Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory tonight vs. Detroit Pistons

Boston Celtics key No. 3) Force Detroit to shoot

Thus far into the season, the Detroit Pistons have proven to be one of the worst teams in the entire league. One of only two teams in the NBA to find themselves at 0-4 to start the year, it seems the Motor City has struggled in virtually every aspect of the game of basketball thus far, most specifically on the offensive end.

As things currently stand, the Pistons rank 19th in points per game (111.5), 24th in 3-point percentage (32 percent), and 27th in overall field goal percentage (42.8 percent).

Despite this inefficient scoring, Detroit still has managed to hoist up the seventh most long-range attempts per game (39).

With the way their roster is constructed, it should come as no surprise that they have found a solid amount of success when attempting close-range shots; big bodies such as Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, and Blake Griffin have shown relative ease in bruising down low for easy buckets.

However, for some reason, they still feel the desire to play the long-ball.

If the Boston Celtics want to breeze to a victory tonight, they’ll let the Pistons do what they want in regard to playing the perimeter, focusing on closing out the interior and forcing players out of the paint and into more of a mid-range/ long-range game.