Celtics have the best defense in the NBA?

[j804]

Saw this on Green Street WEEI some awesome stats on our defense lately, didn't realize it's been that good.

Over their last five games, the Celtics have held the Heat, Spurs, Bulls, Pacers and 76ers — all likely playoff-bound teams — to just 80.6 points per game. That ridiculous stretch included the lowest scoring output of the Miami Thrice era and Indiana’s worst offensive game this season (both 72 points).

The point? A case can be made, rather easily, that the C’s now own the NBA’s best defense.

This recent run vaulted the Celtics to No. 1 in points allowed per 100 possessions (95.3). Their 89.3 points allowed per game still ranks third behind the only other teams that give up fewer than 90 points a night — the Sixers (88.5) and Bulls (88.9) — but that’s dropped to an NBA best 83.4 points surrendered over the past 10 games.

In fact, as colleague Paul Flannery noted, the Celtics have allowed 80 points or fewer in six of their last 12 games (including four of their last six), holding opponents to 40 percent shooting or worse in eight of those 12 contests.

For the season, the Celtics have held opponents to the league’s lowest field goal percentage (41.8%) and 3-point percentage (29.8%), both still tops in the NBA and even better over the past 10 games (38.7 FG%, 25.2 3P%). They make an offense’s life miserable everywhere on the court, ranking top-10 everywhere from at the rim (3rd) to 3-9 feet (8th) to 10-15 feet (1st) to 16-23 feet (7th) to 3-point range (1st).

Aditionally, the C’s hold teams to the league’s lowest assist rate, meaning only 17.5 percent of opposing possessions result in assists. That’s a lot of one-on-one basketball, and that’s a good thing for the Celtics defense. Doc Rivers despises when his team plays “hero ball,” so he must love seeing other teams play it against his.

Per 100 possessions, the C’s 15.6 blocks (5th) and 14.7 percent turnover rate (5th) aren’t shabby, either.

All five of the current Celtics starters rank among the top 62 overall defenders in the league this season in terms of points allowed per possession, according to Synergy Sports Technology.

Player: points allowed per possession (rank)

Brandon Bass: 0.63 (9th)
Avery Bradley: 0.70 (21st)
Kevin Garnett: 0.73 (33rd)
Rajon Rondo: 0.74 (41st)
Paul Pierce: 0.76 (62nd)

Improvement in the Celtics defense since the All-Star break is no fluke. Rivers made two significant changes to the lineup: 1) moving his best and most vocal team defender (Garnett) to center; and 2) inserting both a great one-on-one defender (Bradley) and a very good post defender (Bass) into the starting lineup.

Those adjustments allowed Bradley and a reinvigorated Rondo to cement a group of guards that has allowed an NBA best 31.1 points per contest to opposing backcourts over the last 10 games.

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2012/04/09/irish-coffee-do-celtics-own-nbas-best-defense/

[ianboyextreme]

yeah, to me it is visibly the best night in and night out.

[colincb]

The rest of the story:

Bradley and an engaged Rondo require less help defensively, allowing Garnett and Bass to hold down the fort rather than cheating from the post.

As a result, the Celtics starting lineup owns a ridiculous efficiency differential (+20.1) that’s 32.2 percent better than the league’s next-best team since the All-Star break and even more absurdly good (+30.6) — or 37.8 percent better than the second-ranked Thunder starters — over the last 10 games.

Sprinkle in some shot-blocking and rebounding from reigning D-League Defensive Player of the Year Greg Stiemsma, whose adjustment to the team’s defensive schemes has improved tremendously, and the Celtics now own the best defense in the NBA — one that may only improve should Mickael Pietrus return.

Good story.  Also read somewhere else that our second unit was the best defensively in the NBA, but because it had no scorer it still had a negative margin. The addition of RA as 6th man should reverse that.

[jdz101]

Wow way to go brandon....

[droopdog7]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

[Bankshot]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

I agree with this.  Avery has really surprised me.  I had no idea he would turn out this good, especially how bad he looked last season.

[Chris]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

I agree with this.  Avery has really surprised me.  I had no idea he would turn out this good, especially how bad he looked last season.

