Silver Lining Ahead of Game 4

Game 3 against the Wizards was rough, but there is always a bright side.

The Boston Celtics got blown out in Washington 116-89 as the Wizards cut the series deficit to 2-1. While the Celtics were the more aggressive team in the first two games, Washington certainly took that advantage in this game.

There was rarely any offensive flow for the Celtics, as the Wizards’ more aggressive defense capitalized by forcing 16 turnovers. This helped the Wizards get out to a 22-0 run in the first quarter, and the Celtics never made it close after that. Washington shot 48% from the floor as the Celtics shot a measly 35%.

The game did get a tad chippy when Kelly Oubre decided that he’d had enough with Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk didn’t do anything malicious to deserve a full speed shove, but Oubre decided it was the right time to get tossed from a game. Nothing really went well in this game for the Celtics.

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Boston’s third straight slow start doomed them as Isaiah Thomas couldn’t get it going with three defenders on him most of the time. However, there is always a bright side. Sorry if this is painfully optimistic.

Think what you want, but the Celtics could not have played any worse in Game 3, and Washington could not have played better. Since Boston is the better team, there is a bright side hidden in the 20+ point loss. The last time the Celtics got embarrassed like Thursday, they ended up winning six straight playoff games.

The Celtics are a team of individuals that don’t take losses like this lightly. Brad Stevens has plenty of time to make the necessary adjustments to make sure that the Celtics aren’t dealing with a huge deficit to start games. Also, the Celtics can make sure that they are the more physical team in Game 4.

May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) leaps to pass the ball as Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) defends in the first quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington is a team full of players that feed off of negative energy. They create scrums and chippy plays to get opposing teams focused on something other than basketball. Boston has to be the team that hits first, but they can’t let the Wizards distract them with their antics on the court.

I think that the Celtics need to start Jaylen Brown in Game 4. Brown offers defensive versatility and physicality to make things hard on the Wizards out of the gate. He also has developed enough of a perimeter shot to be a threat on the outside.

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Brown is up there with the best players in this series in terms of talent, and giving him meaningful minutes could help him develop into a dangerous postseason weapon. He certainly has the confidence and ability to get in the middle of a physical game, so hopefully Stevens give him the chance.

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