Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Game 3 - Coach's Cut
A complete breakdown of game 3 from the Raptors CRAZY win over the Celtics
The Raptors won game 3 on a buzzer-beater shot from OG Anunoby with .5 seconds left that most likely saved their season. Getting this much-needed win came down to the last seconds, but the Raptors found success throughout this game and Nick Nurse tried everything he could to pull this win off.
Full Video Breakdown:
Lowry Finds A Balance
Kyle Lowry has struggled in this series and a large part is due to Boston’s defensive length with the Celtics opting to keep either Tatum or Brown as the main matchup to defend Lowry. The Raptors opening set shows how important it is to get Tatum off of him, with the play starting off with a dribble handoff that gets the Celtics to switch and then Lowry attacking off a ball screen, starting the game off with a made layup and going to the free-throw line.
Toronto Raptors “Chicago” set for Lowry
The Celtics adjusted the next time the Raptors went to this action ICING or forcing the ball away from the screen after the initial switch. Gasol recognized it and went above for an open 3 that he missed but the Celtics adjustment did not allow Lowry to get downhill this time.
If you have followed me on Twitter before, you know that I LOVE Jay Wright and Villanova’s footwork and balance playing under control. Lowry in the first two games of the series tended to drive out of control, attacking the rim hard and trying to draw fouls and that led to him missing some looks he would normally make. In game 3, he went back to his Villanova roots and prioritized balance when finishing around the rim, and that allowed him to end with 31 points.
Gasol Gets On A Roll
Marc Gasol had not played a great series so far, and the biggest thing that the Raptors changed for him was to roll to the rim out of the ballscreen. Gasol & Ibaka both have the ability to pick and pop as well as roll, but the attack of the rim out of the Roll was key for the Raptors.
FVV Pindown For Siakam
Another tweak that the Raptors ran to start the 4th quarter was to have Fred VanVleet set a pindown for Siakam and force Kemba to either help or switch. In both examples, the Celtics defenders go with Siakam allowing Fred VanVleet to be open on the pop that allowed him to hit a 3 and then attack a closeout.
Toronto Raptors Horns Flex
This is probably the Toronto Raptors best set that they have ran in the series vs the Celtics elite defense, finding more success in games 2 and 3 as the series has gone on. They did not run this set once in Game 1, but they did run it 3 times in game 2 and 4 times in game 3. I expect them to continue to run this action more and more until the Celtics can slow it down.
Here are regular-season examples of the Raptors going to this set as well.
Toronto Raptors Zone Defense
I actually suggested that the Toronto Raptors zone defense the entire game, but here is why. Through 3 games the Raptors have played zone defense for 40 total possessions, only allowing the Celtics offense to score .69 Points Per Possession - a ridiculous defensive performance. In-game 1 the Raptors played zone 11 possessions, in-game 2 they played even less, 6 possesions, but in game 3 they played zone 23 possesions. Of the 23 possessions in game 3, they went to a Triangle & 2 zone for 5 of those possessions. When the Raptors went to the Triangle & 2 they allowed 8 points, so the Celtics actually did well against this primarily because they allowed Tatum to catch the ball at the elbow and isolate.
Zone Defense
Triangle & 2 Defense
Boston Celtics Ballscreen Attack
The Celtics have not really had to adjust yet, and if it wasn’t for the insane buzzer-beater they would be up 3-0 right now. A large part of the success the Celtics have had against the Raptors is to put the Raptors bigs in ballscreen defense, particularly attacking Gasol. A large part of why the Celtics offense looks great is Kemba’s ability to hit a 3 vs the Raptors normal Drop ballscreen coverage, but to also draw 2 defenders and create a 4 on 3 advantage for the Celtics.
“Over” Action
The Celtics opened up the game and ran this action one other time, with the Raptors pressure defense taking away the initial cutting action the Celtics were trying to run. When the Raptors take the initial cut away, they would have Kemba change direction and Theis change the angle of the hand off freeing up Kemba for 3’s.
I originally saw this action from the Utah Jazz in the 2018-19 season special they ran for Kyle Korver:
Zone Floppy
The Celtics will most likely have new zone sets for game 4, but in game 3 they found some success running Floppy action and flowing into a high post flash or a spread ballscreen since the Raptors tend to matchup after the initial actions.
The Game Winner
Before we dive too deep into what happened in this play, I recommend watching and learning why the Celtics were in zone defense from this breakdown video I did on Brad Stevens End of Game Zone Defense.
At the end of games the Celtics run this zone defense no matter what, and here is where scouting and preparation comes into play. In the regular season the Raptors were in a situation that they were down 6 with 12 seconds left and ran a play against the Celtics zone that created confusion and allowed Fred VanVleet to get an open look from 3.
We can see the confusion that this play causes by sending a player over the top and underneath, and the Celtics reacted by covering the wrong players leaving the strongside open. This leads us to the game-winner tonight, the Raptors running the same play but this time two players go with VanVleet on the strongside leaving the skip pass open. Lowery makes a RIDICULOUS pass to OG for the 3 point game winner.
What’s Next?
What should the Raptors or Celtics change for game 4?
Boston Celtics
-Kemba & Tatum ballscreens.
-Zone Sets & Preparation
-More focus on stopping dribble penetration
Toronto Raptors
-More zone defense & mixing it up
-Fred VanVleet & Siakam 2-Man Game
-Patience on drives & more drive & kick opportunities
I hope you enjoyed this breakdown, let me know your thoughts on what adjustments you want to see either team make & any observations you have!
-Coach Pyper