Their backcourt pairing is about balance. They are tenacious competitors who also have the humility to step back and play their roles. Their games are built on defense, smarts, and hustle, but they are capable of making opponents pay on the offensive end.

We wanted to show that we can withstand whatever punch that they have so, we just turned up the defense,' said Holiday.

"That’s why Jrue Holiday is Jrue Holiday," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. The post ‘That’s the Jrue I love’: How Jrue Holiday put the Celtics on his back despite scoring just nine points appeared first on Boston.

The Celtics can switch 1-5 on defense, and that led to Orlando falling into late shot-clock situations that forced them into poor reads.

The Boston Celtics might have the most savage coach in the entire NBA, and perhaps that's why they're the defending NBA champions looking to repeat this season. RELATED: NBA fan grabs insane view of Steph Curry's impossible sideline three-pointer Joe Mazzulla has become one of the biggest names in coaching since taking over the Celtics in 2022,

The Magic came in with a great game plan and used the momentum created by their play-in round win as a springboard to start the game playing confidently. They erased an early Celtics’ 12-point lead and showed off the defense that made them the NBA’s leader in regular-season points and 3-pointers allowed.