Their defense needs to be the best, but offense will be the key to a game six victory for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics got their defense back on track with Marcus Smart‘s return in game five. The Milwaukee Bucks could not get the three to fall, and not even Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to generate his shot on a regular basis.
The problem is that the Celtics also had one of their worst games on offense, with no one really stepping up in a special way on that end. The Celtics would much rather win with defense, because that is their identity and how they get comfortable, but they will not get much further if they are not balanced and executing on both ends.
Brad Stevens has drastically reduced both Greg Monroe and Aron Baynes‘ minutes. Semi Ojeleye and Marcus Smart are going to be the ones taking the majority of those minutes. The main reason is for defenisve purposes, but both of them are three point threats, while Monroe and Baynes are much more limited.
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Even if Smart and Ojeleye are far from marksmen in the league, they are still threats. At the very least, they will create space. Teams may not respect them too much from three, but they will still create more space than the other options, and should be able to hit the most wide open looks.
The Celtics have a lineup that is all about versatility and three point shooting, and if the offense is able to catch up to the defense with these suspect shooters, then they should have their most complete victory in game six.
The Celtics may be limited because of their age and high end talent, but they still know they can be one of the best three point shooting teams in the league, and that can make up for quite a but on offense.
The Celtics do not need that one player to come out and separate himself as an elite scorer, because they have an entire lineup that can do damage with that outside shot, and they play in a way that will embrace any open look.
The Celtics have to expect the Bucks to play better in game six, and they have to make up for that with their offense. We can still expect the defense to be their strength, and be closer to the game five performance than the first four.
That being said, Giannis is going to be better, and you cannot expect them to be quite as cold on defense. It will be more challenging, and it may be unrealistic to expect the defense to be better than it was in game five.
Next: Time for the Boston Celtics to win on the road
With all that in mind, the Celtics need to make sure they bring their very best on defense, and if they get that then they should have no problem elevating their offense enough to end this series on the road.