Are The Celtics Done and What Happened To LA?
After two games from Day 17 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m talking about a few topics from yesterday. Today I will be talking about the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers.
After two games from Day 17 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m talking about a few topics from yesterday. Today I will be talking about the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers.
Boston’s Recipe For Success?
After taking a 2-0 series advantage, the Celtics have lost the last two games against the Raptors and now the series is tied. What can the Celtics do to win this series?
After losing Game 3, I said that the Celtics would be ok because it took bad coaching and a miracle for the Raptors to win that game. So it wasn’t like the Celtics did anything terrible. They just needed to play smarter.
Going into Game 4, I expected the game to be close but that the Celtics would pull it out. Yeah, that didn’t happen. The game was relatively close, but the Celtics lost. But how did they lose?
For once, it was their offense. Normally the Celtics are set on offense with all their weapons, but their offense was terrible in Game 4. The Celtics were 7/35 from 3-point range (20%). This will not happen again, but it can be a little bit worrying. With the Celtics not hitting 3’s, it became easier for the Raptors to defend the Celtics. They didn’t have to stretch out to shooters, because nobody was making 3’s. So the Celtics need to make 3’s in order to be very successful on offense.
Jaylen Brown was 4/18 from the field and 2/11 from 3-point range. This is unacceptable. Without Gordon Hayward, the Celtics will need Jaylen Brown to score and be efficient. This performance is the opposite. He was getting open looks, and missing. The Celtics won’t be winning this series if he plays like that.
Kemba Walker only shot the ball 9 times. Unacceptable. He is far too good to not shoot the ball 15-20 times. It’s winning time. The stars have to play well, and Walker didn’t shoot enough to play good or bad. He was just average. Walker will need to be much more aggressive in order for Boston to win.
Jayson Tatum was great although I would have liked to see him take more shots with his teammates struggling. Tatum was 10/18, and if he shot 20-25 shots, he might have gotten Boston the win with the way that he was playing.
At the end of the day, the Celtics big-3 needs to play well on offense. Jaylen Brown needs to hit his perimeter shots on offense otherwise he is useless to the Celtics and it becomes easier for the Raptors to defend Boston. Jayson Tatum played well, but I want him to take more shots if his teammates are struggling. Kemba Walker only shot the ball 9 times, and he was been very good against the Raptors. He should be shooting 15-20 times per game.
The Celtics need to get the ball to their All-Stars and let them operate. All 3 of them need to be aggressive and make their shots, because they are their. If the Celtics hit their 3’s consistently, then they become very tough to guard. So the recipe for success for Boston? Hit your shots.
Two Sides of the Clippers
After a dominating Game 1 victory against the Nuggets to start the 2nd round, it looked like the Clippers would push through the Nuggets. The Nuggets were tired and the Clippers were better and more well-rested. All the Clippers needed was energy and focus and they would easily win this series.
But in Game 2, the Clippers came out flat and never led in Game 2. The Nuggets controlled the game on both ends and the Clippers looked pretty bad. Why can’t they play like they did in Game 1 more often?
It’s a question I fail to find an answer to. You see what LA is capable of in Game 1. They score 120 points, shoot 57% from the field and 42% from 3. The score 66 points in the paint and 4 guys score 15+ points. Dominating.
Then you go to Game 2 and you see a completely different team. 101 points, 41% shooting from the field, 30% from 3. 17 turnovers and only one person scored 20+ points.
And I guess the easiest answer would be energy and arrogance. Both of these have been problems for the Mavs.
Energy-wise, there was clearly a difference from Game 1 than in Game 2. In Game 1 the game was tied 31-31 after the 1st quarter. After that, the Clippers outscored Denver 89-66 and they won by 23. They looked great.
In Game 2 they allowed 44 points in the 1st quarter and never worked their ways back into the game.
That has always been my problem with LA. They have the talent and the tools to dominate anybody in the league. And yet sometimes they don’t. You see performances like Game 1 and say, ‘wow, do that 4 more times.’ And then Game 2 happens when the Clippers lose it.
And arrogance is part of the reason why. In the Dallas series, the Clippers almost never doubled Luka Doncic and never really made any attempts to get the ball out of his hands, until Game 6. They were so invested in their one-on-one defense, that even when they were getting torched by Luka, they stayed with it. Kawhi and PG hardly ever switched onto Luka and when Marcus Morris struggled, they never changed.
This is a problem. As good of a coach that Doc Rivers is, the Clippers haven’t made too many adjustments in the playoffs. They hardly tried to get the ball out of Luka’s hand until Game 6, and he was torching them throughout that series.
After shutting down Jokic and Murray in Game 1, the two of them combine for 44 points in the 1st half and 53 points overall. It is beyond me why they don’t bring the same intensity.
And the Clippers will have to prove to me that they can maintain that dominance throughout this series and the playoffs. They had to play like Game 1 and avoid playing like Game 2.
Lets see how the Clippers play in Game 3, and which Clippers we will see.
What Are Your Thoughts On These Topics? Leave A Comment Down Below!
My Game-Day Report From Day 18 of the Playoffs Will Be Posted Later Today, So Stay Tuned!
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