BRIGHTON — When the Boston Celtics played the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, Svi Mykhailiuk and assistant coach DJ MacLeay emulated Luka Doncic during practice. “He’s literally been Luka,” Xavier Tillman said of MacLeay at the time. “He’s been Luka. Him and Svi [Mykhailiuk].” Ahead of Super Bowl XLIX, Jimmy Garoppolo imitated Russell Wilson. It’s a common theme across sports — players mimicking opposing stars to help their team prepare.
A first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers may not hold the same stakes as the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl. Boston hasn’t had an everyday Tyrese Maxey during its practices.
“Not really,” Baylor Scheierman told BostonSportsJournal.com.
But one guy did make a brief cameo.
“I mean, Ron [Harper Jr.] was playing him the other day,” Scheierman continued. “But yeah, not necessarily.”
Harper dominated the G League this season, earning Third Team honors. He worked his way up to a standard deal in Boston. But nobody can perfectly replicate what Maxey brings to the table.
Maxey averaged 30.0 points against Boston this year. He shot 41.8 percent from the field and a ridiculous 51.4 percent from deep range on 8.8 3-pointers. Of players who faced off against the Celtics more than twice, nobody averaged more points than Maxey.
Scheierman got the assignment on March 1 — the most recent meeting between the Celtics and 76ers. Earlier in the year, Jordan Walsh was Maxey’s primary defender. The Celtics have tried plenty of options. And now, as they prepare to guard Maxey over and over and over again, one potential solution is soaking up as much knowledge as possible.
“Most of it’s kind of like a review,” Walsh said of Boston’s playoff preparation. “Obviously, we played them four times, and we split. But I think the biggest thing is kind of going over the past, what mistakes we went through, what we did wrong, especially me guarding him [Maxey], as [the] guy who was on most of the time in the games that I played. So, I think it’s just a review.
“And then, of course, I’m with JB [Jaylen Brown] now, talking to him about things that Maxey does. Things that get under his skin. Kind of like stuff that’s beyond the scouting report that I’m trying to learn and apply. But I think that’s the biggest thing, for sure.”
Brown knows what it’s like to deal with on-court irritants. When guys get under his skin, it motivates him. That’s what works for some players. For others, that type of behavior can be enough to disrupt their game.
Walsh wouldn’t reveal what he’s learning about Maxey. Just that he’s learning.
“I think it’s huge,” Walsh said. “I think a lot of stars, guys like JB, who are kind of fueled with energy the more you kind of antagonize them. The harder they play, the better they play. So, just knowing small stuff like that, and then small stuff that kind of irritates them to get under their skin, is huge. Because in the playoffs, the difference could be a second. So, trying to get any advantage I can, in any way that I can, just leads to a win.”
That last point is the most important. A win. The only stat that matters in the playoffs.
Postseason basketball is often viewed as a different beast, but in reality, NBA basketball is NBA basketball.
“You have to be able to impact winning,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Trying to keep that message consistent, whether it’s training camp, preseason, regular season, playoffs.”
On some level, that’s true. Boston’s pathway to winning remains the same. The Celtics have generated quality 3-point looks. They’ve protected the rim at a high level. They’ve relied on the half-court dominance of Brown (and later on, Jayson Tatum).
Yet as the Celtics prepare to take on the Philadelphia 76ers, there will inevitably be some differences. For four to seven games, Boston will face the same opponent. One team, rather than an 82-game slate of different faces every night. It’s a sprint, not a marathon.
“He’s able to just get us ready to play,” Scheierman said of Mazzulla. “I think, like you said, he really hasn’t changed his approach of what he’s been preaching all year heading into this playoff series, because not really much has changed.
“It’s going to be the things that we’ve done all year that are going to get us there, but we have to just limit our mistakes, obviously, and I think he’s just done a great job over the course of this week of continuing to show us situations and circumstances where you can win or lose a game in a tight window, and obviously, in the playoffs, every game matters. And so, having that awareness to that detail is really where it’s won and lost.”
Heading into most playoff series, there’s usually plenty of film to study. Two to four regular-season matchups of footage to comb over. But in the case of Boston-Philadelphia, it’s not that straightforward.
The Celtics and Sixers squared off four times this season, but three of them were on or before Nov. 11. Josh Minott was getting heavy minutes. Anfernee Simons, too. Xavier Tillman Sr. was in one of the closing lineups Boston deployed. The Celtics live in a different world now.
