if used to often, taking them out of the rhythm of the game.
The playoffs are an intricate game of chess. Each counter move shifts the scales toward one team, forcing the opposing coach and players to make another adjustment. The Celtics re-switch in the post gave the Celtics an upper hand on that end of the court until it didn’t — when the Cavs adjusted once again to put the King in the easiest possible mismatch.
Maybe the next move for the Celtics is to trap the pick and rolls when LeBron is the ball handler and Rozier is involved defensively to force other Cavaliers to create a play. Or maybe Stevens will be forced to play Marcus Smart more minutes in place of Rozier in Games 5 and 6, making the tradeoff of Scary Terry for Smart’s defense which has forced 5 turnovers in 30 possessions as the primary LeBron defender.
The Rockets implore a similar strategy as the Cavs did late in Game 4 in getting Curry on Harden by having whoever Curry is guarding, typically Trevor Ariza, screen for Harden. How the Celtics and Warriors counter will vitally important going forward. The Celtics have a thinner margin for error due to their lack of Golden State’s scoring prowess.
Each coaching staff will be forced to get creative, empty their deck, and continually make new adjustments. That just have to hope they make their adjustments before the opposing team calls “check-mate”.
