Celtics work on their connectivity

The most prolonged season in NBA history is about to enter the scrimmage phase, with the Celtics seeing their first post-shutdown live action Friday night against Oklahoma City.

Each side’s defensive pedigree considered, the ball’s not going to glide like a stone across a lake. Expect a lot of plops.

But if the Celtics are as defensively connected as they should be, that end of the floor should hold up well in the early going, as the offense works into a flow. And as always, one player in particular has gone about setting that defensive tone.

“Smart’s Smart,” Daniel Theis said of his teammate and defensive player of the year candidate. “As soon as he steps on the court he plays hard. That’s 110 percent every time. Everybody sees Smart play this way and everyone wants to play like Smart. So he’s pulling the team his way.”

Smart’s aggressive, in-yourgrill approach with his teammates is a nice place to start, but overall even defensive connectivity takes time.

“I think the first thing to be tested when you’re getting conditioned again to play basketball – and five- on-five basketball – is you end up taking shortcuts on the defensive end,” said Brad

“The good news is we’ve had two weeks to watch film, go back to the practice court and go work. So it’s been much better this week.

“It’s very important,” said the Celtics coach. “We’re not going to last long if we don’t pressure the ball and if we don’t guard with great enthusiasm, energy and inter

AL Rookie of the Year to, missed opportunities t raining and now in in 2017, then was hurt I had. But you just use it summer camp I’m witfor much of the past two as fuel. I tried to tell the nessing that fire burnseasons. An oblique inguys, use this as fuel as ing — burning strongly jury, a broken wrist from you train in the offseawith these guys.” a Jakob Junis pitch and son. As we get ready for Judge thought more a broken rib from a divthe 2020 season, you reneeded to be said. ing catch limited him to member that. You don’t “Just remember this 27 homers each year and want this feeling again. feeling, remember this no more than 67 RBIs per What can we do? What silence, this emptiness, season, and the rib was can we do different to and just use it as fuel,” still healing at the start prepare the right way he told them. “Don’t use of spring training this so that outcome doesn’t it to mope about it, linyear. happen?” ger about it, use it as fuel

Judge feels healthy. Boone had given the going into this next seaHe still hurts over the initial speech. son to just take care of loss to Houston in six“One of most of kind business.” game AL Championship of heartbreaking, emoThis season will be Series, stung the Astros tional times of my sports far different from what overcame DJ LaMahieu’s career,” he recalled vivJudge or anyone else entying two- run homer in idly. “It was such a live, visioned. the ninth when José Alraw moment. The close“It is going to be a littuve hit a two- run, penness that existed with tle leery, I guess, getnant- winning drive off t hat t eam, t he bel ief ting on a train, travelAroldis Chapman in the that all the way to the i ng to different city,” bottom half. end we were going to he said. “We’ve kind

Judge revealed he adwin I felt like was how of been in our own litdressed the team after everyone felt . So t he tle bubble here in New the defeat. cruel ending of it all — York, our own little bub

“Just said, hey, guys, I do remember Judgy in ble in Tampa. So I think don’t forget this feeling. his way, in a strong way kind of leaving that bubagainst the Atlanta Braves. Don’t forget this emptisaying that to us, and I ble is going to be a lit“I don’t think I’ve ever ness,” he recalled. “You’re think that just added to tle difficult. But this is been so excited to watch a mad. We’re t hinking the sting, to how real what we signed up for. spring training game,” Jeter about what wesaid.could’vethatmomentwas.andIWewouldn’thavesigned done different, and this always feel like falling up for this if we weren’t The Marlins open Friand that, what we could down does add another aware of the risk and day at Philadelphia and behave done — what I could log to the fire, and cerwhat we had to kind of lieve they’re on the verge of have done. That’s the bigtainly that was the case, face these next couple of a big leap forward after losgest thing that I go back and I feel like in spring months.” ing 105 games last season.

Jeter has rebuilt the club since his group bought the franchise in late 2017. The minor league system is much improved, and the Marlins believe the payoff at the major league level is about to begin.

“There is a mindset that I believe is starting to change here in the organization over the last couple of years: You can’t accept mediocrity,” Jeter said. “We preach it over and over. I think you are starting to see that with the younger players coming up, and in the major league clubhouse as well.”

Jeter acknowledged there’s still work to be done changeability. That’s how we’re built, that’s what we’re good at. So we have to soar with that strength if we want to hang around long.”

As a top five defense, at least the Celtics have the foundation. They’ll be tested before the actual games start, too, with scrimmages against Phoenix on Sunday and Houston on Tuesday night.

“We’ve been a great defensive team all year, so it wasn’t hard to pick all of the defensive principles up again,” said Theis. “Focus on details for the rest of the season.”

Theis’ emergence in this system has been vital, especially in a scheme that figured to suffer with Al Horford’s departure for Philadelphia.

“I think I fit the first unit pretty good because I don’t need the ball in my hands,” he said. “So many guys around with Kemba ( Walker) and Gordon (Hayward) who are natural scorers, so I get them open with screens, get them open shots and then move without the ball. That’s why I fit this first unit so well.

“Enes (Kanter) is a post player, needs the ball in his hands, a great post player, can pass out of the post and can score,” he said. “I was lucky that I learned in my first two years from Al Horford and Aron Baynes. Especially in the defensive end on an NBA team. You have to be vocal, be the leader. See the whole team in front of you. So my job is to protect everybody in the defensive end as well.” to develop a bigger fan base for the Marlins, who have finished last in the NLin attendance 14 of the past 15 years. That’s not an issue for now, because the coronavirus means no spectators for any team.

With the virus surging, Jeter said, opening Marlins Park to fans later this season isn’t under consideration at the moment.

“I think it would be irresponsible to even think about that right now when you look at the numbers in South Florida,” he said. “At this particular time we’re not thinking about bringing fans back.”

As for fans staying home, the Marlins are in the final year of a TV contract that is baseball’s least lucrative. Jeter seeks an agreement that could significantly help the franchise’s perennial financial issues.

“Everyone knows the deal we have is well below market,” Jeter said. “We want a partner that looks at this organization and sees a bright future that is on the horizon.”