Everyone on the Celtics had all around solid performances, led by Jayson Taum’s 29 points. Derrick White provided a significant boost on both ends, scoring 26 points and racking up three blocks.
Operation Dueling Duck Boats continues apace, with the Bruins hoping to match the Celtics' 2-0 start against the Panthers on Wednesday night.
Neither team has played a complete game or been seriously tested yet, but they've already demonstrated the shared ability that could help them hoist their respective trophies in June -- suffocating defense.
Neither has needed it much so far, but when they flip the switch, it's game over. On Tuesday night, the Celtics watched the Hawks race to an 11-point lead and then applied the screws, blocking 12 shots en route to a 119-106 victory. Derrick White, in particular, will be Freddy Kreugering up Trae Young's nightmares.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Forsberg: MVP chants are proof of how far Derrick White has come
The Bruins did the same in Monday's opener vs. the Panthers, overcoming a slow start that saw them outshot handily to lock down one of the league's best offenses. The B's so badly smothered the Panthers that at one point, grungy winger Tyler Bertuzzi wrested away Nick Cousins' stick and smashed it on the Bruins bench. Sometimes we speak figuratively of a defense dressing down an offense; this time it was literally true.
Two moments from each series stand out. On Tuesday, the Celtics were in the midst of a game-deciding third quarter run when Al Horford and Robert Williams swallowed up Hawks forward John Collins, with Horford getting the block over the top. The C's went the other way and Jayson Tatum found Horford for the corner 3 that put Boston up 20. Pack your brooms for Atlanta.
For the Bruins, the decisive sequence occurred five minutes into the third period, when Nick Foligno was whistled for holding with the B's protecting a 3-1 lead. The Panthers boasted a top-10 power play during the season, when they actually outscored the Bruins by a goal with the man advantage. Florida All-Star Matthew Tkachuk never left the ice, and it didn't matter. The Bruins attacked for the next two minutes. The demoralized Panthers didn't record a shot, while the Bruins took two shorthanded.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
The B's and C's otherwise coasted for stretches, but no matter. We know that gear exists, and it's what wins championships.
In both cases, defense isn't even necessarily the first attribute that springs to mind. The Celtics are led by all-NBA forward Jayson Tatum, who just became the first player in franchise history to average more than 30 points a game. If anything, we've spent most of the season wondering when the Celtics would re-engage last year's swarming D.
The Bruins, meanwhile, watched David Pastrňák join Phil Esposito as the franchise's only 60-goal scorers in nearly a century of play that includes Hall of Famers Bobby Orr, Johnny Bucyk, and Cam Neely. They steamrolled everyone en route to NHL records for wins and points, and while they far and away led the league in fewest goals allowed, their defense corps isn't anchored by a perennial Norris Trophy favorite like Ray Bourque or Zdeno Chara. They're just deep across the board, especially with the addition of Dmitry Orlov at the trade deadline. And whatever skepticism exists over Linus Ullmark's ability to carry a team into the dying days of spring, we're still looking at the Vezina favorite.
Bertuzzi's awesome playoff debut lifted Bruins to Game 1 win vs. Panthers
The Celtics spent enough of the regular season falling just short of looking like the NBA's best team that we wondered if they'd be able to turn it on in the playoffs. While they remain inconsistent, especially protecting big leads, the return of Williams has transformed their defense. When they decide the Hawks aren't going to score, it's like playing against your big brother -- the party's over and it's time to find mom.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, meanwhile, admitted his team played a little tight, which is no surprise, given the capricious nature of the NHL playoffs and the bullseye planted squarely on that spoked B. But when the Bruins woke up midway through the second period, it felt like they were playing 12 on 5. It was a textbook example of a team exerting its will. The Panthers had no answer, because they could barely breathe.
So as the playoffs roll on and Boston sets its sights on the rare winter double, let's enjoy the Tatum heat checks and Pastrňák snipes and White runners and Jake DeBrusk clean-ups while remembering this important truth: Both teams are primed to win it all because when they absolutely need it, they can turn out the lights.
