After losing to the Cavaliers in Game 4, the Boston Celtics are 1-6 on the road in the playoffs. Why can’t they win away from TD Garden?
All postseason, the Boston Celtics have made things a lot harder than they needed to be. Against Milwaukee, they were brought to 7 games by an inferior Bucks team with Joe Prunty standing on the sidelines. The Philadelphia 76ers stole a Game 4 at home to force a Game 5 in Boston that went down to the wire.
Now, LeBron James and the Cavs are back from down 2-0. The Celtics were more or less dominated in Cleveland and for the third straight time they will need to win at home to advance.
The good news for the Celtics is that they haven’t lost at home since April 8. The C’s are averaging 110 points and outscoring teams by an average of 11 points at TD Garden.
The fans have been great, and they will be again on Wednesday, and the Celtics have no choice but to play better in Game 5. All of a sudden, missed layups will start to fall. Threes that missed in Cleveland will magically drop when you’re at home.
Especially with young players, being in your home gym means a lot. The crowd is cheering for you. When the other team makes a run, it’s quiet, you can focus. When you make a run, everything is flowing. Everything is going the right way.
Good teams win at home. Great teams ruin the night of an 8-year old kid going to his first playoff game. They ignore the fans screaming on every free throw. The boos after every call against the home team (or, if you’re playing the Cavs, some boos from the best player).
So far, the Boston Celtics have wilted under this pressure. They have home court advantage, so this might not even matter in the end, but if it comes down to a must win Game 6 in Cleveland things need to change.
But what?
Well, here are two places they need to start.
Try to make a shot?
For all I know, the hoops in Cleveland are the same height and width than in Boston. But for whatever reason, the Boston Celtics are shooting drastically worse on the road.
They are averaging 94 points on the road, 16 less than at home. Their field goal percentage is 41 percent on the road compared to 47 percent at home (31 percent from three compared to 38 percent at home).
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But it’s not just the numbers. Even the shot selection is worse. Some of it is the Cavs defense, but some of it is just boneheaded. Terry Rozier taking transition pullup threes going 1 on 3 is not smart. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum driving and still shooting after getting double or triple teamed in the paint just to get blocked makes no sense.
Marcus Smart, as great as he is sometimes, does not need to take another shot in his life as far as I’m concerned. Nothing kills a run quite like a Marcus Smart brick. It’s always great when the Cavs are leaving Smart open on purpose and he launches up a three anyway. 4 for 17 in Cleveland. 1 for 9 from three. A plus/minus of -23 in 56 minutes. Not great.
Jayson Tatum is getting to the line on the road, but is shooting 8 for 26 for deep in the playoffs. Even at home he’s just 9 for 29. That’s 31 percent for a 43 percent three point shooter in the regular season. Yes, he’s a rookie, but the Celtics are relying on him for a reason.
In Game 5, the Boston Celtics can’t afford to take bad shots. The right guys have to get open looks from three, and they need to go in.
If the Cavs defense is like it was in Games 1 and 2, this should not be a huge problem. If it is, then the lanes are open for driving. Cleveland can’t close out and switch well enough to stop the drives from coming. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are more athletic than anybody guarding them. Kyle Korver had one fluke game and JR Smith won’t have the crowd behind him. The Celtics will have their chances, it’s up to them if they pull through.
First quarter blues
Clearly, the first quarter is the biggest problem for the Celtics. In Game 4, they won every quarter but the first. But digging a hole less than 12 minutes into the game is not the recipe for winning in the playoffs.
Luckily, the Celtics are much better in the first at home, like so many other things. But essentially losing the game before it even starts is bad for momentum,.
In Game 5, the defensive intensity needs to be there from the jump. There can’t be any settle in period. If the Boston Celtics are going to win the series, the first quarter is a must win.
Terry Rozier needs to make his first few shots. A couple threes need to drop early. In-the-jersey type defense on LeBron and hands in the face on every JR Smith three. Get the crowd into it. Show the world that you belong in the NBA Finals.
Next: Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum came down to Earth in Game 4
Beating LeBron in the playoffs wasn’t going to be easy. If the Boston Celtics really want to move on, they are going to have to earn every bit of it, on the road or not.