SAN FRANCISCO -- If I was playing for the Celtics, Ime Udoka would have probably called me into his office to yell at me by now. I violated one of his cardinal rules.
I respected the Golden State Warriors too much.
What originally was, what I believe, a healthy fear of the multiple-time champions was actually misguided. Yes, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have been there before, but I gave too much deference to the past.
This is the present. And in the present, the Celtics are not only good enough to beat the Warriors, they should be favored to beat the Warriors.
After two games at the Chase Center, it’s clear the Celtics very much have enough to beat Golden State and raise a banner. It’s obvious that Boston has all the right things in the right places to be champions right now.
The people who run the Duck Boats should be shining them up. The parade route should be planned.
But only if these Celtics play like they believe it.
They played well enough to put the Warriors away in Game 1 even after not playing well for a lot of the game. They were in a position to do the same in Game 2 being down only six points with a little more than four minutes to go in the third quarter.
“The first half was just as disappointing, only being down two and not playing good basketball at all frankly,” Udoka said after the 19-point Game 2 loss. “Had our opportunities. Came out, jumped out up nine early. Then turnovers started happening. Let them back in the game. Then the offense wasn't as crisp with the ball movement and passing. Eleven of our turnovers were live ball turnovers, nine of them out of steals. So got to be better in that category.”
Boston’s best players are responsible for the worst of the turnovers. Jayson Tatum has been having an especially rough time of things lately, but this is a different series, and it’s about time he starts realizing this.
This isn’t the big, bruising Milwaukee Bucks or the slap-happy Miami Heat daring officials to call every foul. Those teams are big, tough, and strong. Against those teams, a scorer like Tatum needs to be creative and hope that he’s able to get to the free throw line to score his points.
That doesn’t have to be the case now.
“We weren't strong with the ball overall,” Udoka said. “Searching for fouls instead of going up and making plays, especially with their lack of rim protection.”
This is a Tatum specialty. The way he spins into the lane with his arms out, James Harden style, is looking for a foul first and the shot second. His mentality needs to flip to score first, and get fouled later.
There's no need to hunt fouls against these guys. There's no monster rim protector there. These aren’t huge guys in the middle of the paint. A strong dribble move by Tatum and a strong attempt at the rim is enough to get the foul call.
A bit of power, played off two feet, going straight to the rim regardless of who is in the way, will get Tatum everything he’s looking for and more.
Tatum has spent the early part of the Finals paying homage to his late idol, Kobe Bryant. He watched Kobe game film before Game 7 of the Conference Finals. But as much as Tatum looks up to Bryant, he needs to be more Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Celtics against the Warriors.
Tatum has the build and the skills to make the same decisive, forceful drives to play through people and get the foul calls. The big, swooping, double-armed moves are obvious grifts that won’t often get rewarded at this point. I get it against the teams that protect the rim like Boston’s last two opponents.
This ain’t them, and Tatum should feel liberated by that fact. He’s had two games now to get adjusted to the more finesse Warriors. Boston is the bigger, tougher team. Tatum needs to understand that he absolutely can impose his will. The circumstances have changed, and Tatum now has some room to let his game truly breathe.
He’s not alone here, but he’s the guy Boston needs to lead the charge.
Don’t respect these guys too much, and don’t treat them like they’ve got shot blockers cruising the paint like Jaws. The Celtics can play through the Warriors. They can attack at will and put the Warriors on their heels. The only adjustment they need is for their stars to go into attack mode. The rest will take care of itself.