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It’s do-or-die time for the Boston Celtics, as they face the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals on June 16.
A victory would see the Celtics force their third game seven of the post-season, while another loss would end their season and see the Warriors crowned NBA Champions. We’re at the pressure point of the season, where every possession counts, and every mistake will find itself under the microscope.
Golden State has been here before, whereas this is unchartered territory for the Celtics. Debate has been raging about Boston’s chances of forcing a game seven and ultimately winning the series, with opinions split on the subject.
However, NBA legend Vince Carter believes Boston has all the necessary pieces in place to be crowned champions if they fix some of their consistent issues. During a June 14 episode of ESPN’s Get Up, Carter explained how the Celtics need to stick to their gameplan, and avoid devolving into isolation basketball if they want a chance of making history.
“You don’t want to say let me be the hero and play hero ball where guys are doing things not expected and everybody is not on the same page…Get your turnovers under control. Continue to attack. I think the Boston Celtics are great with Jaylen Brown in attack mode and starting things off and allowing Jayson Tatum to work his way into the game. No hero ball,” Carter said.
Udoka Calls for Improved Spacing
A large part of the Celtics’ struggles in recent games, is their spacing has not been at its usual level. Far too often, we’re seeing a big man camped in the paint, muddying up driving lanes for the Celtics’ athletic slashers.
We’re not seeing any movement on the weakside to spring shooters free, or any secondary cuts to provide the ball-handler with a quick release-valve in terms of an easy dump-off pass. These are all aspects of Boston’s offense we’ve come to expect, yet the Warriors have done a fantastic job in taking them away.
Speaking after the Celtics’ June 15 practice, Udoka called upon his team to improve their spacing in games six and seven.
“Spacing is a big part of it, knowing where your outlets are at, not over-penetrating. The physicality, like I talked about, being strong with the ball. Those are all things we emphasize. It’s pretty set. They’re going to be there every time. Low man is going to come across, crack back, the guy playing the backside.
For us, spacing is huge. Getting our guys to the spots where we know our outlets are at, being strong with the ball, making a right read. A big part of that is physicality with the ball because they are a team that reaches and has really good hands,” Udoka told the media.
Turnovers are Killing Boston
In five games against the Warriors, the Celtics have turned the ball over 64 times, giving them an average of 15 turnovers per game. You can’t defeat an elite team such as the Warriors when you’re continually losing track of the rock on offense, especially when your best player is struggling to convert his looks from the field.
If Boston can take care of the rock, and ensure their spacing is at a high-level, then they will likely force a game seven against the Warriors back in San Francisco, but if they continue to make mistakes and clog the paint, there’s a very real chance the series ends on June 16.
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