Celts vs Warriors - Championship Round - Game 4 - Pregame Thoughts

The Celtics have a huge opportunity to take a commanding lead in this series.

They just need to fully execute Ime's game plan and adjustments.

Anybody out there tired of hearing about Curry's ankle?

Draymond Green is basically guaranteeing a win tonight.  That should give the Celtics an extra dose of incentive to put them in the meat grinder.

For the life of me, I really cannot figure out why the Celtics have been on and then off from game to game.  It is always 2-3 of the same things.  Turnovers, ball movement and defensive engagement.

Game 3 may have been a watershed for the Celtics.  They figured out how to defend the high screens and pindowns.  We have the athletes that can get out to guys and if we do that, their ability to go on runs will be limited.   It is all about when to drop back and when not to.
 
If we play great defense and not turn the ball over we will win game 4.  Marcus has been loose with the ball the past 2 games.  He has recorded 5 turnovers in each which gives him a 1/1 assist to turnover ratio since he also recorded 5 assists in each of those 2 games.  He just needs to make the simple pass and be careful not to throw passes to guys that are not open.

Jayson Tatum got most of the press after game 3 but Jaylen Brown was the more efficient player top to bottom.  It is a luxury to have 2 allstars on the team but we need both of them to be on top of their games.
 
We should anticipate that GS will come out with a higher sense of urgency.  That translates into them being more physical.  They will try to get into us off the bounce and also fight harder for rebounds and 50/50 opportunities.  The best way for the Celtics to counter that intent is to play with our own level of physicality (without fouling)

We need great spacing that comes from moving without the ball and we need pinpoint passing to get clean looks.

Rob is listed as questionable so we will have to wait for what is likely to be a game time decision.  His knee gets stiff which effects his mobility.  He said that he got on the bike before last game and that really helped.  Rob remains the X factor for me in terms of winning.  They got shooters and we got shooters.  They got ball handlers and we got ball handlers.  They got rebounders and we got rebounders. But we got Rob and they got no counter to what he can do on the court.

Looking for Boston to break the up and down trend tonight with a huge win.

I little nervous for this game today given how inconsistent the Celts have been. I expect Golden State to change some things in their lineup. The Celts appear to take a little bit of time to figure things out in game. They shouldn't get hit on the chin before that.

Curry should be a little limited and the Celts should go right at him. Hoping the Game 3 RWill shows up again today.

Go Celts, bring this crucial win home today.

Best case scenario:  we win.  Then we'll be up 3-1 and GSW would have to beat a team that hasn't lost twice in a row 3 straight times.

Worst case scenario:  we lose.  Then it'll be 2-2, a 3 game series with 2 in SF.  We have been an excellent playoff road team. haven't lost two in a row yet and we have already proven we can win at the Chase Center.

The pressure is overwhelmingly on the Warriors,  not us.  This a must win game for them, not us.

I wouldn't be shocked if Green gets ejected.

This will be a test of Curry's ankle.   As his ankle goes so goes the series.


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:Best case scenario:  we win.  Then we'll be up 3-1 and GSW would have to beat a team that hasn't lost twice in a row 3 straight times.

Worst case scenario:  we lose.  Then it'll be 2-2, a 3 game series with 2 in SF.  We have been an excellent playoff road team. haven't lost two in a row yet and we have already proven we can win at the Chase Center.

The pressure is overwhelmingly on the Warriors,  not us.  This a must win game for them, not us.

I wouldn't be shocked if Green gets ejected.

This will be a test of Curry's ankle.   As his ankle goes so goes the series.


Bob


.

Curry will get his points. The key is to go at him and see if he can defend. Try to get Marcus one on one with him. Smart is too big for Curry anyway and with his limited mobility its a matchup we should take exploit.

dboss,

Yeah, I've heard about enough of everything Golden State and what they must do to win. Pretty much zilch about what the Celtics can do to go up 3-1.

Oddly enough, the buzz before G4 is EERILY similar to the buzz before G1. EVERYONE was expecting and predicting GS would win with ease. I like that.

Like I said in the other thread today...it's time. This team has done everything we have asked of them. Maybe not the way us old schoolers would have preferred but they are winning in their own way. It's time to deliver the knockout blow the media doesn't want to see and they will finally have it beaten in their heads they've picked the wrong horse for the final time this season.

If we don't win tonight, it's business as usual for this entire playoff run. They prefer their backs against the wall. I'm just saying the Celtic fans have earned a nice victory tonight. Time to shut Draymond's yap. Talk is cheap. But it is hard to generate "fake" pressure on yourself when you know the facts. But it's what champions are made of.

BobH, you are correct. The pressure is on GS, but just because the pressure is on you doesn't automatically mean you're going to win. I wouldn't be surprised if Draymond does get ejected and/or fouls out early. If he gets two T's, wouldn't he be ejected from this game and and the next game for hitting the limit? That would be great.

I'm going to be really po'ed if we come out weak tonight and spend the rest of the game playing catch up. I've had just about enough of anything Draymond has to say or Curry's leg or Klay Thompson getting back on track.

It is another opportunity for the Celtics. They've passed on a couple and other times they have come through magnificently. Business as usual or closing the door? We'll see in about 2 1/2 hours. We're going for 3-1 and we're going to get it.

db

I am not worried about the Warriors beating the Celtics. I am worried about the Celtics beating the Celtics. The Celts have figured out the Warriors now, i.e. they understand what they need to do.

Hopefully, the Celts show up with intensity and bring this one home.

.