Boston is back home for Game 5, and there's reason to be optimistic about a Game 6. Here are three things from Game 4 that stood out as repeatable for the Celtics.
THIS ONE SHOT, AND IT CAN WIN THIS SERIES FOR BOSTON
Jayson Tatum flashing to the free throw line (or “the nail” if you want to sound like a cool kid) against the zone can be a game-changer for Boston for a number of reasons.
- First, it’s an easy shot that will be there against zone coverages. Starting Tatum on the baseline (which I’ve been asking for for a while) rather than with the ball in his hands sort of hides him for a couple of seconds.
I personally like starting dangerous players against zones on the baseline because it forces the back-line defenders to sag deep and look behind them. It just softens things up a little bit as they're wondering where Tatum is and what he’s doing.
By flashing to the middle, Tatum instantly creates chaos with a simple paint touch. If the defense doesn’t react, then that shot is there all day. Tatum can make that in his sleep.
- Second, there are passing options out of it. If the guards suck in, he can pass it to Derrick White for an open 3. If Bam Adebayo presses up, there's a pass to Al Horford down low.
One important element of this is Miami hides weaker defenders on the low blocks of their zone. In this play, Horford ends up matched up against Kyle Lowry. With Tatum flashing up to the middle from the baseline, he has Adebayo’s full attention, leaving Horford with a mismatch that Tatum can either find, or feel good about on the offensive glass.
By starting Tatum low and bringing him up through the zone, it creates opportunities to pick on Miami’s weak defenders even if they're in a zone.
- And finally, this one shot is important because if the first two things happen enough (and it will only take a few times), Erik Spoelstra will have to ditch the zone. If he can’t rely on that, Boston can pick apart Miami’s man-to-man defense.
JAYLEN BROWN’S PASSING
Brown is averaging 34 passes per game in the playoffs, but he made 42 in Game 4. He is averaging 3.4 assists and 6.4 potential assists per game in the postseason, and he had four assists with nine potential assists in Game 4.
“I can't force it," he said after Game 4. "They're trying to make me a playmaker, so tonight I think I did a better job of just getting into the paint and kicking it out. We got an advantage, made the next pass, and was able to get some open looks pretty much all night.”
One of Boston’s biggest problems is Brown driving into a crowd, forcing a shot, or turning it over. Winning the turnover battle is paramount to pulling off this miracle comeback. By playing under control and making the right play, the Celtics got good looks while Brown only committed ONE turnover in the game.
AL HORFORD’S INCREDIBLE CONFIDENCE
After Game 4, he was asked a question that started with “you’re in a tough position down 3-1…”
He answered by saying, with a smile on his face, “I wouldn’t say it’s a tough position. It just is what it is. For us it’s to go home, and we have to be better at home. Let’s start with that.”
I’ve never seen Horford THIS confident. The look on his face when he said “I wouldn’t say it’s a tough position” just screams Horford feeling like Boston has something figured out. The look on his face here oozes the utmost expectation that the Celtics are far from done.
But it’s not just that interview.
I saw him after his postgame interview after Game 3 walking through the back of the Kaseya Center coolly laughing with family and friends about the game. After the team’s pre-Game 4 shoot around, when Robert Williams held his media availability, Al Horford walked by loudly saying "Yeah Rob! Yeah Rob! I see you! We got it tonight! We got it tonight!"
I’ve been around Horford enough to know I haven't seen him act this way. It would be tempting to think he’s just putting on a good face to lead his team and keep guys loose. But that's not it.
Horford is acting like he knows something.
I take a lot of cues from Horford. He’s been around the NBA for a long time, and around these guys at their best and their worst. If this is how he’s acting, then I’m going to roll with it.
Between a zone-busting play involving one star, a turnover-curbing attitude involving the other, and the full confidence of the one guy everyone respects, I’m ready to buy back in. If they can carry all that into Game 5, then we could be in the midst of something special.