The Celtics advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs and will have a long break before facing their next opponent.
Boston closed out the Orlando Magic in Game 5 at TD Garden to win the best-of-seven series. Joe Mazzulla’s side will play the Detroit Pistons-New York Knicks series winner, which was extended to six games Tuesday. It should be obvious which team Celtics fans should root for.
The C’s swept the season series against the Knicks (4-0) and went 3-1 in their season series against the Pistons. Seems simple enough, right? And in multiple ways, it is.
New York made blockbuster trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns last offseason, and they proved to be solid additions. However, they don’t match up well against the C’s. Josh Hart is a tough-nosed defender, but the Celtics were still able to exploit that matchup. Jalen Brunson is a skilled offensive player, but he’s too undersized to match up against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as a switch defender.
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The Pistons’ lone win against Boston was without Brown in the matchup. Regardless, Detroit’s personnel proved to match up better against the defending NBA champions. Cade Cunningham took another leap this season, and his drives created fits for the Celtics’ defense. Tim Hardaway Jr.’s and Malik Beasley’s 3-point shooting provided good answers to compete against Boston’s 3-point barrage. Tobias Harris and Ausar Thompson are also just as good defenders on Brown and Tatum as Bridges and OG Anunoby were for the Knicks.
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Boston would be favored in a series against either team. However, a highly skilled and scrappy Pistons team could present similar issues that Orlando gave the C’s in the first round. Detroit also is more capable of following a similar script the Magic defense pulled off: Limiting 3-pointers by staying home on shooters, defending 1-on-1 and not over-helping on drives. The Pistons were No. 1 in the NBA playoffs in allowing the fewest 3-point shots (34.2%). New York’s losses against the Celtics were due to an inability to follow that defensive scheme.
New York can close out its series against the Pistons in Game 6 on Thursday, and the Celtics will know if they will face the Knicks or have more time to rest if Detroit forces a Game 7.
