After being thoroughly exaggerated by Golden State Warriors In Game 2 of the NBA Finals Boston Celtics It will bounce back in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Fortunately for the Celtics, they were perfect for doing that this postseason. Boston was 6-0 after losing in the playoffs so far, not only winning, but also covering the spreads in each of these games.
In particular, Celtics all-star forward Jayson Tatum has strengthened the game following a defeat in the Boston playoffs this year. In the six games played shortly after the Celtics lost, Tatum scored an average of 31.5 points per performance, shooting 50% off the floor. In contrast, when he lost, 39% of the shots were 23.1 points.
The fact that the Celtics are very successful in dealing with postseason losses shows that the Celtics are good at identifying and adopting the necessary adjustments. This shows two simple but important fixes that the Celtics need to make in Game 3.
1. Limit sales
The Celtics formula in these playoffs is very simple. They win when they take care of the ball. When they don’t take care of the ball, they won’t win. If the ball is rotated less than 15 times, it will be 12-2 (including 7 consecutive wins). For example, I had only 12 turnovers in Game 1 with the Golden State, and I was able to win and leave.
However, the Celtics will be 1-5 if you spin the ball 15 times or more. In Game 2, there were 19 turnovers, including 15 live ball turnovers. These errors reduced the Warriors’ turnover by 33 points, which was a major factor in the results. The Celtics know that the area needs to be improved in Game 3 and beyond, but sees it as a mental issue rather than a general one.
“It’s as easy as having to take care of the ball. We did it. When we take care of the ball, we are a really good team.” Tatum said After game 2. “But the snowball effect has the effect of stacking turnovers and digging holes.”
Veteran tycoon Al Horford sees this issue as a fixable issue.
“I didn’t turn it over when I won. I turned it over too much when I lost,” Horford added. … we know that many of them can be prevented. We need to reduce them in order to increase our chances of winning. “
A notable number in Game 3 is 15. If Boston can keep its total sales below that threshold, it has the greatest chance of winning the series and leading 2-1.
2. Improved performance in the third quarter
The third quarter hasn’t been Celtics-friendly so far in this series. In Game 1, he scored 38-24 in the third game, even though he was finally able to win behind the excellent performance of the fourth quarter. Game 2 was outscored 35-14 in the third quarter. In total, we have scored 35 points (73-38) in the third quarter.
The Warriors are a notorious and dangerous third-quarter team, but Boston needs to be better in that frame. After all, this issue isn’t limited to this series. The Celtics surpassed at least 14 points four times in the third quarter in these playoffs. This includes the first leg of the final of the Eastern Conference. Miami heat.. In the third quarter of the contest, he scored 25 points.
According to Tatum, turnover is part of the problem, as is the lapse of defense strength.
“Tonight, I think we’re allowing sales, and sometimes our attacks, to affect our defenses. It was a bit stagnant in the third quarter.” Tatum said Of Game 2 against the Golden State. “I feel like it was translated in defensive end. They shot and did that.”
Celtics coach Ime Udoka seems to have agreed with Tatum’s assessment. “This has been a continuing theme in the playoffs so far,” Udoka said of the fourth-quarter playoffs.
“We flipped the ball over. Remove the team from scoring on the half-court and give them some baskets,” he added. “But that was pretty much the same in the third quarter. In the first half, we scored 11 with 18 points and gave up another 5 or 6 in that quarter. A kind of blow-off, which also hindered our attack. I did. “
Sales are also a big factor in Boston’s third-quarter struggle, so reducing sales seems to solve many of the problems that have plagued them by this postseason. Taking care of the ball should be a top priority for the Celtics to move to Game 3.
