Following the largest postseason upset in the last 20 years, fans were hopeful that the Boston Celtics had finally found a way to combat the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics rode a wave of energy into game four of the Eastern Conference Finals, but ultimately fell short and lost the game 99 to 112.
Even though the team lost, there are a lot of positive things that the Celtics can work with and build on heading into game five. General upsides that both fans, and the team, can count on going into the next game.
Maintained Momentum
The Celtics played with an edge in game three and that carried over into game four. Now that the team is heading back to Beantown, set to play in front of a home crowd at TD Garden, expect what will likely be the most emotionally charged game of the series.
I think the Celtics will come out playing hard, attacking the Cavs relentlessly. The atmosphere in the Garden will be insane, and that’ll only make the Celtics more tenacious. When you’re outmatched as the Celtics are, the only way to win is by outworking the other team, because competitiveness and drive make up for those stretches when the shots don’t fall.
Team Basketball
Aside from momentum, team basketball is key. And as a team, the Celtics outplayed the Cavs in games three and four.
Think about what really happened last night. The Celtics opened up the game moving the ball unselfishly and getting a lot of good looks. They led after the first quarter 29 to 19.
By halftime, each Celtics starter, with the exception of Avery Bradley, had accumulated three assists, per David Kenyon. In fact, the Celtics had 14 more assists than turnovers at half, whereas the Cavs only had three. This translated into a lead going into the third, the Celtics being up 57 to 47.
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The Celtics moved well off the ball, made great passes, and played excellent defense. They didn’t get beaten by an opposing team, they got beaten by one player getting hot. Kyrie Irving. Not to detract from his performance, because it was amazing, but scoring 21 points on 90 percent shooting in the third quarter isn’t sustainable.
I take solace in this likelihood. It means that if the Celtics can continue playing their brand of team basketball, while the Cavs rely on improbably great performances, then the Celtics have a very good chance of taking game five at home.
The Cavs Aren’t Perfect
In addition to Uncle Drew having a huge night, so did the Big Three as a whole, scoring or assisting on 103 of 112 total points in game four. To me, this number represents an opportunity. If the Celtics can slow down or stop one or two members of the trio, expect a wholly different outcome in game five.
A focused defensive game plan, plus the sheer plausibility that one of the Big Three doesn’t bring it, equals a fortuitous opportunity for the Celtics to win.
On top of that, there’s a good chance that the Cavs are at their weakest right now. Recent injuries and minor illnesses have begun to plague their roster. According to Richard Jefferson, LeBron James has had a bug the last few days making him quite lethargic.
While you never want to see an opposing player get injured or come down with an illness, the fact remains. If the Celtics were to win any game in this series, it’ll likely be game five.
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3 – 1
I’m not usually superstitious, but you never know. The Cavs came out to the Monstars theme song in game three and lost in an eerily similar fashion to the movie. Maybe, just maybe, the Celtics will luck out with this 3 – 1 curse thing.