3 things Celtics must do to come back against Bulls
Only 17 teams in NBA history have climbed out of an 0-2 hole in a best-of-seven playoff series.
COMMENTARY
The Boston Celtics’ roster has changed, but the conundrum facing Brad Stevens as his team prepares for Game 3 of its first-round playoff series in 2017 is eerily similar to his 2016 postseason experience. The Chicago Bulls are taking a page out of the 2015-16 Atlanta Hawks playoff playbook, crowding Isaiah Thomas with the ball and daring the rest of his teammates to make them pay for it. Thus far, the Celtics have fallen short.
There’s no question that the Celtics can play better, and adjustments will be necessary in order to combat a Bulls team that was firing on all cylinders in Game 2. What can Stevens do to become the second team in franchise history to dig out of 0-2 hole?
Here’s a look at three issues that must be addressed:
1. Become less reliant on the 3-point shot
Through two games, the Celtics’ offensive philosophy has been to fire from long distance early and often. Boston is attempting more 3-point shots than any other team in the postseason (35.5 per game), but they are hitting just 33.9 percent of those shots, a sizable drop-off from their season mark (35.9 percent). High-volume shooters like Avery Bradley (33 percent) and Jae Crowder (27 percent) aren’t taking the advantage of their open and sometimes ill-advised looks, which has allowed the Bulls’ to get away with aggressive, trapping defense against Thomas.
“We’ve got to space [the floor] better than we have,” Brad Stevens said Wednesday in a conference call. “We’ve got to focus on our direction on drive and kicking. If we can’t get a finish, kicking it out and making the next right play for the next guy, then you’ve got to knock down shots.”
Like most NBA teams, the Celtics don’t shoot as well from 3-point range on the road (34 percent) as they do at home (37 percent). While it’s essential for the C’s to keep the floor spread out and extend the Bulls’ defense, they shouldn’t be so insistent on settling for the jump shot. There have been multiple instance in this series — on fast breaks and offensive rebounds — when Boston has bailed the Bulls out with a quick attempt from 3. With the team struggling from distance (33.7 percent) since the All-Star break, the Celtics should look for some easier looks inside, instead of leaning too much on perimeter shooting.
2. Shake up the starting lineup
The question for Brad Stevens as his team goes on the road is whether he wants to provide Thomas some additional offensive or rebounding firepower in the starting lineup. Jonas Jerebko has only played three minutes in this series and has been slowed by a broken nose in the second half of the year, but he showed himself as capable of raising his game in the postseason — as we saw in last year’s series against the Atlanta Hawks. The Swede scored in double-digits after starting in Games 3 and 4 at TD Garden at the power forward spot. Kelly Olynyk remains another offensive-minded option over Amir Johnson, even though his rebounding limitations against Robin Lopez are worrisome.
The other looming question for the C’s is whether the team would be better served to prioritize rebounding (Tyler Zeller) over floor spacing (Jerebko/Olynyk) in a potential starting lineup change. Amir Johnson has been a strong overall defender, but he’s been a net negative on the offensive end and his weak defensive rebounding has been demoralizing as well. Zeller, Olynyk or Jerebko will at least be able to address one of those issues, fixing an area in which they’ve been exposed repeatedly by the Bulls in the first two games. Stevens could also elect to go small and athletic with Marcus Smart or Jaylen Brown, to throw the Bulls a curveball from the opening tip.
Stevens wouldn’t go into specifics, but he acknowledged that a lineup adjustment is very much on the table as the team heads to Chicago in Game 3.
“There is a large part of you that watches it and says, ‘You know, if we just play a little bit better in the first through third quarters, we’ll be in better position to have a chance to win,’ ” Stevens said. “That said, we haven’t done that and they have. And so I think you have to consider everything.”
No matter what option Stevens goes with, expect the head coach to have a quick trigger with his subs if the team comes out with a slow start yet again in Game 3.
3. Everyone needs to hit the glass
While the Boston bigs have been getting the lion’s share of the blame for their inability to contain Robin Lopez (12 offensive rebounds in first two games) on the glass, the team’s wings and guards deserve just as much heat. The Bulls have a roster that’s full of size and opportunistic rebounders at the 1-3 spots, and they’ve punished a C’s backcourt all series long that’s content to watch shot attempts go up instead of finding their man to box out.
Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have combined for 13 offensive rebounds in two games, enabling the Bulls’ offense to turn into an above-average unit over the first couple games thanks to countless second-chance opportunities.
Marcus Smart rose to the challenge in Game 2 (8 rebounds) but he needs his teammates to follow suit. Boston needs Avery Bradley to turn into the rebounder we saw during the first month of the season, instead of the guy that has grabbed just four defensive rebounds in Games 1 and 2. Thomas has never been much of a rebounder, but he needs to put a body on Rondo instead of looking for outlet passes. Terry Rozier, who hits the glass very hard for a guard, may need to be unleashed for several minutes as well, if the others can’t do the job.
Ultimately, it needs to be all hands on deck for Boston. The Bulls have attacked this weakness all series long and will continue to keep their foot on the gas until the C’s show some resistance. The Celtics need to make this a priority on every defensive possession to give themselves a chance to get back into the series.
