The Celtics faced an unexpected challenge in their recent game against the Memphis Grizzlies when the Grizzlies decided to leave Jrue Holiday open and dared him to shoot. Despite Holiday being a career 37% 3-point shooter, he struggled, missing 13 of his 17 attempts from beyond the arc. The Celtics, as a team, also had an off shooting night, shooting 40% from the field and 30% from 3-point range.
The bold strategy from Memphis caught the Celtics off guard, as Holiday had not been left open so consistently before. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla vowed to learn from this approach and empower Holiday to keep shooting. Holiday noted that he was too wide open not to take the shots and appreciated the opportunity to shoot more.
Despite the challenges, the Celtics see this as a test of their strength as a team and an opportunity to learn and improve. Players like Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard expressed their readiness to handle such strategies in the future. The Celtics’ depth and the ability of any of their starters to go off on any night make them a formidable team, but they must remain mentally strong and adapt to varying defensive tactics.
Overall, the Celtics will use this game as a learning experience and be prepared for similar strategies in the future. The loss to the Grizzlies will serve as a valuable lesson as they continue to strive for success in the competitive NBA season.
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Photo credit www.boston.com
