The Celtics were rewarded Tuesday afternoon just hours before their thriller 133-128 overtime victory in Game 1, when the league announced the 2023-24 All-Defensive Teams.
After the team ranked second in the association during the regular season in defensive rating, it was revealed that the C's starting backcourt duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday both earned votes to make the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
The complete voting results for the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team: pic.twitter.com/k3FODNJ0YU
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2024
This is the second straight year that White has taken home All-Defensive Second Team honors as the 29-year-old guard recorded a career-high 1.2 blocks per game and a career-best 74 steals over 73 games played.
For Holiday, it's his sixth time being voted on an All-Defensive Team over his 15-year NBA career -- which includes three First-Team selections (2018, 2021, 2023). Over 69 games in his debut season with the Celtics, the 33-year-old guard recorded 61 steals and 53 blocks.
"Effort and versatility," Joe Mazzulla said Tuesday in his post-practice presser of Holiday and White's selections. "They have the ability to guard different guys, different pick-and-roll coverages, pick-and-roll isolations, off-ball. "Two versatile guys that you can put on different matchups and play different schemes with them and gives you a lot of flexibility."
While White and Holiday were among the top three guards to receive votes, an argument to be made that both could have made it onto the First-Team -- especially since this is the first year teams are no longer selected based on positions.
"Those two guys get the vote, but I think one of the things that's been great about this year is all the guys and their ability to defend at a high, high level," Mazzulla said. "Everybody that's out there takes their matchup personally."
It's also were noting that the Celtics' dedication to playing on the other side of the ball was contagious, as both Jaylen Brown (7 points) and Jayson Tatum (2 points) also received votes for All-Defensive Team recognition.
Boston has a 1-0 Eastern Conference Finals series lead over the Indiana Pacers, with Game 2 set for a 8:00 pm ET tip-off Thursday on ESPN.
Joel Pavón
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