Boston Celtics Prove They Can Compete

Game four was a difficult loss for the Boston Celtics, but leaves them with a lot of confidence back at home for game five

The Boston Celtics failed to shock the world in a second straight game, which would have evened up the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That being said, the Celtics established something almost as important: game three was not a fluke, and this is a team that can compete with the Cavaliers, even when they are close to their very best.

It was a tail of two halves, as foul trouble for LeBron James gave the Celtics an opportunity to establish a 10 point lead, despite Kyrie Irving hitting nine of his last 10 shots in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Celtics were not quite the same. They were turning the ball over, they weren’t hitting as many shots and, oh yeah, the Cavaliers big three come together in what was one of the best performances the three of them have ever combined for.

In a lot of ways the Celtics took the best shot the Cavaliers can take, at least when it is only their big three that is carrying the team. The Celtics did not allow that to phase them, as they managed to keep the game within reach until the final two minutes.

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The Celtics were competitive from the start to the finish of that game, and they did not need some fluky shooting night from Marcus Smart and some fluky off game from James to show that they are capable of taking another game from the Cavaliers.

While the Cavaliers certainly elevated their level of play in the second half, the first half was a great indicator of how the Celtics need to play to be at their best. The number one offensive priority is ball movement. The Celtics simply did not turnover the ball in the first half, and that meant they did not need to hit every single shot to have a chance. The Celtics created as a team, making up for the loss of their point guard with everyone taking on extra responsibility as a distributor.

On defense, the Celtics clogged up the paint. They turned James into a jump shooter and if it was not for Irving putting on a career performance, that first half may have given them a big enough lead to hold onto despite the crazy second half turnaround.

What is most significant for the Celtics coming out of this game is that they proved their competitiveness is sustainable. It is not a matter of every single thing having to work in Boston’s favor. The Celtics now realize that if they stick to their game on both ends, they will have an opportunity to go on that one late run that can win a game. In game three, the Celtics took over to close the game, in game four it was James. At this point, getting to that point is all the fans should be asking for.

Consistency has been an issue all year long, making it difficult to expect the Celtics to put together a full game playing the way they did in the first half of game four. The Celtics were getting assists from every player on the court and everyone was shooting in rhythm. The Celtics know that they can control things on the offensive end, as the Cavaliers have done very little to slow down their attack.

When things bog down for the Celtics it is often their own doing. The Celtics know they have ways they can successfully attack the Cavaliers, and it will ultimately come down to executing at the highest level for four quarters, and avoiding turnover issues for an entire game.

The Celtics get an opportunity to avenge the humiliation that was game two for their home crowd, and it is refreshing that the team and the fans can have a certain degree of confidence that this series can be extended.

The Cavaliers had the best shooting night as a team in the playoffs. Kevin Love had a career day rebounding, Irving saved the game when James was out and James closed the game like only he can. The Cavaliers needed every bit of their big three to win this game, and the Celtics can still feel as though they could have been better.

You get the sense that if the big three plays like that again, the consistency issues of the Celtics will make it impossible for them to keep the game within reach. That being said, the Cavaliers may not get another big three performance like that for the entire playoffs.

The Celtics need to make sure they do a better job of taking advantage of the weaknesses of the Cavaliers team, and that will usually have to be on the offensive end.

Next: Boston Celtics Gave the NBA What it Needed

The Celtics have a near impossible task ahead of them, but it certainly looks significantly more possible than it did after game two. The Celtics cannot think about having to take down the king for three straight games. All they can focus on is making sure they play the way they did in the first half of game four, because that is what they need to keep the game competitive, and give themselves an opportunity to close out a game the way they did in game three.

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