JoePgh
Cranky pants and wise acre
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I have to admit that most of my evenings in the year 2025 have been spent watching one or more of: (a) the UConn women; (b) the UConn men; or (c) the Boston Celtics. Particularly after Sunday's game, it seems to me that there is a strong parallel between Geno's team and Joe Mazzulla's team, to the point where I wonder if they talk to each other about offensive philosophy.
The Celtics have become known in the NBA for taking (by a wide margin) more 3-point shots than any other team. With Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, Derek White, and Kristaps Porzingis (all capable 3-point shooters) in the starting lineup and Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser coming off the bench, they certainly have the talent to do that. But in the last few years, they have also been known as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA as well, and that is a firewall for the nights (and there are quite a few) when the threes aren't falling at the desired percentage.
There isn't a perfect match by position between the two teams, but I can see clear parallels:
Porzingis and Jana -- Jana's 6-5 height at the center position is roughly equivalent to 6-11 in the NBA (i.e., an average-size center in her league) while Porzingis is 7-3, so this is not an exact parallel. And Porzingis takes a lot of 3-point shots, which Sarah does not do (even though she would apparently like to). She also doesn't (yet) protect the rim like Porzingis does, but she does rebound equivalently for the competition that she faces.
Tatum and Sarah -- Jayson Tatum takes a lot more 3's than Sarah (but Sarah may start taking more henceforth), but her overall game is quite similar to his in their respective leagues. Just as UConn sometimes plays with Sarah as their de facto center, the Celtics sometimes have Tatum as their rebounding "big" with four smaller players. And in both cases it works pretty well.
Brown and Paige -- Both players are a bit smaller than would be expected for a front court player, but both swing between front court and back court quite adeptly, getting a lot of both assists and rebounds. Both are good 3-point shooters, but their main contribution is elsewhere.
White and Azzi -- Both of these shooting guards make their primary contribution from the 3-point line, but also play effective defense. Derek White can be quite acrobatic in blocking shots by taller players near the basket, which Azzi doesn't really do -- but both get more rebounds than would be expected at their size. They are also quite capable of driving to the basket when the defender overplays to stop the 3, and of passing for assists when their road to the hoop is blocked.
Jrue Holiday and Kaitlyn / KK -- Neither Holiday nor UConn's guards are major shooters on their teams, but they can shoot effectively when open and they both play a very capable floor game. Holiday is more of a defender than either Kaitlyn or KK, although KK (in her league) might be close.
Payton Pritchard and Ashlynn Shade -- This, to me, is the closest parallel. Pritchard comes off the bench, starts firing 3's and never stops, hitting about 40% -- higher than most Celtics starters. And he gets an amazing number of offensive rebounds from teammates' 3-point misses, just because of hustle. That whole description fits Ashlynn to a T.
You could also draw parallels between Ice and Luke Kornet, or between Sam Hauser and Allie Ziebell, but I will stop there.
The unifying theme is that both teams and both coaches see 3-point shooting as the team's primary offensive weapon, with just enough defense and paint presence to keep from losing the game in those areas when the 3's aren't falling. And this year, the Celtics aren't winning as much as they did last year with their 3-point strategy, because there are plenty of games when their 3-point percentage is in the 20's and then they have a battle on their hands (but they still seem to win most of the close games).
If anything this proves that Geno, far from having the game pass him by (as some argue), has learned to build a roster and play a style that represents the newest and most successful offensive innovation in the NBA.
The Celtics have become known in the NBA for taking (by a wide margin) more 3-point shots than any other team. With Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, Derek White, and Kristaps Porzingis (all capable 3-point shooters) in the starting lineup and Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser coming off the bench, they certainly have the talent to do that. But in the last few years, they have also been known as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA as well, and that is a firewall for the nights (and there are quite a few) when the threes aren't falling at the desired percentage.
There isn't a perfect match by position between the two teams, but I can see clear parallels:
Porzingis and Jana -- Jana's 6-5 height at the center position is roughly equivalent to 6-11 in the NBA (i.e., an average-size center in her league) while Porzingis is 7-3, so this is not an exact parallel. And Porzingis takes a lot of 3-point shots, which Sarah does not do (even though she would apparently like to). She also doesn't (yet) protect the rim like Porzingis does, but she does rebound equivalently for the competition that she faces.
Tatum and Sarah -- Jayson Tatum takes a lot more 3's than Sarah (but Sarah may start taking more henceforth), but her overall game is quite similar to his in their respective leagues. Just as UConn sometimes plays with Sarah as their de facto center, the Celtics sometimes have Tatum as their rebounding "big" with four smaller players. And in both cases it works pretty well.
Brown and Paige -- Both players are a bit smaller than would be expected for a front court player, but both swing between front court and back court quite adeptly, getting a lot of both assists and rebounds. Both are good 3-point shooters, but their main contribution is elsewhere.
White and Azzi -- Both of these shooting guards make their primary contribution from the 3-point line, but also play effective defense. Derek White can be quite acrobatic in blocking shots by taller players near the basket, which Azzi doesn't really do -- but both get more rebounds than would be expected at their size. They are also quite capable of driving to the basket when the defender overplays to stop the 3, and of passing for assists when their road to the hoop is blocked.
Jrue Holiday and Kaitlyn / KK -- Neither Holiday nor UConn's guards are major shooters on their teams, but they can shoot effectively when open and they both play a very capable floor game. Holiday is more of a defender than either Kaitlyn or KK, although KK (in her league) might be close.
Payton Pritchard and Ashlynn Shade -- This, to me, is the closest parallel. Pritchard comes off the bench, starts firing 3's and never stops, hitting about 40% -- higher than most Celtics starters. And he gets an amazing number of offensive rebounds from teammates' 3-point misses, just because of hustle. That whole description fits Ashlynn to a T.
You could also draw parallels between Ice and Luke Kornet, or between Sam Hauser and Allie Ziebell, but I will stop there.
The unifying theme is that both teams and both coaches see 3-point shooting as the team's primary offensive weapon, with just enough defense and paint presence to keep from losing the game in those areas when the 3's aren't falling. And this year, the Celtics aren't winning as much as they did last year with their 3-point strategy, because there are plenty of games when their 3-point percentage is in the 20's and then they have a battle on their hands (but they still seem to win most of the close games).
If anything this proves that Geno, far from having the game pass him by (as some argue), has learned to build a roster and play a style that represents the newest and most successful offensive innovation in the NBA.
