Jrue Holiday Delivers 'Masterclass' in Game 3 Win vs. Cavs: 'Glue That Keeps Us All Together'

Jrue Holiday delivered one of his best performances as a Celtic in their 103-96 Game 3 win over the Cavaliers, moving Boston two wins from a third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The two-time All-Star registered 16 points, his most since Mar. 12 against the Jazz, eight rebounds, and five assists, the second most on the team and third most in the matchup.

His aggressive approach on offense paid dividends at the other end of the floor, turning Donovan Mitchell from an unstoppable scorer in the first half, generating 23 points on 8/12 shooting, into someone whose gas tank was running on empty in the final frame as he went 1/4, mustering only three points in the fourth quarter.

"I thought about being aggressive," said Holiday when discussing the importance of making Mitchell work at both ends of the floor. "You know Donovan's gonna be aggressive on one side of the ball, but to make him work on the other side because he's guarding me, and there were times where, rather than defer or do something (else), I just thought maybe attacking him might get him even more exhausted by the third or fourth quarter."

The five-time All-Defensive Team selection also shed light on how he wanted to set the tone on defense at the start of the game.

"I think from the jump, I tried to just be aggressive with him defensively and not give him any space even though he's gonna score and he's gonna do all that," voiced the former UCLA Bruin. "And then on offense, mainly, I think, just being aggressive and trying to get into the paint and making him work even more." 

As for whether Holiday could tell his approach was working as Mitchell finally got fatigued in the fourth quarter, he conveyed, "Yeah, I felt like he was a little gassed. It's hard what he's doing. What he's doing is elite. To be able to put up that many points and so efficiently. 

"And we're making it tough on him. If it's not me, then it's D. White, if it's not D. white, it's JB (Jaylen Brown). And then we got Al (Horford) protecting the paint and JT (Jayson Tatum) protecting the paint. So, there's definitely a team effort. But I think to do it how he's doing, it is hard."

Praising Holiday for his Game 3 performance, Jayson Tatum expressed, "Jrue was amazing tonight. Jrue is kind of like the glue that keeps us all together. He literally does everything that we need him to. He sacrifices, sometimes taking single-digit shots a couple (of) games in a row. But in a night when he can attack the mismatches, he can post up guys, he can obviously shoot the three. 

"When he's being aggressive in that great rhythm, it makes us that much better. It just goes to the depth of our team – it's not always going to be the same guy every single night. It can be any number of us." 

As for what Brown saw from a teammate who's sacrificed shots and touches all season, disregarding having the lowest usage rate of his career (16.3%), while quarterbacking the defense and guarding up and down the opposing lineup, the All-Star wing stated, "Jrue is a dog." 

"(I) can't speak highly enough about Jrue. Just how he came and just dominated on both sides of the ball. But just made timely baskets. That's the Jrue Holiday that we know and love, and we played against. Tonight was just a masterclass from Jrue. What a game from him."

Holiday's masterclass slowed Mitchell, put 16 points on the board, and came courtesy of an easily repeatable formula the Celtics will need him to continue delivering for them to finish this season as champions.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Breaks Out of Scoring Slump That Never Defined Him: 'Underappreciated'

Celtics Discuss 'Unacceptable Performance' in Game 2 Loss to Cavs

Cavaliers Stun Celtics in Series-Evening Route

Shooting Struggles Not Preventing Jayson Tatum from Positive Impact: 'They'll Fall'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown Leads Celtics to Tone-Setting Win in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'