The Portland Trail Blazers are not a fan of pretty basketball. And that should be taken as a compliment. Every time the Boston Celtics had the ball, the Blazers made it their mission to make life difficult for them.<\/p>\n
Jrue Holiday, who returned to TD Garden for the first time since being traded this past summer, led the defensive charge. Toumani Camara was right behind him.<\/p>\n
What began as a solid offensive night for Boston quickly turned into one of the biggest slugfests of the season. But what happened in between the buzzers?<\/p>\n
1. Project: Stop Donovan Clingan<\/p>\n
From the very moment the game tipped off, it was evident that Boston didn\u2019t forget what happened last time they played the Blazers. When these two teams squared off in Portland on December 28, Donovan Clingan was a menace.<\/p>\n
He grabbed 18 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, and was a major game-changer for the Blazers, who ended up winning the game.<\/p>\n
So, when Clingan started the game for Portland on Monday night, Joe Mazzulla decided to throw the kitchen sink at him.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
No matter which end of the court he was on, if he was crashing for a rebound, Boston swarmed him. They even put extra pressure on him when he was posting up. The Celtics were determined not to let the UConn product beat them again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
(Thiago Splitter subbed Clingan out less than four minutes into his first stint.)<\/p>\n
After starting in Chicago, Amari Williams came off the bench on Monday night. But with Luka Garza sidelined due to an illness, he still got a chance to play. And he made the most of it.<\/p>\n
It was clear that he felt more confident on Monday than he did against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Every motion he went through against the Blazers felt much more purposeful.<\/p>\n
He battled hard on the glass, worked in space under the rim, and defended well in drop. But his most impressive skill was his screening.<\/p>\n
Portland\u2019s perimeter defenders routinely got bodied by the British big man, and it gave Boston\u2019s ball-handlers lots of room to work with.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
(Yes, the second bump was probably an illegal screen. But this still depicts just how brutal a Williams screen can be for a defender to deal with.)<\/p>\n
“Just a good matchup,” Mazzulla said. “One, for the length that they have on their bigs, Clingan and Rob, and then his ability to screen. They just do such a good job [with their] ball pressure and the pickup points, and so, having another guy out there that can create separation for our guards. I thought he did a good job on both ends of the floor.”<\/p>\n
Williams still has work to do when it comes to processing speed, boxing out, and fouling, but the first half of Monday\u2019s game was certainly eye-catching.<\/p>\n
3. The Jrue Holiday return<\/p>\n
Boston traded Holiday to the Blazers in exchange for Anfernee Simons this past July, so Monday was his first time back at TD Garden.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeels different,\u201d Holiday said of his return. \u201cOn the other side now, but feels good. Glad to be back, see a lot of familiar faces, and excited to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holiday helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Championship, and though he spent only two seasons with the organization, he remembers the city fondly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think the people,\u201d Holiday said of what stands out about his time in Boston. \u201cThe fans, the crowd, how they embrace you and kind of make you part of their own home team and own village. So I’ll obviously never forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n