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Boston Celtics Will Struggle In Game 2

By Harry Bachrach

May 17, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) lays the ball in the basket past Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) lays the ball in the basket past Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half in game one of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics may not have any answers to fix problems in game two against the Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics have the same issue every other team in the NBA has with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James.  I’m not writing this piece to back off my previous article stating the Celtics have improved in these playoffs.

They have proven to be a tough, gritty, tenacious team that can win in postseason. But James is a fickle player, switching from facilitating point-forward to primary scorer anytime he chooses, and his Cavaliers are a tough matchup for the Celtics.

No player on the Celtics is going to stop James. Some players do a better job of staying in front of him, like Jaylen Brown, but James is going post whatever numbers he feels like. Given his comments after Game 1 about not feeling great, the Celtics should be prepared for a similar stat line from him in Game 2.

James has scored over 35 points per game in his last 5 games including Game 1 against the Celtics.  The best plan to slow down James might be the obvious idea of doubling as ESPN Staff Writer, Chris Forsberg, quotes Brad Stevens’ about in his recent article.

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“Doubling is really scary against these guys, but it may be necessary,” Stevens said. “The conundrum is, do you double and risk giving up those easy step-in 3s and the rebounds? Or do you try to stay at home and do the best you can and make them make a tough shot? It’s all easier said than done, but we’ve got to figure out our best avenue quickly.”

Doubling James and forcing Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love to make a bigger impact may be the safest route. Love had the best game of his 2017 playoffs in Game 1, scoring 32 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The last time he score more than 20 points was Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics might try to make Love the Cavaliers primary option on offense in hopes of him not being able to repeat his Game 1 performance.

The other issue is the Celtics poor defense in the paint. Tristan Thompson should not score 20 points and pull down 9 rebounds, especially when Al Horford is only contributing 11 points. Similarly,  ESPN Stats and Info tweeted that James had 13 points in the paint in the first half compared to the Celtics 10.

The Celtics cannot rely on a chippy Marcus Smart to defend Cavalier forwards in the paint and be a primary perimeter defender.  A big man for the Celtics, namely Kelly Olynyk or Horford, need to out-muscle low post dwellers like Thompson and possibly commit a few hard fouls on LeBron. I’d rather him spend more time complaining to refs than running back on defense.

Next: Boston Celtics Cannot survive Inconsistent shooting

Game 2 might be the Celtics last, best chance to win since Games 3 and 4 are in Cleveland. The one improvement we should be able to count on is better shooting from beyond the arc. The Celtics only shot 31.6% in Game 1 and their regular season average was about 35%. Converting more three-point attempts and tenacious defense should make for a more competitive Game 2.

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