The Boston Celtics are on the board, but are still down 2-1 in their first round serves against the Chicago Bulls. What have we learned so far?
The Boston Celtics have really only looked bad in one of the three games, but they are still facing a 2-1 series deficit to the Chicago Bulls.
After notching their first win of the series in Game 3, let’s take a look at a few things that we’ve learned through three series games.
The Celtics Still Struggle To Rebound
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Boston was one of the worst teams in the NBA at rebounding and it continued that way to start the playoffs. Robin Lopez would open up the first two games by grabbing nine and 10 rebounds over max contract man Al Horford.
Bobby Portis would also grab nine in the first game. The Celtics have been out-rebounded as a team by an average of 12-plus boards so far in the first three games.
The major difference in Game 3 came in offensive rebounding, which led to more Boston second-chance points. All in all, the rebounding will still need to improve if the Celtics want to come back and win the series.
Isaiah Thomas Can’t Be The Only Scorer
Isaiah Thomas is only averaging 23 points per game so far in the series, but that is only because of his lack of minutes in the Game 3 blowout. In Game 2, the Celtics only had three players in double-figures, including Thomas – and he was the only player with over 20.
Boston needs more consistency scoring from IT4’s supporting cast. In the second game, it wasn’t much better. Boston had more players in double-figures but only one player would score 20, which was Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics are gonna need more of a scoring arsenal to keep Chicago’s defense on its toes.
If IT4 is the only one putting the ball in the basket, Jimmy Butler can just focus on an opposing guard he almost has a whole foot on.
Some General Notes
The Boston Celtics have been struggling in a few more aspects. They need to keep better control of leads, whether they are late in the game or early. The shooting also needs to be more consistent as the unit.
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Boston also needs to limit its turnovers. They haven’t been awful, but they can be much better. A couple more crisp passes and just better fluidity as a unit could have been the difference in Game 1.
Overall, Brad Stevens is still learning how to coach and adjust in the playoffs. I think Boston is in a good position to now tie the series up, especially with Rajon Rondo out indefinitely.