Who Should the Celtics Start in Game 2?

Brad Stevens has a lot of tough decisions to make heading into Game 2

The Boston Celtics‘ starting lineup has more questions surrounding it leading up to Game 2 than any at point in the regular season. It’s not the ideal situation for Brad Stevens but him and his staff will have to make it work.

After the strong third quarter from the Celtics, it seemed only fitting that Evan Turner would start in Game 2 over the lane-clog that is Amir Johnson. Then, late in the fourth quarter, Avery Bradley went down with a bad hamstring injury and is now expected to miss the rest of the series. Boston now faces the loss of one of their best two-way players, as well as trying to figure out how to make sure the first half of Game 1 never happens again.

Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Jared Sullinger are all locks to start in Game 2 but the last two spots are up for grabs, and Stevens has a lot of tough choices to make.

Starting Amir Johnson again would keep four of the five regular season starters intact, however, he was clearly outmatched on Saturday. Johnson managed four points and eight rebounds, however, his four personal fouls and -9 plus/minus rating (team’s worst) personifies his struggles. Johnson doesn’t get asked to score, however, his down low presence handicaps the Celtics.

Boston isn’t a jump-shooting team. They’re one of the worst field-goal percentage teams in the NBA and Atlanta leads the league in field-goal percentage defense. With Johnson down low, it makes it harder for the Celtics to drive the lane. Boston wasn’t able to get out in transition until the second half (when Turner started) and was forced into contested jumpers or long threes. Sure, the Celtics missed a lot of open shots, but the fact they weren’t able to get inside at all in the first half was tough to watch.

Isaiah Thomas has made a name for himself by being able to get in the lane and finish or draw fouls at an extraordinary rate. That didn’t happen in the first half of Game 1 though. Everyone else on the team can space out the floor, except Amir Johnson. He allowed Al Horford to stay in the lane and that became a wall that the Celtics weren’t able to break through. Whenever they got near the paint Horford was there and they had to put up a contested mid-range jumper.

Brad Stevens would be foolish not to start Evan Turner in Game 2. It was obvious the type of impact he made on the game right away. He allowed Boston to play at the fast tempo they prefer and the Hawks’ defense had to respect his mid-range game, which helped with spacing on offense.

Apr 16, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens calls to his players against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

It may seem troubling on defense considering the Hawks’ two-headed monster of Al Horford and Paul Millsap, however, the Hawks were held to 51 points in each half, the difference was the Celtics 67-point second half.

Jared Sullinger isn’t going to make any All-NBA Defensive teams, but he’s a big body that plays decent defense. Horford had a great game 1 but Brad Stevens will live with him getting 24 points if it means holding Millsap to 14. He also shot under 50 percent from the field in Game 1, so it wasn’t as dominating of a performance as some would think – he also slowed down in the second half when the tempo picked up.

Besides, Jae Crowder has the athleticism and raw defensive talent to matchup against Millsap. Crowder is lengthy, quick and isn’t afraid to play defense down low. Millsap will still get his points because he’s too good of a player not to, but it wouldn’t be as big of a loss defensively as one might imagine if not starting Johnson.

One of the biggest concerns though is how to stop Kent Bazemore in Game 2. Kyle Korver struggled shooting from everywhere in Game 1, but Bazemore went off for 23 points and got to the free-throw line 10 times. He’s having the best season of his career but even he probably didn’t expect to have that big of a first game. This is when Avery Bradley would come in huge, or Marcus Smart now.

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Smart is going to play in Game 2. His bruised knuckle was more precautionary than anything and Boston wouldn’t lose a beat by adding him to the starting lineup. His defense is as good or better than Bradley’s and he was on fire in Game 1 from behind the arc. Smart’s shooting is the farthest thing from consistent, although, his 50 percent shooting from the field and three should boost his confidence and the Celtics will need someone to step up after losing one of the top scorers on the team.

Stevens could opt towards starting Turner at shooting guard and run with almost the same lineup as Game 1 but that could bring along the same problems. A small ball lineup is what got Boston back in the game and is the only way they’re going to be able to get out in transition.

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Smart may not shoot lights out like he did in Game 1 but he’s someone who will give Bazemore fits and will see open shots in a fast-paced game. The Celtics can’t be forced into another half-court game or else they’ll get beat. They may have come back after being down big in the past two games but the Celtics need to get off to a fast start in Game 2 or else they’ll be heading back to Boston down 2 games to none.

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