Comparing the Pacers and Celtics guards
By Ben Pfeifer
It all starts at the point of attack. Let’s compare the guard play of the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
The guard position has become the bloodline of great NBA teams. Aside from the rare breed of big wing primary initiators (LeBron, Giannis, Zion, Simmons), the guard is typically the primary driver of NBA offense. In the playoffs, elite shotmaking guards can often be the difference between going home and advancing. Outstanding defensive and passing guards can’t be overlooked either, as they often act as the glue holding great rosters together.
In the battle of the guards for the Pacers upcoming playoff series, the Boston Celtics have a clear advantage. Even if Victor Oladipo was healthy, Boston would still have a sizable edge.
Boston’s guards and the team as a whole run through All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving. One of the all-time great guard scorers, Irving’s offensive onslaught is difficult to contain. His all-time level ballhandling, elite shooting and hyper-efficient, and versatile finishing make him a near impossible cover.
Fortunately, the Pacers’ guard room consists of a few excellent perimeter defenders. While none of them are offensively gifted, they are excellent on the defensive side of the ball. Cory Joseph is making a legitimate all-defense case this season, with his ball-hawking individual defense. Advanced metrics love Joseph as well, as his 2.0 Defensive Player Impact Plus Minus ranks second among all guards and he’s a top 10 defensive guard by RPM. Watch Joseph stick like an adhesive to Irving’s hip before contesting the fadeaway jumper into a miss:
However, Joseph by himself will not be enough to contain the uncontainable Irving. Neither will be the efforts of Wes Matthews, Tyreke Evans or any other guard the Pacers want to throw at him. Limiting Irving will take a whole team effort, with everybody rotating in sync and doing their jobs.
One tactic the Indiana Pacers have used and can use against Irving is the hard hedge, in order to take the ball out of his hands. The Pacers will want to coax Kyrie into passing and force questionable playmakers like Marcus Morris to facilitate offense:
In order to attain favorable matchups for Irving to attack, the Celtics will look to push in transition before the defense is set. Pushing one on one, Irving can pull from his bottomless crater of tricks to get to his spot, here meshing the behind the back dribble with a step-back mid-range shot:
Moving to the other side of the ball, Marcus Smart is the best defensive guard in the NBA and one of the 35 best players in the entire league (his injury could have a HUGE bearing on the series). His defense is suffocating and he, usually, can eliminate one player from a game by himself. He warps through screens like nobody else, utilizing his strength and IQ to weaponize himself on the defensive end:
Smart will likely spend the bulk of his minutes guarding the most threatening offensive small on the floor for Indiana, whether that be Evans,
or somebody else. To counter Smart, Indiana needs to target other defenders or move Smart off the ball, playing him into a minor mistake. Though Kyrie Irving is an improved defender, the Pacers will look to attack him often before they choose to tango with Smart.
Though the Celtics’ starting backcourt is loaded, the quality of play plummets when Irving takes a seat. This is mainly due to
, an actively damaging player whom the Pacers must look to exploit. Effectively a small combo guard, Rozier’s ball-stopping tendencies and overall lack of IQ damn him on both ends of the floor. His efficiency is awful (.497 TS%), due to many questionable shots and missed passes. Rozier plays like he’s constantly in big head mode, here attacking the best rim protector in the NBA with 18 seconds left on the shot clock, missing the layup wildly:
On both ends, the Indiana Pacers must force Rozier to do as much as Brad Stevens will let him. Make him run the offense. Run him across countless screens. His IQ lapses on defense and terrible shots on offense will add up, allowing Indy to potentially make a big run in a game.
Lastly, Tyreke Evans playing well is the biggest factor of variance in this series. If the Tyreke Evans who is making good passes and finishing his shots at the rim shows up, the Pacers will have magically added a potent creator to their roster. If not, he’s a player whose abysmal offensive efficiency should make Nate McMillan consider benching Evans all together.
Next. 3 keys to Pacers playoff success against the Boston Celtics. dark
In all likelihood, the Indiana Pacers are not going to win the guard matchup in their playoff series with the Celtics. Controlling the bleeding is the key, then. If they can take the ball out of Kyrie Irving’s hands, avoid Marcus Smart’s relentless defense and force Terry Rozier to make plays, their chances of upsetting Boston increase markedly.