Centers of attention
Cousins, Davis present big-time test for Celts
The NBA’s twin towers era is now collecting dust in the league archives, but every now and then — these days, whenever the New Orleans Pelicans are on the menu — that dinosaur look still takes the floor.
Except that in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans have a pair of dominant traditional big men who can also attack from the 3-point line.
Tonight’s challenge for the Celtics will thus be unique.
The Pelicans have jumped up since trading for Cousins last season, and enter tonight with a hold on the Western Conference’s sixth playoff seed. The pairing of old friend Rajon Rondo with that Davis/Cousins axis has made for some interesting nights, as the former Celtics guard has put together some games with big assist totals this season.
Expect to see a lot of center Aron Baynes tonight as the Celtics attempt to adjust to playing their guest’s lengthy lineup.
“It’s one of those things that even though they are two big guys, DeMarcus is out there and he’s playing a lot on the perimeter, not in the traditional role,” Baynes said. “He takes six (3-pointers) a game. That’s just the way the NBA is now, it’s about stretching the floor, and both of those guys can definitely do that. As much as they’re two big guys, they’re complete basketball players and it’s about playing good team defense.
“They can both put the ball on the floor, score out of the post. It’s a matter of making their job even tougher.”
Increasingly, though, there aren’t a lot of other opponents that prepare a team for facing that old twin towers look.
“When I got to the NBA probably the only team that had a lineup like they do now, with a stretch 4, was Toronto with (Andrea) Bargnani and Chris Bosh,” Al Horford said. “And Bosh at the time wasn’t shooting many 3’s. He was all mid-range and post. Bargnani was shooting 3’s and that was a big deal.
“But now you don’t see many groups like this with two positional bigs. That’s more unique.”
Part of what intrigues Baynes in this situation is the Brad Stevens factor, and watching how the Celtics coach adjusts to the challenge of each new opponent.
“A little different over the last few years,” Baynes said of how lineups have changed. “Medium-sized ball now is what teams try to play, and you have to make the continual adjustments to that. It’s fun because I get to see what Brad does with our team, because we’re so versatile. Good thing about it, everyone is ready when their number is called here.”
And versatility will continue to be the key tonight, though the Celtics clearly have evolved as a small-ball team, with Baynes available to handle the heavy lifting.
“A lot of it has to do with the personnel,” Horford said of the importance of maintaining versatility. “Guys like Jonas (Jerebko) last year and (Jae) Crowder, even Kelly (Olynyk) — you could switch and play a lot of different ways. Now with (Marcus) Morris and myself, (Jayson) Tatum even can play 4, we just have a lot of guys who play multiple positions and that’s the way the NBA is shifting.”