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Three Keys for Celtics Ahead of Game 5

By Harry Bachrach

May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the bench as Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) looks on against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the bench as Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) looks on against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into Game 5 is not the time to panic.

This series is playing out how the regular season match ups indicated it would. Each team wins at home and loses on the road. During the regular season, the Celtics split the series 2-2, winning both games at home and losing both games in Washington D.C.  In fact, both the Celtics and Wizards had identical home records during the regular season at 30-11.

In typical “Belichickian” fashion, we’re on to Game 5 on Wednesday. I think Brad Stevens would agree with that mindset. The mindset for Game 5 needs to be that it is a crucial, pivotal, important, and any other adjective alike…game for the Celtics.  Losing Game 5 would mean giving away home-court advantage and most likely giving away the series. However, here are 3 keys for Celtics victory in Game 5.

1. Cut Down On Turnovers

The Celtics actually won the turnover battle in Game 4 despite Isaiah Thomas turning the ball over 6 times. The Celtics held the advantage in turnovers, giving up18 turnovers to Washington’s 19. Don’t put all the blame on Thomas though. Avery Bradley had 4 turnovers while Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart had two apiece. When the bulk of your teams turnovers come from primary ball handlers, it’s hard to win games no matter what the team-turnover totals are.

In Game 2, we won the turnover battle 16-17, but the blame was spread more evenly. Olynyk and Horford each had 3, which were both team highs. I know it’s a rarity for someone to praise the Celtics ball-handlers for being crafty passers, but there were too many instances in Game 4 where Thomas lost the ball in traffic.  Simply, your best player and primary ball-handler, Isaiah Thomas, needs to make better decisions with the ball in Game 5.

2. Only Let 3 Wizards Beat You

The only Wizards’ players that need to be constantly kept in check are Bradley Beal and whoever Thomas is defending. Team basketball wins in the NBA and for the Celtics to give up a 26-0 run in the 3rd quarter means the Wizards were able to execute on both ends of the floor. After the last two games in Washington it’s evident that John Wall is a superstar and Thomas needs help on the defensive end. (The latter isn’t a new idea, but you also can’t teach height.)

Wall is a top tier point guard. He is also the best player in the series. The Celtics should still give him different defensive looks with Bradley, Smart, or even Crowder, but it probably won’t stop him from reaching his nightly averages. Stevens needs to treat Wall like he would treat LeBron James, assume he will reach his nightly averages and make the rest of the Washington Wizards come up with winning plays.

Given Wall’s stardom, Stevens should takeaway the Wizards’ second best player, Beal. Beal has not proven he can takeover a game, and does have the foot speed of John Wall. Putting Bradley on him is the obvious matchup as Bradley is our best defender and plays the same position. Since Beal is known as a shooter, Jae Crowder might make sense as a defender as Crowders length might give him fits. Crowder is an inch taller and has just under 30 pounds on Beal. Besides Wall and Beal, there no other prolific offensive players on the Wizards. Leaving Wall to rely on Bojan Bogdanovic or Otto Porter would likely make his decisions with the basketball tougher.

Wizards’ coach Scott Brooks was able to force Thomas to defend in Game 4 instead of letting him hide in the corner. It will be crucial for the Celtics to consistently bring defensive help to Thomas, whether they bring another defender to help Thomas double team or constantly involve Thomas in trapping the Wizards’ ball-handler at half court.

3. Halt Wizards’ Offensive Runs Without Using a Timeout

Brad Stevens is not completely at fault for not calling a timeout during the Wizards’ 26-0 run. We know Stevens admires Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich, and it is Popovich’s style to let player on the floor play through bad stretches. It would be beneficial for this Celtics team to learn how to gather themselves in order to end opponents offensive spurts. The Wizards are a team that likes to turn basketball games into track races.

For the Celtics, it is crucial after a defensive stop to not respond with the same pace of play as the Wizards. The Celtics need to dictate and enforce their own pace of play. Stevens said on TNT’s “Inside the Huddle” during a timeout in Game 2 telling his players it is natural to lose sight of good basketball habits as they make comebacks. Hopefully they will not find themselves in a big hole in Game 5, but Steven’s message will be important to remember nonetheless.

Next: Boston Celtics Trouble with the Starting Lineup

The next 3 games are essentially a new series. The Celtics hold home court advantage with 2 of the 3 games being played at the TD Garden. They have a lot to fix after the second half of Game 4, but keeping the aforementioned keys in mind while always matching the physicality of Wizards will be important in coming out with a victory in Game 5.

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