Playoff Jrue returns at perfect time for Celtics: ‘I like to win’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Our working theory has been that, since arriving in Boston, Jrue Holiday spends pretty much the entirety of the 82-game regular season exploring all the different ways he can impact winning, shunning his own counting stats so that the rest of his teammates can pile up theirs. Then when the postseason begins and the games really matter, he goes into turbo mode.
When we presented this theory to him recently, Holiday had a much simpler explanation for his knack for giving games exactly what they need, particularly on the playoff stage.
“I like to win,” said Holiday.
And for the better part of the past half decade, all he’s done is win. Two NBA titles. Two gold medals. He’s the glue that holds together whatever collection of talent you pair him with.
In Sunday’s Game 1 against the Orlando Magic, Holiday limited his opponents to five points on 2-of-10 shooting with three forced turnovers. Holiday changed the entire tenor of the game with his third-quarter defense on the Magic tandem of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, helping the Celtics pull away.
Banchero finished with 0 points on 0-for-4 shooting and a turnover in five minutes, 15 seconds of matchup time, per NBA tracking. Wagner managed two points on 1-of-3 shooting with 2 turnovers.
In maybe the defining sequence of the game, Holiday forced Wagner to turn the ball over at midcourt then drilled a 3-pointer in transition.
Holiday, typically stoic and composed, had a little extra bounce as he did his trademark Dr. Evil pinkie finger celebration and bounced toward a euphoric Celtics bench.
Holiday finished with nine points while knocking down a trio of 3-pointers. He added five assists, three rebounds, and three steals over 33:13. And his defense was a game-changer yet again. Just like it was throughout last year’s playoff run.
So back to that theory on Playoff Jrue.
“I like to win and I feel like, when it comes to winning, you have to do whatever is necessary,” said Holiday. “Sometimes if you want to and sometimes if you don’t. A lot of the time, you get a certain gratification if you’re the handyman or doing the dirty work. Or even just seeing your teammates succeed. Like, that’s a big smile put on my face.”
Holiday insists he gets more gratification from watching Derrick White and Payton Pritchard do their thing — whether that’s combining for the first 40/40 game in Celtics history, or propelling the offense in Sunday’s Game 1 win over the Magic — than he does in chasing his own counting stats. He’s secure in what he brings to the team.
It was easy to fret about Holiday’s inconsistent 3-point shooting during the 2024-25 season. One year after being the best corner 3-point shooter in the NBA, his efficiency literally halved, dipping from 60 percent (55 for 92) in the corner last year, to 30 percent (32 of 105) this year.
At age 34, was Father Time finally catching up to Holiday? Would the Celtics regret the big-money extension they delivered at the end of last season?
A late-season surge, even as he battled a rare mallet finger injury, calmed those concerns. And to the surprise of no one, Holiday shifted to another gear at Sunday’s start to Boston’s latest postseason adventure.
“He just does so much for our team,” said White, praising the havoc Holiday created on the defensive end while taking on the challenge of defending Banchero in the third quarter. “And [Holiday] just doesn’t care about the numbers and whatnot. It’s great to have him as a teammate.”
Holiday and the Celtics kicked up their defensive energy throughout Game 1. The Celtics averaged 13.9 deflections per game during the regular season, but that number spiked to 26 deflections in Game 1, the highest mark of any team in the weekend’s opening games.
The Celtics posted a defensive rating of 88.5 during Holiday’s court time. They had a +24.6 net rating overall in his court time.
That’s the Playoff Jrue we know. When the lights are the brightest, Holiday is ready to give the game whatever it requires.
