WALTHAM, Mass. – For the better part of the last two-plus seasons, the Boston Celtics have adjusted their lineup to match up as best as possible with their opponents.
Not anymore.
Not even against the undefeated and defending-champion Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics will host Golden State and its unblemished 23-0 record at 7:30 p.m. Friday night. Although the Warriors pose matchup issues across the board, namely with reigning MVP Stephen Curry, 6-foot-7 shooting guard Klay Thompson and 6-7 “big” man Draymond Green, Boston will not alter its starting lineup for the opening tip.
“No. No,” Brad Stevens said of the possibility of changing his starting five. “I think one of the things that we need to try to be is the best us. We’ve been in that mode since Day 1.
“We’re going to prepare, scout, and do everything that we can to take away what we can from the opponent,” he added, “but at the same time focus on what we do.”
Such a mindset has seemingly pumped an extra rush of confidence into Boston’s players.
“It’s huge,” Amir Johnson, Boston’s starting power forward, said of his coach’s decision to stand pat. “He’s sticking with us. He makes it about us, which it is, and that’s big time.”
Jae Crowder, who will be a critical element of Boston’s attack against Golden State, took it a step further. He believes that his team’s lineup stability is not only a confidence-booster, but also a sign of great progress.
“That means we’re going in the right direction as a unit. Coach senses it. We as players sense it,” Crowder said. “It just feels good right now. We’re in a good state.”
It’s difficult to argue against Crowder’s stance. The Celtics have won four of their last five games, with their lone loss coming by only three points on the road to the now 18-5 Spurs.
Everyone in Boston’s locker room knows that their team ranks third in the league in defense, two spots ahead of Golden State. They also know that they’re on fire offensively, having scored an average of 108.0 points on 46.1 percent shooting over their last five games.
All they need to grab a win on Friday, in their estimation, is more of the same.
“We’re going to stick to what we do,” said Crowder. “We’re going to come out and we’re going to play hard and we’re going to stick to what we do. We’ll tweak a few things here and there, but for the most part, we’re sticking to what we do and banking on our defense to bring us home tomorrow.”
There is no underestimating the challenge that Boston’s defense will face Friday night. Golden State leads the league by a landslide in offensive rating at 114.5, more than seven points per 100 possessions better than the second-ranked Thunder. Their 313 made 3-pointers – 38 percent of which have come off the fingers of Curry – are 77 more than the second-ranked Rockets.
The leaders of this pack of Warriors are Curry and Thompson. Golden State’s offensive firepower starts and ends with its ability to make shots.
Pivot to Boston’s point of view, and its ability to defeat the Warriors hinges on its ability to prevent Curry and Thompson from making shots. Much of that responsibility will fall upon the shoulders of Avery Bradley, who believes that he and his teammates are capable of stepping up to the challenge.
“When I’m defending someone, I think about their strengths and I think of how I can take them out of [those strengths],” Bradley said, before saying that he will concentrate on minimizing free throws and layups off of back-cuts tomorrow night. He added, “I just feel like if I play solid defense, my teammates will be there to help me, and I feel like we can defend them well as a team.”
These Celtics aren’t lacking confidence heading into Friday’s primetime showdown. They will take the court for this game the same way they have for their last 10, with Isaiah Thomas and Bradley in the backcourt, and with Crowder, Johnson and Jared Sullinger in the frontcourt.
They aren’t making any changes. Not even for the mighty Golden State Warriors.
