Three Keys To A Boston Celtics Victory In Game 5
By Liam O'Brien
With the Celtics heading back to Boston for a pivotal Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, there are three things the team must do in order to garner a 3-2 series lead.
Riding excess momentum into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals after stealing Games 3 and 4 at the United Center in Chicago, the Boston Celtics have a prime opportunity to silence any rumbles of a potential first-round exit at the hands of the Bulls by recording a triumph in Game 5.
Here are the steps that the Celtics must take to ensure their first home playoff victory of 2017.
1. Ride the pick-and-roll
In each of the Celtics’ road wins against the Chicago Bulls, Boston’s offense morphed into the juggernaut that it resembled throughout the regular season by returning to their bread-and-butter play, the pick-and-roll. So far in the series, point guard Isaiah Thomas has been called upon to be the pick-and-roll ball-handler in 41.3 percent of the possessions in which he is the primary ball-handler, good for 10.8 such occasions per game.
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These scenarios have resulted in 10.3 points per night for Thomas and 0.95 points per possession. On these opportunities, Thomas is receiving open looks as he has recorded a 53.7 percent effective field goal percentage, scoring in an easier fashion with a 46.5 percent score frequency, and getting himself to the line for and-one chances as seven percent of these pick-and-roll’s have resulted in him notching a three-point play, the fifth-best postseason mark in the NBA.
In pure isolation, Thomas’ effective field goal percentage drops to 41.7 percent while his score frequency falls to 37.5 percent.
Bottom line: Boston’s MVP is at his most valuable in pick-and-roll situations. It’s up to head coach Brad Stevens to place him in spots where he can excel.