Boston Celtics: 3 negative trends to watch out for in the NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics, after some excruciating losses in the Eastern Conference Finals during years past, have finally made it over the hump and reached the NBA Finals.

The only things standing in their way are the talented and experienced Golden State Warriors, and, of course, themselves.

The C’s, while having some great moments and stretches of play, also have plenty of things to worry about heading into the championship round.

Here are 3 trends that shamrock fans should be paying attention to while watching NBA Finals games:

Negitive Boston Celtics trend No. 1) Turnovers, rebounding, passing

To start, here are some basic trends comparing stats in games the Celtics won versus games the Celtics lost that fans should be monitoring throughout NBA Finals games.

Turnovers

TOVPG in Wins: 11.9
TOVPG in Losses: 16.0

Offensive Rebounds Allowed

ORBPG in Wins: 9.8
ORBPG in Losses: 11.3

Assists

ASTPG in Wins: 25.2
ASTPG in Losses: 22.3

I’m sure many of you reading this have noticed while watching the Celtics that when they aren’t playing well, these three things seem to be the biggest reasons why.

I was curious to see if the stats backed that up, and sure enough, they do.

Typically, when the Cs don’t turn the ball over, don’t allow second chances, and move the ball well, they yield better results.

Seemingly, limiting offensive rebounds helps their elite half-court defense, passing the ball well gets better shots and more points for the offense, and limiting turnovers leads to more shot attempts, as well as reduces the number of possessions that the defense isn’t defending in the half-court.

These three stat categories are key for the Celtics to maximize their strengths as a team.