The key for the Celtics to win
Game 6 of the NBA Finals will be at home for the Celtics in a series in which they have lost the lead they had against the Golden State Warriors.
And not only has Boston lost the lead, they have also lost the momentum.
The Warriors are on a two-game winning streak in the Finals and have the motivation to win Game 6 for their fourth title in the Stephen Curry-Draymond Green-Klay Thompson-Steve Kerr era.
But what does Boston need to do to win Game 6 and extend the Finals to a definitive Game 7?
1- The key for the Celtics to win Game 6 is….
There are several…
Since it is almost impossible to stop the Warriors offense, as seen in Game 5 where Stephen Curry’s three-pointers did not ‘foul’, so to speak, Boston must take care of the ball. In these Finals there has been no worse enemy for the Celtics than themselves.
Boston averages four more turnovers than Golden State during the current Finals. That’s the biggest difference between two championship contending teams since the 2005 Finals between the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, according to Second Spectrum.
One telling fact about how careful coach Ime Udoka’s team must be for Game 6 with respect to the ball: In the previous five games, the Warriors have scored 66 points courtesy of turnovers by the Celtics, who, in turn, account for 42 points off San Francisco turnovers.
Another point. Jayson Tatum is more than forced to improve his shooting in the paint. The Celtics star is shooting 36% in the paint during this definitive series.
But, in the Celtics’ favor is history (which never plays). Golden State has a 0-3 record in the current postseason when given the opportunity to close out a series away from home, so Boston can appeal to that statistic to come out on top Thursday night and if that’s not enough, let’s remember that Boston eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in 7 games in these playoffs and the Miami Heat as well, so don’t take it for granted that the NBA championship closes at TD Garden, but celebrates in San Francisco.
2- How can the Celtics neutralize the Warriors?
The Warriors are so effective on the court, a team that knows and executes their style of play to perfection, that the only way to neutralize them is to prevent them, as much as possible, from feeling comfortable on the court.
The Celtics players must be aggressive in their defense, play between the line of regulation and non-regulation, lean on their fans to put pressure on Golden State and try to crack that quartet of Curry, Thompson, Green and Wiggins.
It’s not simple. Boston has to neutralize as much as possible the four Warriors stars. In Game 5 they prevented Curry from scoring a three-pointer and even then they didn’t have the win.
And if they can do all this, it will only be half the job.
To finish neutralizing the Warriors, the Celtics need to execute their game, cut down on turnovers and be effective at the free throw line. In those small, tricky details lies the difference between being an NBA champion or the first loser.
3- Fact or fiction: Wiggins is the best defender Tatum has faced in all these playoffs.
Reality. As point guard Tyrese Haliburton rightly warned on JJ Redick’s podcast a few weeks ago, Wiggins was the defender who could present Tatum with the most difficulty. And he wasn’t wrong. Not because he’s the best defender in the NBA, far from it, but because of his height, quickness, ‘IQ’ and long arms.
Tatum records 5-21 for 24% in the fourth periods against Warriors in the Finals, on his way to being the worst shooting percentage from the field (in those halves) since the 2003 Finals. Wiggins has a lot to do with that.
In addition, eight of Tatum’s 18 turnovers have occurred while dribbling, Stats & Info adds. He shows some hesitation when attacking the basket.
That said, Wiggins has become the second-best player in the last two games for a Golden State that has been carried by Stephen Curry this postseason. Not only on offense, but in the paint as well, grabbing 29 rebounds in the last two duels.
The Wiggins effect has done what PJ Tucker and Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to do in previous rounds: make Tatum lose his confidence. His shooting percentages per period in these Finals have been 56% in the first, 34% in the second, 33% in the third and 24% in the fourth. The more the game goes on, the more Wiggins and company are bothering him. As the saying goes: defense wins championships.
