From The Ringer linked to in previous post.
Spacing is like a vital organ for NBA offenses. They can’t function properly without it. The Boston Celtics’ new starting lineup might have more at their disposal than any regular unit in recent memory, if not ever.
Oh God, here we go. The only vital organ in team sports is scoring points. This is confusing end and means. It is...tiki-taka. That is what Spoelstra's positionless innovation comes down to. Soccer defenses have to compress the space that tiki-taka creates, press high, be defensively offensive, get in the passing lanes, make the passer pass before he's ready and the rest of the bucky ball is spaced out. That is hard in soccer because of the mammoth field. In basketball, it's easier. The same principle applies, though: Put a glue defender on the guy with the ball and harass him.
In my opinion, this is wrong:
Look at the space between the “Celtic” with the ball and his defender! He is giving the “Celtics” time to set up in the spider web. Get on him!
Make him pass, or shoot, before he is ready. Defense of the "Celtics" want to cut this spider web and turn every "Celtic" into James Harden.
This is what you want:
...when early help [i.e. double-teams] is shown and Boston moves the ball, it’s so hard to contain them.
Don't double-team. Box-and-one defense. One defender on the ball guy, the others in the passing lanes, not manning up, in the lanes!
In my opinion, this is not the way to defend the spider web even in this instance when it results in a selfish and errant shot. The ball defender should close that unforgivable gap and the green Bean on Pozingis should go in the gap between him and the ball handler.
...
...even the modern era’s most potent lineups have a hard time deploying five players who can all make plays, drill 3s, and defend at a high level. The Celtics can.
City can, too. With its wealth and football IQ CFG has gotten the best players in the world at their positions.
“It’s not really so much about scoring, but it’s about making the game easier for other people. I mean, we know we have scorers on this team and people that can score at a high level. So I think it’s about being able to be in space where guys can be as successful as possible.”-Jrue Holiday.
What Holiday means by "it's not about scoring" is being unselfish and making the pass. So the key part of that statement is in bold. Every player in the NBA is selfish, and that is a compliment. In the end eah player knows he has to score and at this elite level they all can from anywhere in the half court. Your strengths are your weaknesses: When defending this 0.01% starting five of scorers you want to force those scorers back into their inner selfishness and take bad shots.