BOSTON — Right from tipoff between the Celtics and Grizzlies, it was clear what the game plan was going to be for the visitors. The Grizzles went with a curious strategy throughout Saturday’s game at TD Garden: let Jrue Holiday shoot open 3s.
Holiday said he noticed the plan right away. On the Celtics’ second possession, Jaren Jackson Jr. camped at the free throw line and didn’t contest Holiday when the guard put up an open 3-pointer. For the most part, it worked for the Grizzlies as Holiday shot 4-for-17 on 3s, missing a number of open 3s throughout the night. He finished with 23 points, though it was on 8-for-26 shooting.
But the Celtics were more than alright letting their former All-Star guard keep putting up shots — they were open looks, after all. It’s also why, after they lost to the Grizzlies, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla spun the Grizzlies’ game plan as a positive.
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“It’s a bold strategy,” Mazzulla said. “He’s an All-Star who shoots over 40% from 3. I think that’s a risky one, and I thought he handled it great. I mean, we empowered him. We want him to shoot any shot that he’s open. I think that’s a huge gift because now we’re going to see it again and it’s going to be great for us. So, I’m really happy that they did that for us.”
The Celtics as a whole didn’t shoot the ball well in their loss to the Grizzlies, finishing 18-for-60 from deep. Holiday said the strategy didn’t necessarily surprise him — he’s gotten plenty of open shots. That’s a byproduct of playing with guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, where Holiday can get those open 3s consistently throughout the season.
To the Celtics’ credit, they’ve long empowered their teammates to keep shooting if they’re getting open looks at the bucket. That’s also what they relayed to Holiday throughout Saturday’s game. The C’s were down by 14 points and they rallied back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. But a motivated Grizzlies team finished out the win as the C’s saw their three-game losing streak snapped.
But there were learning lessons, just like in any other game. Teams are going to tinker with different game plans against the reigning champs to see what sticks. It was just last year the Warriors let Brown shoot open 3s, only to get burned in a huge blowout. So, that’s part of why Mazzulla had such a positive outlook on the strategy.
“A little different, but gotta keep on shooting,” Holiday said. “I’m too wide open not to. Honestly, I kinda liked it. It’s been a while since I’ve been shooting that much. Just gotta see one go in and two go in and from there the floodgates will open. But I’ll continue to shoot.”
