Boston Celtics: 3 X-factors for Cs in Miami Heat Eastern Conference Finals series
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics X-factor No. 2) Kemba Walker
If you were to have told someone who had never watched a lick of Boston Celtics basketball prior to these playoffs that Kemba Walker was a perennial All-Star and an All-NBA player, they would almost certainly not believe you based on his most recent performances.
Throughout this year’s postseason, Walker has only managed to put up messily per-game numbers of 12.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on a horrid 28 percent shooting from the floor and 14 percent shooting from deep. Sure, he has put up a handful of 20+ points on 50 percent shooting performances, but these nights have grown too few and far between and, thus, the Cs have struggled.
What’s impressive, however, is that even with his putrid play — take game one of this series, for example — Boston has still managed to stay productive and give themselves legitimate chances of winning virtually every game.
In outings where Walker has dropped 20 or more points on 50 percent or better shooting from the field, the Celtics are 4-1. Had he consistently produced at this type of level, Boston could have escaped from the second-round in a much easier of fashion and likely would find themselves up 1-0 in this Eastern Conference Finals rather than be down in a 0-1 hole.
It’s sad to say, being he’s a max-contract player, but Kemba Walker needs to step up big if he wishes to keep his longest career playoff run going. Should he continue to struggle, unfortunately so too will the Celtics.