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Celtics get a boost from Morris' defense on Simmons
by bobheckler Tue May 01, 2018 2:41 pm
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/celtics-boost-morris-defense-simmons-153847552.html
Celtics get a boost from Morris' defense on Simmons
A. Sherrod Blakely,NBC Sports Boston 2 hours 56 minutes ago
BOSTON – The narrative on Marcus Morris has evolved since he became a Celtic.
Known for being a gritty defender, Morris' biggest contributions this season have come as a scorer...until Monday night.
Morris' 11 points off the bench were certainly a plus in Boston's 117-101 win over the Sixers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. But more important, was his defense against Sixers point guard Ben Simmons.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons had a respectable game statistically with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. But he also turned it over seven times – just three less than the turnover total for the entire Celtics team.
And Morris' defense had a lot to do with that.
"That's one of my assignments," Morris told NBC Sports Boston. "If I can slow down guys like him, that affects the team as a whole. Because when he gets going, the whole team gets going."
Morris spent 23 possessions in Game 1 guarding Simmons, more than any other Celtics player. In that span, Simmons scored two points on 1-for-2 shooting with one assist.
At 6-foot-10 playing point-forward, Simmons isn't used to going up against players that can literally look at him eye-to-eye the way the 6-9 Morris can.
But more than anything, Morris brings a physical brand of basketball to the game that, at least in Game 1, gave Simmons problems.
Morris believes his physical style is a problem for most of the players he faces.
"You got one in Cleveland. The rest of them, they feel me. Other than that, I'm going to try and force my will defensively, play both sides of the ball and help my team as much as I can."
Here are five more takeaways from the Celtics Game 1 victory:
DEFENDING EMBIID
Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes blocks the shot of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid.
No one player is going to shut down Joel Embiid. He's too talented for that to happen. But the Celtics' strategy of playing him primarily with one man (Al Horford or Aron Baynes) worked about as well as they could have hoped for. Embiid still finished with a strong 31-point, 13-rebound performance.
RED-HOT ROZIER
Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Terry Rozier continues to amaze folks with his ability to score, as opposed to having shown little signs of being this good, this quickly. He was as aggressive as we've seen him this season, scoring a career playoff-high 29 points which included seven made 3's. "All year, he stepped into that spot perfectly," said Morris. "He's playing really well and have fun."
TATUM COMING OF AGE
The career-high 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting that Jayson Tatum dropped in Game 1 really stands out. Overlooked in his strong outing was his defense. Tatum had a defensive rating of 100.1, which was tops among Celtics starters, a stat even more impressive when you factor in Tatum defended 10 of the 12 Sixers players who saw action in Game 1. And the two he didn't defend, Richaun Holmes and Jerryd Bayless, did not enter the game until the final 1:44 when Tatum was out of the game.
SMART PLAYS
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart goes up for a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid.
There were the usual cringe-worthy shot attempts launched by Marcus Smart, but you knew at some point he would do what he always seems to do and that's make the right play when it mattered most. Getting to loose balls, drawing charges, making an acrobatic layup every now and then...Smart made a number of hustle/effort plays that Boston needed to get the win.
LOW TURNOVERS
The Philadelpiha 76ers' Dario Saric loses the ball out of bounds against the Boston Celtics in Game 1.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens talked about how the turnover game would be a factor in this series. Specifically, his team had coughed the ball up too often against the length and pressure of the Sixers defense. That was not an issue in Game 1, with the Celtics turning the ball over just 10 times, which led to 16 points for Philly. The Sixers didn't turn the ball over that much more than the Celtics (12), but Boston really made them pay by turning those miscues into 23 points.
bob
.
Celtics get a boost from Morris' defense on Simmons
A. Sherrod Blakely,NBC Sports Boston 2 hours 56 minutes ago
BOSTON – The narrative on Marcus Morris has evolved since he became a Celtic.
Known for being a gritty defender, Morris' biggest contributions this season have come as a scorer...until Monday night.
Morris' 11 points off the bench were certainly a plus in Boston's 117-101 win over the Sixers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. But more important, was his defense against Sixers point guard Ben Simmons.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons had a respectable game statistically with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. But he also turned it over seven times – just three less than the turnover total for the entire Celtics team.
And Morris' defense had a lot to do with that.
"That's one of my assignments," Morris told NBC Sports Boston. "If I can slow down guys like him, that affects the team as a whole. Because when he gets going, the whole team gets going."
Morris spent 23 possessions in Game 1 guarding Simmons, more than any other Celtics player. In that span, Simmons scored two points on 1-for-2 shooting with one assist.
At 6-foot-10 playing point-forward, Simmons isn't used to going up against players that can literally look at him eye-to-eye the way the 6-9 Morris can.
But more than anything, Morris brings a physical brand of basketball to the game that, at least in Game 1, gave Simmons problems.
Morris believes his physical style is a problem for most of the players he faces.
"You got one in Cleveland. The rest of them, they feel me. Other than that, I'm going to try and force my will defensively, play both sides of the ball and help my team as much as I can."
Here are five more takeaways from the Celtics Game 1 victory:
DEFENDING EMBIID
Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes blocks the shot of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid.
No one player is going to shut down Joel Embiid. He's too talented for that to happen. But the Celtics' strategy of playing him primarily with one man (Al Horford or Aron Baynes) worked about as well as they could have hoped for. Embiid still finished with a strong 31-point, 13-rebound performance.
RED-HOT ROZIER
Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Terry Rozier continues to amaze folks with his ability to score, as opposed to having shown little signs of being this good, this quickly. He was as aggressive as we've seen him this season, scoring a career playoff-high 29 points which included seven made 3's. "All year, he stepped into that spot perfectly," said Morris. "He's playing really well and have fun."
TATUM COMING OF AGE
The career-high 28 points on 8-for-16 shooting that Jayson Tatum dropped in Game 1 really stands out. Overlooked in his strong outing was his defense. Tatum had a defensive rating of 100.1, which was tops among Celtics starters, a stat even more impressive when you factor in Tatum defended 10 of the 12 Sixers players who saw action in Game 1. And the two he didn't defend, Richaun Holmes and Jerryd Bayless, did not enter the game until the final 1:44 when Tatum was out of the game.
SMART PLAYS
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart goes up for a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid.
There were the usual cringe-worthy shot attempts launched by Marcus Smart, but you knew at some point he would do what he always seems to do and that's make the right play when it mattered most. Getting to loose balls, drawing charges, making an acrobatic layup every now and then...Smart made a number of hustle/effort plays that Boston needed to get the win.
LOW TURNOVERS
The Philadelpiha 76ers' Dario Saric loses the ball out of bounds against the Boston Celtics in Game 1.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens talked about how the turnover game would be a factor in this series. Specifically, his team had coughed the ball up too often against the length and pressure of the Sixers defense. That was not an issue in Game 1, with the Celtics turning the ball over just 10 times, which led to 16 points for Philly. The Sixers didn't turn the ball over that much more than the Celtics (12), but Boston really made them pay by turning those miscues into 23 points.
bob
.
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Join date : 2009-10-28
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