Hardwood Houdini
Fansided

Boston Celtics show value of extra opportunities in game 5

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Aron Baynes #46 is assisted off the floor by teammate Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Aron Baynes #46 is assisted off the floor by teammate Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 23, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics did not shoot well, but got the chances they needed to beat Cleveland

The Boston Celtics defended their home court once again, and took advantage of maybe the least inspiring performance of the series from the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James looked gassed, and no one else was able to get much going.

The Celtics did not play phenomenally, but took advantage of the opportunities they had, and made sure they could get enough for the victory. The Celtics did not shoot well in this one, but they were able to make sure they got all the additional chances that made sure it did  not matter.

Neither of these teams were going to win because of their shooting last night, but it was the Celtics that made the extra plays that made sure they could keep the Cavaliers out of reach.

Finally, the Celtics kept the Cavaliers off the offensive boards, and actually managed to get more than twice as many as them. The most important thing for them were the turnovers, because the Celtics had 10 steals to build up 15 turnovers for the Cavaliers.

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When you generate turnovers like that, you can afford to have an off shooting night. The Cavaliers turned it over and could not shoot, preventing them from getting the opportunities they needed to score enough, even with the Celtics being underwhelming on offense.

The Cavaliers actually managed to have a better overall shooting percentage than the Celtics. 41 percent to 36 percent is nothing to be impressed about, but it emphasizes how important it is that they got those 11 extra shot attempts.

The Celtics have been masterful at finding ways to win when games are not going well. They know they need to shoot to be at their best, but they have a lot of experience making up for poor shooting.

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, did absolutely nothing to get the extra opportunities. The Celtics threw a lot away with easy misses, but they always put in the work to get an edge back, and make sure their mistakes did not kill the game for them.

The Celtics know how important it is for them to get any edge they can find. They want to shoot better, but that is not how they are gong to consistently win games. The Celtics can see how important it is to keep the Cavaliers off the offensive glass, and generate the necessary turnovers.

Next: Celtics have to expect a vintage James in game 6

The Celtics are not going to be able to out score a team with their pure shooting, but they have a defense that can make up for any offensive struggles, and flipping opportunities by getting steals is going to be absolutely vital to any offensive success they are going to have.

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