The Celtics Must Start Games Better on the Road
The Celtics have a good lead in their series against the Wizards, but need to start games better on the road to put Washington away.
Behind a legendary performance by Isaiah Thomas, the Boston Celtics defeated the Wizards 129-119 to take a 2-0 series lead. The Celtics now have two games in a row on the road, against a team in Washington that was very good at home this season.
Boston won both of their games at home by coming from behind in the second half. There are a number of different reasons why they were able to come back. Washington’s lack of depth made the starters tired at the end of games, Thomas has been unstoppable, and the Celtics bench has been magnificent.
More from Celtics News
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
The Celtics still can’t afford to get behind again. This time, the games are on the road, where Washington can feed off of their crowd to prolong their momentum. A 14 or 16 point deficit in Boston could be a 25 point deficit in Washington. The key for the Celtics will be to get out to better starts if they hope to steal one of these two road games.
In Game 2, the Celtics started the game in a 42-29 hole to end the first quarter. John Wall was masterful, and the Wizards forced nine turnovers to start the game. The Celtics eventually clawed their way back into the game with better defense, but it will be difficult to do so on the road.
Brad Stevens will have defensive adjustments to slow down Wall out of the gate, and to keep Bradley Beal from picking up the slack. Starting Marcus Smart and keeping Avery Bradley on Wall would be a good place to start. Even starting Jaylen Brown would work here. The Celtics could stay small and they wouldn’t sacrifice any defensive versatility.
Keeping Bradley on Wall and either Smart or Brown on Beal would give the Celtics their best defensive match up. The Wizards will most likely try to force Thomas to switch on to a better offensive player. Surrounding Thomas with four great defenders that can switch on every player would be a move to counter that strategy.
Scott Brooks is not known as a strategist, so Stevens will have to stay one step in front of him to take complete control in the series. Brooks stated that he wished he played Bojan Bogdanovic more and utilized his bench more so that Wall didn’t get fatigued at the end of the game.
The problem with Brooks playing his bench more is that the Celtics have taken advantage of the Wizards’ dependance on Wall. Washington has an offensive rating of 112.7 with him on the court, and a 101.4 rating with him off.
Next: Terry Rozier's Remarkable Postseason Rebounding
If the Celtics can get out to a good start on the road, and take advantage each time Wall goes to the bench, Boston could put themselves in a great position to steal a game on the road.