« It starts with the offense playing well, » Will Hardy said. « It puts a lot of pressure on you. »
As a former Celtics assistant, Jazz coach Will Hardy has plenty of familiarity with Boston’s defense.
On Friday night, he experienced just how tough the Celtics’ defense can be when the team is locked in. The Jazz shot 36 percent from the field in Boston’s 126-97 victory over Utah.
Every single Celtics starter recorded a block, including Jrue Holiday who had two. The Celtics swiped nine steals and forced 18 turnovers. Jayson Tatum set the tone from the beginning with a chase down block before either team had scored a basket.
Hardy spoke about Boston’s defensive prowess before the game. He said it’s the Celtics’ scoring ability that takes their defensive capabilities to another level.
“It starts with the offense playing well,” Hardy said. “It puts a lot of pressure on you. They can play with a lot of variety on the defensive end because of the matchups and then their individual defense is probably as good as anybody in the league top to bottom.
