Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from C’s upsetting Game 4 loss to Warriors
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Not a strong game fundamentally from the C’s
The margin of error is significantly smaller against Golden State for the Boston Celtics than it was in any of their previous matchups. This is a team that capitalizes on every little mistake made and converts it into points on the other end.
There are so many fundamental aspects of the game that were weak from Beantown on Friday. Let’s look at three key weak points that ultimately cost them in a close contest.
The Celtics had 15 turnovers, six of which were by their best player in Jayson Tatum. The first few started from undisciplined play from the point guard position in the opening quarter.
Smart had two quick turnovers and Derrick White would add three more throughout the course of the game.
In the fourth, Jaylen Brown dribbled the ball off of his foot en route to Nemanja Bjelica fastbreak opportunity. Not valuing the possession of the basketball against one of the best transition offenses of all time is a recipe for disaster.
This is still an area of the game for Boston that has consistently tilted outcomes one way or another. 15 turnovers is too many with the margin of error being penny-sized.
The Warriors scored 19 points off of the Celtics’ turnovers. A key igniter for many of Golden State’s runs in the game.
Another sore spot is securing the defensive rebound. The mark of a successful defensive possession is finishing it by getting the board. Golden State out-hustled Boston 16-11 on the offensive glass and 61-49 when it came to total boards for the game.
Rebounding is about positioning, awareness, hard work, and relentless effort. We’ve seen this story all postseason long: when the rebounding margin is this big, it typically means a tallied loss in the column for the C’s.
Andrew Wiggins had 16 rebounds, Kevon Looney added 11 boards, Curry brought down 10 on the glass, and Draymond Green chipped in with nine. The act of gang-rebounding was present in the Warriors’ game plan, and it paid dividends.
The last area is poor free-throw shooting with five missed shots from the stripe. Tatum missed a couple of key ones, Brown missed one to complete the four-point play, Payton Pritchard clanked another off the back iron, and Robert Williams left one a tad short.
You got to make your free throws!
Sure, it sounds cliche, but it is what separates champions from the pretenders. It seems like a mental lapse to me or nerves because most of these guys are solid from the line.