It has become the must-have play for any serious postseason team: a pick-and-roll involving a wing ball handler and whichever teammate is being defended by the opposing point guard. It is a way to yank the other team’s weakest defender, and often its most important offensive player, into untenable mismatches.
The Celtics knew every playoff opponent would try it against Isaiah Thomas, but not every team has Jimmy Butler – a bruising, creative ball handler who can rain fire from midrange and bulldoze little guys in the post.