The Boston Celtics play smaller than most teams. With Daniel Theis (6’8) as their starting center, they certainly do not possess any size advantages. In fact, with Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward often switching off guarding the opposing team’s 4-spot, you could argue the C’s are part of the small ball revolution already.
Their opponents tonight–the Houston Rockets–ratchet up (or down) the small-ball craze to the extreme. James Harden has taken the opening tip. P.J. Tucker, at six-foot-six, is the primary center. Few teams have ever tried a true 5-out strategy to this degree.