In most walks of life, it’s pretty impossible to “fly under the radar” as a seven-footer. It’s the equivalent of playing hide-and-seek and trying to hide behind a mailbox. Usually, it won’t work out too well.
That is, unless the Toronto Raptors are the seeker. And Neemias Queta is the one hiding.
Queta shouldn’t get all the credit for his performance on Sunday afternoon. Toronto’s blissful ignorance of his interior presence stemmed from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown‘s individual gravities. But it was his knack for finding open space on the floor that allowed him to finish with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
The Raptors were so focused on stopping Boston’s stars that they forgot about a guy who has been a top-10 center in the NBA this season.
And that’s not an exaggeration.
Tatum and Queta’s pick-and-roll partnership, in particular, was enough to completely disintegrate the Raptors’ defensive infrastructure. And on the other end, Queta’s mere presence at the rim dissuaded Toronto from coming inside. (When they did, he made them pay.) Queta grabbed seven rebounds (five offensive) and had three blocks on Sunday.
“One, I think he was great defensively,” Joe Mazzulla said of Queta’s performance. “Just his positioning and protecting the rim for us. Also, his rebounding. But offensively, it’s just, like you said, different guys have different coverages. There’s different matchups. He was guarded by a few people, and he was just doing a great job making reads in the game and controlling the paint on both ends of the floor with his offensive rebounds.
“Getting more comfortable finishing in the paint. So, just becoming dynamic in the way that we can attack. And he’s making reads in real time really well. So, he spends a lot of time on that. He’s getting better.”
Sunday was a perfect example of how integral Queta is to Boston’s postseason success this year. If Boston wants to win a championship, Tatum and Brown will have to lead the way. Payton Pritchard needs to score, and Derrick White needs to continue his DPOY-caliber campaign. But Queta may be the most important of all.
“The early initial position. I’ve gotten so much better at that initial positioning,” Queta said of his biggest improvement as a rim protector this season. “Staying out of foul trouble. Getting vertical, too. It’s just been a constant development in all those skills to make you a great rim protector.
“I feel like I’m traveling in that direction, becoming a great rim protector. It’s not easy, and it’s something I really want to be known as in this league, so I just want to keep on owning up those skills.”
Nikola Vucevic returned to the Celtics’ lineup for the first time since March 6 on Sunday. And though rust was certainly a factor, his interior defense left much to be desired.
“Honestly, I think the chemistry part,” Vucevic said of where he needs to grow the most now that he has returned. “That just has to come from us playing and practicing together, which, it’s good to at least get these five games in before the playoffs, and then we’ll have that week in between. That’ll help. But I think, as far as the plays, the coverages, kind of knowing what to do out there in different situations, that was pretty good for me.
“I did a lot of it throughout my rehab. A lot of my workouts were fully left-handed, but I could still do like plays and things like that. And then the week leading up to this one, I watched a lot of film stuff. And just watching the game, studying what Neemi and Luka [Garza] would be doing on different play calls, and things like that. So, I was pretty comfortable out there. Pretty good. I think just continue to build on it.”
Plus-minus numbers aren’t always accurate, but in a game Boston won by 14 points, Queta was a plus-30, and Vucevic was a minus-14.
That’s not a coincidence.
The difference between Queta and Vucevic’s defensive presence was staggering. When Vucevic checked into the game, it was as if the Raptors suddenly saw a completely different basketball team in front of them.
That top-10 remark about Queta rings true for a few reasons. First and foremost, he’s been consistently available for Boston all season. A lot of big men around the league can’t make that claim.
But on top of that, he has developed an unbelievably impressive ability to make reads. And when he fails to do so quickly enough, Mazzulla is on the sideline to remind him with a quick screaming session.
Two defenders blitz Tatum or Brown in the pick-and-roll? Queta slips the screen and rolls to the rim. A ball-handler is about to drive inside? Queta slides over. His man gets a dump-off pass in the pick-and-roll? Queta recovers.
No matter how the situation plays out in front of him, Queta is ready. He’s developed a near-perfect chemistry with Tatum, Brown, Pritchard, and White. And as the competition grows round by round in the postseason, they need Queta to keep growing right alongside it.
“Neemi’s been great,” Brown said. “He’s been just consistently getting better. Protecting the rim, finishing, making those little shots, rebounding. He’s been great. In my opinion, he’s probably one of the most improved players this year. I don’t know if he’s up for the award, but he should be.”
Queta said that he had the Most Improved Player Award on his mind before the season began. He knew that, with his new role, he could have a chance to win it. And, just like Brown, he feels as though he’s put himself in a pretty good position to do so.
“Yeah, I think about it all the time. I feel like I’ve made a good case for it,” Queta said. “Like we say, there’s stuff that we can’t control. At the end of the day, I’m just helping the team win. And that’s my main goal. Obviously, that’s secondary, the [award], but I’m just glad I’m helping my teammates getting to the spot we’re in right now. And whether I win it or I don’t win it, it’s not gonna change my perspective and the approach I take every night.”
Tatum’s (23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists) recent role as Boston’s all-around offensive hub, paired with the same aggressiveness Brown (26 points on 11-of-20 shooting) has displayed all season, was more than enough to take down Toronto. But at one point in the game, it might not have been.
Boston’s fourth-quarter surge guided them to a victory. They won the final frame 35-24.
The first three quarters were a different story.
The Celtics still showed flashes of the title contender they have blossomed into. Queta’s early play led the charge, but Vucevic’s rusty return helped Toronto get right back in the game.
But most of Toronto’s damage was done in transition.
Every time the Raptors had a chance to beat the Celtics down the floor, they took it. And Boston didn’t adjust until the fourth quarter (and even then, the Raptors still found a way to push the pace).
“When you throw the ball in, try to stay on your feet, so you can get back,” Mazzulla said bluntly when asked about how to avoid an influx of opponent transition opportunities. “Don’t have live-ball turnovers.”
Through the first three frames, Toronto scored 20 points off 15 Boston turnovers. The Celtics, mind you, averaged a league-low 12.2 turnovers per game. And they coughed it up 15 times in the first three quarters alone.
Turnovers weren’t the only crux, though. Even when the Celtics got a shot up, the Raptors consistently got out in transition, often beating Boston down the floor.
Toronto’s on-ball pressure and help-over interior defense seemed to speed up the Celtics’ offense at times. It was reminiscent of the pressure that the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder have put on Boston at times.
“Toronto is a physical team,” Brown said. “They load the ball up, they’re physical, they blow up screens.”
It’s no secret that ball pressure has disrupted Boston at times this season. But Sunday’s win over the Raptors may have been the Celtics’ best response to such physicality.
Every time Toronto made a run thanks to its defensive intensity, the Celtics calmed down, collected themselves, and found a way to surge back. And when their offense bounced back, so did their defense, as the Raptors weren’t able to run in transition as easily.
Don’t overlook Toronto. They may not be the Thunder or Spurs, but the Celtics need to take things one round at a time. And based on Boston’s performances against the Raptors, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets in the last week, it’s setting itself up for a solid chance at a first-round victory.
