Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory tonight vs. Indiana
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics key No. 2) A hot start and consistent finish for Jayson Tatum
Despite the fact that the final score of Friday’s game against Brooklyn was separated by a 28 point margin (123-95), through the first three quarters of play, the outing was reletively close.
In fact, coming into halftime, the Boston Celtics even found themselves holding a two-point advantage over the Nets.
What makes this more impressive was the fact that the team’s star, Jayson Tatum, didn’t wind up scoring his first points until the second period, where he would go on to drop 12 of his 20 for the game.
As Cs fans know quite well, this team goes as far as their All-Star forward will take them.
If more than half of his points come in just the second quarter while only converting on one of his attempts for a measly two points in the fourth (i.e. crunch time) this team will not prosper.
The Celtics need Tatum to be that guy who sets the tone in the beginning of the game while showcasing his ability to close things out come the final period — similar to how he performed in game one against the Bucks.
Should he get off to a hot start tonight against Indiana and stay reletively consistent to the finish, Boston will prove to be a hard team to beat.