Boston Celtics: 7 keys to defeating the Portland Trailblazers

The Boston Celtics have a chance at redemption after a reopening night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks this past Friday as they take on the Portland Trailblazers this afternoon.

Despite severe struggles from Jayson Tatum and limited minutes from their other All-Star in Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics were within striking distance against their season restart opener, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Against the fourth-best offense and top-ranked defense in the entire league, the C’s fought back from an early deficit, but Tatum’s struggles were too much to overcome (as well as some questionable calls at the end of the game that benefitted Milwaukee).

Boston fought until the end, with most of their starters overcoming poor shooting nights to contribute across the board. Unfortunately beyond Marcus Smart and Brad Wanamaker, the bench was lifeless and futile in the scoring department.

Today, the Celtics can wipe the slate clean and pick up an important victory against the Portland Trailblazers–a team that is looking to make a jump to the #8 seed to avoid winning two play-in games to qualify for the playoffs.

Here are 7 keys to defeating the Blazers this afternoon in a 3:30 matinee in the Lake Buena Vista bubble in Walt Disney World:

1. Getting Jayson Tatum going

This one is obvious. When your best player shoots 2-15, and one of those baskets was an inadvertent tip-in by the other team on the rebound, you are not in a position to win many games.

That the C’s lost by only seven points with Tatum’s shooting being so poor is a testament to the team’s roster. Simply put: that cannot happen again today if the C’s want to win and build momentum for a sustained playoff run.

2. Maximizing Kemba Walker’s minutes

Kemba Walker played just 19 minutes in the season restart opener, but he was able to score 16 points on solid efficiency (5/9 overall, 3/6 from the 3-point line). Walker’s minutes are slowly being ramped up due to a nagging knee injury he has been dealing with in 2020, so it is unlikely he plays more than he did on Friday.

Assuming he goes 18-20 minutes, the C’s need to make sure that they can put some points up on the board before the second unit is responsible for the point guard spot.

3. Getting more from Enes Kanter…or benching him

The Portland Trailblazers might have the best big man depth in the league. Hassan Whiteside, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins are all starting-caliber centers in their own right. On the flip side, the C’s have been dealing with questions at the pivot beyond starter Daniel Theis.

Enes Kanter, the starter for last year’s conference finals Blazers team, needs to show up in Lake Buena Vista. Otherwise, the C’s may need to start considering a shift to more small-ball, which would allow them to play their best players all at once on the floor.

4. Damage control for Blazers backcourt

Look, it’s not easy to gameplan stopping the duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In their hyper-important opening contest against the Memphis Grizzlies, the pair went off for 62 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

The individual scoring abilities of both players is tough to completely stifle, but the C’s need to avoid allowing the Trailblazers tandem to go off like they are so prone to doing.

5. Use under-utilized bigs

At the end of the day, these final eight regular-season seeding games won’t affect much for the Boston Celtics. With the Toronto Raptors defeating the Lakers and the C’s dropping their first game back, the current four-game climb to the #2 seed for Boston is looking all but out of reach.

Games against teams like Portland could allow Brad Stevens to see what he has out of guys like Tacko Fall and Vincent Poirier, who could provide stability in post matchups against the likes of Whiteside and Nurkic and make a case for more regular season, or even postseason, minutes.

6. Force Carmelo Anthony to beat you

Few would have predicted that game planning to beat any team in 2020 would include plotting against Carmelo Anthony. After Friday’s fourth-quarter outburst against the Grizzlies, it is clear that Melo still has plenty of clutch moments left in the tank for this stretch run of the regular season.

Instead of getting torched by Lillard and McCollum or being overmatched by the Blazers big-man bunch, Boston needs to force Anthony to be the difference-maker for Portland.

7. Give Marcus Smart the greenlight again

With Walker on a minutes restriction, there has to be production from the point guard spot somewhere in the lineup. Don’t expect Brad Wanamaker to continue being as hot from the floor as he was in the opener.

Marcus Smart should see this as an opportunity to once again assume leadership and pace the team in scoring off the pine. Stevens should give Smart the green light to fire away and keep the Boston Celtics afloat in what could be a high-scoring affair.