Malone appreciates foe’s impact additions
Last spring, the Celtics and Nuggets were two of the favorites to reach the NBA Finals. The Celtics fell one win short, losing to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Nuggets, of course, went on to win the championship.
But Boston retooled over the offseason, adding former All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. The early returns have been encouraging, with the Celtics posting a league-leading 3210 record.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone said the impacts of Porzingis and Holiday have been obvious.
“Porzingis has length, shot-blocking and is a tough matchup because at the five [center position] he can step out and shoot the three,” Malone said before his Nuggets scored a 102-100 victory Friday night over the Celtics at TD Garden. “He can roll with force, he can handle the ball. So, a tremendous addition.
“And Jrue Holiday, to me, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.”
The Celtics’ 3-point spraying offense has generated plenty of attention this season. But the defense entered Friday ranked second in the NBA, one spot ahead of the offense. Malone said Holiday’s versatility is at the center of that attack.
“What a luxury to have a guy like Jrue Holiday [who] can go out and guard [76ers center] Joel Embiid, will guard Nikola [Jokic, the Nuggets’ center],” Malone said.
Star status of no concern
Porzingis ranked sixth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in the most recent All-Star fan-voting returns, and it’s very unlikely the media or player votes will boost him enough to become a starter. He could still be voted in as a reserve by the conference’s coaches.
But Porzingis, who has never won a playoff series, said his All-Star status is not a concern.
“To be completely honest, my focus is so low on that,” he said. “My main focus, or the only focus, is to keep winning.
If we’re No. 1 in the league I think those things will take care of themselves. But I would say even the importance for me, compared to maybe the beginning of my career, it’s so much lower now. I cannot even compare it. So I know what my main goal is and what I’m here for.”
Streak spoke to support
The Celtics’ franchise record of perfection to start a season at home ended with their first loss after 20 wins. There’s a long way to go before they can challenge the single-season record of the 1985-86 team, which went 40-1 at home, but the streak caught the players’ attention.
“It speaks about our team but it almost speaks more about the atmosphere at the Garden,” Porzingis said. “We’re not playing to that level on the road. It just shows the energy and the type of energy we get from the fans.
And playing at home and making those comebacks and hitting huge shots and just having fun out there. So I would say great job on our part, and even better on the fans that are there every night.”