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How can the Boston Celtics Keep Playing the Warriors well?

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 16: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors on November 16, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 16: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors on November 16, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Can the Boston Celtics repeat their previous success against the Golden State Warriors?

The Boston Celtics are getting ready for what should be their most difficult game of the regular season against the Golden State Warriors. They managed to steal a victory from them early on in the season, and that has continued a recent trend.

For whatever reason, the Celtics have done phenomenally against the Warriors, and have not lost since 2016. The Celtics have had the best regular season success in the NBA against the Warriors over the last two years, but the longer this goes on, the harder it feels to continue.

The Celtics will certainly not be favorites, and losing Marcus Smart is actually a major loss on the defensive end. That being said, Stevens clearly has some great ideas that work against this team, and you can expect them to always play the Warriors tough.

In the past, the key for the Celtics has been about disrupting what the Warriors want to do. When these two teams play, it is rarely top quality ball on both sides. The Celtics know they cannot go toe to toe with the Warriors. If they think they can just shoot their way to a victory, they are going to get blown off the court.

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The key for the Celtics is always finding a way to make the Warriors as uncomfortable as possible, attempting to bring them down to Boston’s level, rather than hoping the entire roster will get hot shooting, because that is the only chance you have at keeping up with them on offense.

The good news is that this season has been the best defensive team in the Stevens era, and defense is the only way to give yourself a chance by disrupting the Warriors. Obviously, Smart being out is a major loss, because he is the most disruptive player on the team.

The Celtics really need Smart to be responsible for one of the two deadly guards on the Warriors, but taking him out does not make their defense useless. The Celtics always defend as a full unit, and they have the confidence that they can disrupt anyone when they are at their best.

One advantage the Celtics have playing the Warriors is they can always get comfortable in their small ball lineups. The Warriors do not have imposing size, and the Celtics have the length and athleticism to always play in the lineups that they are most comfortable in.

With Smart out, chances are there will be very few consistent matchups on defense. Stevens is going to throw all kinds of different thinks at Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. The Celtics have a lot of aggressive perimeter defenders, and the number one priority will be making sure Curry has absolutely no space what so ever to operate.

If the Celtics can always have that pressure on Curry, that is the first step in throwing them off their game. The next challenge is figuring out who will take their turn on Durant. Stevens will certainly be throwing a lot of his versatile bigs at him, but you should expect the two youngster, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, to have to contain him from destroying the game.

When you look at what the Celtics have to do to win this game, it is hard to like their chances. Curry is the best in the league at finding the smallest amount of space he needs to operate, and there is not an individual defender in the league that can contain Durant.

The Celtics will never shut them down, but they need to make sure Curry and Durant get to a point where it is difficult for them to score on every possession. That means the off ball defense will have to be just as good, and Al Horford is going to have to make up for a lot on the inside, and needs to make sure the Warriors are not getting a lot of easier buckets.

The Celtics also need to make sure they win all the easier battles. The turnover and rebounding battle are going to be vital for the Celtics, because you know they will need more opportunities on offense in order to keep up with the Warriors.

Next: Brad Stevens is Making Danny Ainge Look Good

The Celtics have been successful at disrupting the Warriors in the past, and if they do that while playing the way they want to on offense, there is a good chance this game will go down to the wire, and that is the most the Celtics can ask for right now.

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