But even though neither side looks the same, there is still plenty to learn.
“There’s the ebbs and flows throughout a season, but the things you can control remain the same,” Mazzulla said. “Your transition defense, your ability to defend without fouling, your offensive execution, taking care of the ball, getting good shots, knowing personnel, what we have to take away, what we’re willing to live with, regardless of who’s on the floor. You have to be able to do those things that you can’t control, and at the same time, you have to be able to do [them] with the higher level of physicality and intensity.”
The 76ers scored 15.8 fast-break points per game against the Celtics this season. They took 25.0 free throws per game. There are plenty of controllables for Boston to hone in on.
“Obviously, the playoffs are the most important time of the year. The attention to detail is key,” Neemias Queta said. “That’s one of the things I’m trying to, going into [it], knowing personnel, knowing what their go-to actions are, just taking the mental side with that type of approach. That’s the main thing for me.”
Joel Embiid didn’t play in every game of the regular-season series. Nikola Vucevic only played in one. Tatum didn’t play in any. Neither did Paul George.
“Yeah, I don’t think we played them at full strength all year,” Sam Hauser said. “So, that’s where the film study is really important. To see when they were full strength, how they [played] against other teams, and what we might have to do to guard them and face them.”
But Mazzulla hasn’t wavered. The challenge of Maxey. The challenge of new personnel being thrown into the fold. The challenge of the playoffs in general.
The challenge of heading into the postseason without the veteran ensemble Boston has had at its disposal for the past two years.
From last year to now, the Celtics’ playoff approach hasn’t changed.
“I don’t know if there’s necessarily been a whole lot [of change],” Scheierman said. “I think the standard is still the standard, regardless of if it’s the regular season [or] playoffs. Obviously, the playoffs is heightened with the intensity. And I think obviously, every possession, it just means a little bit more, I think.
“And I think with that, I don’t think a lot changes for me or really the team. It’s just that heightened awareness to the little things that win and lose you a game, which is defensive rebounding, offensive rebounding, transition defense, defending without fouling, tendencies. Those little things. That’s really where the game is won. So, I think it’s just having a heightened awareness to those things.”
Boston will be heading into April, May, and (possibly) June with a younger group than Mazzulla has ever worked with. Al Horford swapped for Queta. Jrue Holiday for Scheierman. Luke Kornet for Luka Garza. Kristaps Porzingis for the likes of Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez.
Yet the approach is the same. Win basketball games. No matter the cost.
And given how the Celtics approached the regular season, that shift in mentality may not be as drastic as it will be for other teams around the league.
“Honestly, for me, I kind of approach every game the same. I mean, you guys kind of figured me out by now,” Scheierman said with a laugh. “I kind of just go in there, just trying to create chaos, and have a lot of energy, and obviously be sharp, and make the right reads, and make winning plays. But I think for me, that’s kind of how my approach always is. And so, going into these games, it doesn’t really change a whole lot for me. I know what’s at stake, and I’m very aware of that, but I’m still going in loose and just confident.”
Boston’s past playoff runs have included speeches, spiels, and metaphors. Stories from outside sources were brought in to ignite the team.
There’s still plenty of time for that to change. Round by round, Boston may need a boost. Mazzulla could bring in new perspectives. But so far, the Celtics have kept it simple. Focusing on what has worked so far.
“Last year, like you said, I think we brought in some Navy SEALs, or something like that, to talk to us. But this year, there really hasn’t been any of that,” Scheierman said. “We’ve just, obviously, talked about [how] the margins of the game is where it’s won and lost, and we have to be super aware of those for 48 minutes. You can’t just do it for one, or two, or three quarters, because you can lose it really quick. And so, I think that’s just kind of been the message really going into these playoffs.”
The Celtics are ready for playoff basketball. The 76ers are the matchup, but they’re preparing for the environment as much as the opponents themselves.
Embiid’s status will hover over the series. Maxey will do what he does. George’s presence will change the landscape. VJ Edgecombe can’t be ignored.
But for all the preparation the Celtics will do. All the film they will study, walkthroughs they will endure, and scouting reports they will read. Philadelphia has to do the same.
And that’s just as dangerous.
“Just trying to prepare and get ourselves ready, too. They got to guard us, too, and play against us, too, and we’re really good,” said Hauser. “So, it’s kind of like a chess match, a little bit.”
