Boston Celtics: The good, the bad, and the ugly from grueling Game 5 loss

The bad for the Boston Celtics: Turnovers…

It’s a broken record for this Boston Celtics team, and pretty remarkable that this issue stays persistent for a championship-level squad. The amount of careless turnovers from the C’s ballhandlers is both concerning and damning.

They finished the night off with 13 fewer shot attempts despite having eight offensive rebounds to the Warriors’ four because of the turnover game. While Boston finished with 18, Golden State only gave it over six times.

That 12-possession difference is extremely hard to overcome in a game between two good, if not great teams.

Boston continuously tried to push the agenda and drive to the basket in isolation situations, looking for contact or a tough finish. They weren’t getting the benefit of the whistle throughout most of the night (more on that later), which didn’t help their aggressive playstyle.

The Celtics didn’t have many passing turnovers on Monday night. Instead, they were just getting stripped off of drives to the basket by defenders who aren’t attackable in isolation situations.

If you can get the blow by, great! If not, don’t force a drive to the bucket, for you can easily step back and take a 15-footer with good separation.

In a series like this, the mid-range jumper from guys like Tatum and Brown are productive looks in the halfcourt offense.

The Celtics could benefit from simpler offensive sets, not being encouraged to overforce. That’s led to an abundance of turnovers, allowing Golden State to stay in games that they should be losing.