Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory in game-three vs. Toronto
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics key to victory No. 1) Address the turnover issues
In our last “three keys” publication, we discussed the need for the Boston Celtics to address their turnover issues from game-one, where they committed 22 in comparison to 14 by Toronto.
Though they ended up winning the contest quite handsomely — final score 112-94 —, we saw this problem as quite concerning heading into their second outing. While they did cut down on their turnovers in game-two (17), it still was seen as an unnecessary hiccup in their game and, frankly, Something that could have been quite avoidable.
Luckily the shamrocks wound up escaping with a 102-99 victory, however, should their turnover woes continue on in this series, their luck is bound to run out eventually.
On the season, the Raptors ranked second in defensive rating, second in points off of turnovers, and, currently in this year’s postseason, rank fourth in said category.
Had it not been for Marcus Smart’s fourth-quarter magic, the Boston Celtics very easily could have lost the game and, in turn, we would see this series tied up at one game apiece. If this were to have happened, we likely would be looking back on the box score and zeroing in on the opportunities wasted by the Cs and bestowed to Toronto via turnovers.
In game-three we better see Boston take better control of the ball. Otherwise, without another astounding showing in crunch time, things could end up turning real ugly.