Boston Celtics: Turnovers the most important battle for game 7
The Boston Celtics know how important the turnover battle is going to be in game seven
LeBron James had the kind of performance in game six that can suck the life out of any team, but the Boston Celtics know they can still control the fate of this series. The Celtics know that James is going to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers in a special way, but if they handle everything within their control, they have shown the ability to overcome his best.
After game six, it is abundantly clear that the Celtics cannot throw away points or opportunities, because gifting the Cavaliers like that will make it far too easy for James. The free throws were concerning, but you have to imagine that can fix itself.
The rebounding is a major concern, but the Celtics are limited there, and can get by if they improve that battle, without dominating it. Turnovers are then going to be the most important secondary category in this one.
I have a hard time seeing the Celtics winning game seven without winning the turnover battle, because t is too crucial to everything they want to do. The Celtics can afford to miss some shots without it threatening their offense. Turnovers, on the other hand, ruin everything.
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On top of that, the Celtics have shown an ability to force James into turnovers, and disrupting their offense enough to take away the impact of the secondary players is certainly within their capability.
In game six, the Celtics had 13 turnovers to nine for the Cavaliers. That is not a staggering difference, but it needs to be the biggest strength for this Celtics team, and losing that battle in any capacity is unacceptable.
The Celtics have forced James into at least six turnovers in all their victories, which is double the three he had in game seven. James has been as unstoppable as even in this series, but they know they can generate those turnovers, and that is an advantage they cannot lose.
It is also not a coincidence that secondary bench players were so effective on a night when they did not turn the ball over. The Cavaliers only have one player that really creates anything for himself, so those secondary players are not going to be relevant creating on their own.
If the Celtics are disrupting the passing lanes, and forcing the turnovers, Larry Nance Jr. and Jeff Green are going to be non factors, and the Celtics know how much better off they are if James has to do this completely on his own.
James is going to be able to score and manufacture points no matter who is guarding him, or what kind of double teams they send at him. The defense needs to force turnovers in order to get an advantage, and this Celtics team does not win many games when the defense does not get an advantage.
For their offense, they need ball movement more than anyone, and those turnovers throw off everything they try to do. The Celtics always function as a unit on offense, and that was not the case in game six.
They got solid individual shooting from Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown, but they need the entire offense to function well, with every player getting involved. If they are turning it over, they are giving the Cavaliers easy transition looks, while taking away their easier looks.
The Celtics can generate a ton of great looks against a pathetic Cavaliers defense, but not if they are turning it over. If the Celtics limit the turnovers, and keep the Cavaliers out of transition, they do not need to shoot at an elite level to win.
Keep in mind, Rozier has brought some of the best ball protection in the NBA after taking over for Kyrie Irving, and has been able to protect the ball much better than James in this series. The defenders ahead of them make a huge difference, further reinforcing the need to win that battle.
Next: Boston Celtics throw away opportunities in game six
The Celtics need to give themselves as many advantages as is possible against James, and winning the turnover battle is going to be a determining factor if the Celtics are going to win game seven.