And the beginning of this season. 

I think Doc needs a TON of credit for bringing Bradley along perfectly.  I think he was the perfect example of a player that if he was not eased in the perfect way, he could have never even gotten to where he is right now, let alone continue to improve even more.

[j804]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

I agree with this.  Avery has really surprised me.  I had no idea he would turn out this good, especially how bad he looked last season.

And the beginning of this season. 

I think Doc needs a TON of credit for bringing Bradley along perfectly.  I think he was the perfect example of a player that if he was not eased in the perfect way, he could have never even gotten to where he is right now, let alone continue to improve even more.

you mean thank Rondo missing games otherwise we probably don't see Badley at all this year

[Boris Badenov]

This is amazing - Bass in particular.

I don't know whether KG or Doc deserves more credit (probably both), but this is a huge credit to the system and leadership. Over the last four years this organization has taken some players who were known as poor to average defenders (Ray, Baby, Bass, to a lesser extent Pierce) and coaxed stellar performance out of them. It also turned Perk from good to elite.

All organizations know that defense wins championships. The Celtics know how to make it happen.

[Lucky17]

Sentiments echoed on ESPN this morning:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/40245/killer-lineup-the-celtics-new-look

[Fafnir]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

I agree with this.  Avery has really surprised me.  I had no idea he would turn out this good, especially how bad he looked last season.

And the beginning of this season.  

I think Doc needs a TON of credit for bringing Bradley along perfectly.  I think he was the perfect example of a player that if he was not eased in the perfect way, he could have never even gotten to where he is right now, let alone continue to improve even more.

you mean thank Rondo missing games otherwise we probably don't see Badley at all this year

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bradlav01/gamelog/2012/

Well considering that Bradley has seen court time in all but two games this season, reality doesn't match up with you perception.

Doc handed Bradley the backup PG role from the very first game of the year. Rondo's injury allowed Bradely to carve out a bigger role somewhat, but not really. He was still mostly just playing the backup PG minutes for Rondo. (with Dooling or Pierce running the offense more often than not)

[guava_wrench]

Avery has a lot to do with this because as the story noted, neither of our guards needs help.  There is virtually no penetration which means that everyone else can just play their man.

I agree with this.  Avery has really surprised me.  I had no idea he would turn out this good, especially how bad he looked last season.

And the beginning of this season. 

I think Doc needs a TON of credit for bringing Bradley along perfectly.  I think he was the perfect example of a player that if he was not eased in the perfect way, he could have never even gotten to where he is right now, let alone continue to improve even more.

you mean thank Rondo missing games otherwise we probably don't see Badley at all this year

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bradlav01/gamelog/2012/

Well considering that Bradley has seen court time in all but two games this season, reality doesn't match up with you perception.

I can't help feeling dismay every time people make such comments that are completely out of touch with reality because they have an ax to grind about a coach, a politician, or anybody.

Properly used hyperbole isn't supposed to sound like you refuse to learn what actually happened.

[j804]

lol knew somebody would take offense to that comment not blasting Doc at all what I'm saying is once Rondo was out for those couple weeks forget for what, is when AB showed us what he's capable of and in turn Doc built up HUGE confidence in him. If not for that stretch we probably don't see Bradley permanently in the starting lineup, no? He still would see the floor went too far there but probably not as much as he is now.

Edit: also Rays injury was a big part of Bradley's emergence

[j804]

Some more praise on our recent lineup changes and new and improved offense and defense via Truehoop

http://es.pn/Hv1WcZ

[alajet]

lol knew somebody would take offense to that comment not blasting Doc at all what I'm saying is once Rondo was out for those couple weeks forget for what, is when AB showed us what he's capable of and in turn Doc built up HUGE confidence in him. If not for that straetch we probably don't see Bradley permanently in the starting lineup, no? He still would see the floor went too far there but probably not as much as he is now.

Fair point here. But I say that stretch with Rondo out did not open an eye for Doc or something. Avery wasn't quite comfortable whilst playing PG spot.
So, it wasn't Doc, for me. It was Avery. Had that stretch didn't happen for him, he wouldn't be able to shake off his rust and build some confidence