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Boston Celtics: Three Takeaways From Game 2

By Jeremy Karll

Apr 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) drives against Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) in the second quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) drives against Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) in the second quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 11, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) complains about a call during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) complains about a call during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Have the Celtics Figured Out Paul Millsap?

Paul Millsap had torched the Celtics in the regular season. His 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in four meeting was one of the most dominating stat lines against Boston this year. Then there was his 31 point, 16 rebound performance against the Celtics a week before the playoffs started. He was on everybody’s radar coming into this series and so far he’s flopped.

In Game 1, he shot 6-of-11 and put up 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. He made a lot of nice plays but wasn’t as dominating as in the regular season. The Hawks didn’t turn to him late in the game, instead they looked towards Al Horford and Kent Bazemore to lead the way.

It got even worse in Game 2 as Millsap shot 1-of-12 from the field and missed all five three-point attempts. He finished with four points, seven rebounds and four blocks, however, his five turnovers and poor shooting made him non-existent on the court. There was no point in the game where Millsap seemed to be taking over, like the couple of times in Game 1.

Boston’s interior defense intensified in Game 2 – blocking 10 shots. Although, Millsap’s ability to score from anywhere is what makes him a big threat on offense and caused so many problems for Boston in the regular season. The Celtics weren’t able to find an answer in the regular season for him but maybe now they have.

They ran a lot of small ball lineups and Jae Crowder was put on him. Jared Sullinger has been burned on offense and defense this series and relying on Crowder to guard Millsap is probably the Celtics best option at this point.

Even though Millsap isn’t scoring, it opens up a lot of shots for the rest of his team. Kyle Korver found his shot again in Game 2 and Boston gave up a lot of open threes that Atlanta missed. Millsap is going to attract a lot of attention no matter how he plays, however, if Boston figured out how to control him, can they figure out how to control the hot-hand shooter Atlanta has had in each game?

Next: Boston Can't Play a Full Game

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