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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James thinks the Boston Celtics have a rather underrated and often underappreciated “superpower.”
James revealed as much in the latest episode of his Mind the Game podcast with JJ Redick, during which he broke down one of the Celtics' biggest strength: their passing.
The Celtics have dominated not only the regular season but also the postseason. After tallying the best record in the 2023-24 campaign with a 664-18 record, they continued to tear apart the rest of the competition come the playoffs. They lost just twice in the playoffs so far, going 4-1 in both the first (against the Miami Heat) and second rounds (against the Cleveland Cavaliers) before sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Many have pointed out to the Celtics' balanced roster as the reason for their success. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been sensational of course, but the likes of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard have played their roles perfectly as well to keep the well-oiled Boston machine going.
More than the talent, however, James believes that the system Boston is playing right now, as well as their execution have been pivotal in their dominance.
“They do it with the pass that a lot of people don't really give them credit for. I think their dribble penetration, and once they see the defense start to rotate, they do it with the pass,” James detailed.
“They really only have two iso guys. That's Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. … The rest of those guys, they move off the pass. They move off the defense shifting. And you load up on those two great wings in Jayson and Jaylen, and that's when their personnel really kicks in. … They don't get enough credit for their ball movement, when they're driving a baseline or driving the 45, the slot and getting the defense rotating. That’s their superpower.”
“They really only have two iso guys. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown… The rest of their guys do it off the pass. That’s their superpower.”
LeBron James on the Celtics’ strength heading into the NBA Finals 🗣️
(via @mindthegamepod) pic.twitter.com/8gqdpj2edf
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 6, 2024
It's hard to argue with LeBron James' take here. After all, the Celtics have really generated a lot of their offense with their passing game, always trying to find the open man for the best shot. It certainly helps that they are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, even finishing the regular season with the second-best shooting clip from deep at 38.8 percent.
Boston also possesses one of the best offenses in the league, which is largely predicated by their ball movement. It is what makes them so effective.
Celtics vs. Mavericks in NBA Finals
The Celtics are unsurprisingly the favorites to win in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. They are simply the better and deeper team. However, that doesn't mean Luka Doncic and Co. will be easy opponents, especially after the brilliant run they just had.
Dallas beat three 50-win teams to make it to the title game as the fifth seed. This is a team that is brimming with confidence right now. And after being battle-tested, they just don't fear anyone. In fact, some would say that they thrive as underdogs.
With that being said, the Celtics will need to stay near perfect when it comes to their execution in order to beat the Mavs in a seven-game series. Their passing and elite ball movement, as LeBron James hinted, will surely be a huge factor in that.
