Minot brings energy, Celtics defensive adjustments

Minot said after the game that the task given to him by the team was simple, which was to defend the best player. Throughout the game, Minot used energy and size to consume Mobley alone, which actually gave other teammates the opportunity to devote more resources to Mitchell.

Minot will limit Mobley's receiving and controlling the ball from a high position.

Minot is quick enough to move close to the defense and has good positioning awareness.

He also has enough defensive awareness when dealing with ball screens on the baseline as Lowman.

Compared with Hauser, Minot has better size and physical fitness, and can better protect rebounds and cover defense in the penalty area with Queta.

Another adjustment the Celtics made in this game was to make arrangements for Mitchell's outside shooting. In the early stages of the game, whether it was a single screen off the ball or a ball screen, Queta and Garza's first tendency was to retreat or stay level. But when Mitchell hit consecutive hits, the Celtics changed their defensive thinking:

They still gave the greatest pressure to consume when holding the ball:

When the screen is initiated, Queta will maintain a higher position, and the help defense on the side will also interfere with Mitchell's choice to force him to play the ball. White on the baseline comes to cover and form an X movement.

In the middle and later stages of the game, whether they are defending Mobley or Mitchell, they will directly assist on both sides to form a peer switch when breaking through. The good rotation speed will test the Cavaliers players' counterattack.

Mitchell and Mobley played a pick-and-roll, and Queta immediately helped defend under the basket:

Atkinson's rotation mode will also use Mitchell and Mobley separately, which may be a factor affecting the stability of the Cavaliers' offense. When others are making decisions with the ball, the Celtics still resolutely implement the first-repair-then-substitution method to destroy the ball.

Shrink and double-team Mitchell in advance to force the ball, and the Cavaliers' offense resets

If they rashly choose to break through the basket, they will inevitably fall into this defensive trap:

Hauser stands on the baseline in advance to guard Mitchell's breakthrough line, and Mitchell can still only give the ball to his teammates on the outside.

In summary, all of Mitchell's points come from three-pointers early in the game. The bite of the front-line defense + the discipline of the peel switch behind him jointly defended the Cavaliers' offense.