After a convincing victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Boston Celtics were rewarded with a series against the championship favorite Brooklyn Nets.
There is almost no possible way the Cs can win this series, but here are some important keys to staying competitive:
Boston Celtics key No. 1) Bench scoring has to improve
Boston will need all hands on deck to keep up with Brooklyn’s offensive firepower. With Jaylen Brown out for the remainder of the season, many players on the Cs must step up, especially players on their bench unit.
This is a tall task for a squad that is third-worst in the league in bench points per game. However, Brooklyn has a tendency to be lackadaisical on the defensive end ranking 22nd in defensive rating.
I’m specifically looking at Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard to provide an offensive spark.
Both of these players were known as shooters coming out of college and that must be on display for the Boston Celtics to have any chance.
Pritchard and Nesmith are shooting 41.1 percent and 37 percent, respectively, this season. Quite frankly, both of their shooting volumes must increase in order to create more potential for bench scoring.
With Robert Williams day-to-day with a turf toe injury, Tristian Thompson could move into a starting role. Thompson had a very efficient performance against Washington pouring in 12 points off 4-9 shooting from the field.
Thompson will need to play a similar role in this series against the much more talented Nets.
Even a full-strength Boston Celtics team would need a miraculous performance to keep up with the Nets, but without Brown, it is pivotal that the bench steps up.
If the bench production stays the way it has been all season, it will be a Brooklyn sweep.
Boston Celtics key No. 2) Make Jaames Harden uncomfortable
Kevin Durant is the best player on the Nets, but Brooklyn’s offense runs through James Harden. The former MVP is the quarterback of the offense and creates great looks for Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Joe Harris.
Easier said than done, but disrupting Harden’s rhythm will disrupt the rest of the team. The Nets were 29-7 in games Harden played in the regular season compared to 19-17 without him. Harden has a clear impact on Brooklyn’s record, but his impact is even more apparent when you actually watch how the team operates with and without him.
Though Houdini Co-Expert, Mark Nilon, has his own opinions about who should be guarding the combo guard in this series, I’m personally under the impression that the only chance of making Harden uncomfortable is having back-to-back NBA All-Defensive First Team member, Marcus Smart, shadow him throughout.
Smart has been known to get under the skin of opponents and he will need to irritate one of the league’s best in order to give Boston a chance.
Smart can’t give Harden any space when he has the ball and must face guard him when he is off the ball. This will result in the Cs getting burned from time to time, but it will be worth it to get Brooklyn out of rhythm.
Obviously, the rest of the team will need to step up defensively, but I truly believe the Nets are fueled by Harden’s ability to create for his teammates. If the superstar’s ability to facilitate is hindered, it will cause Brooklyn to adjust and move away from what they’re used to.
Once again, the Boston Celtics have their hands full with this Nets superteam, but there are a few ways they can be competitive in the series.
These are perhaps the 2 biggest ways to make things competitive.