Man, I can’t wait for Friday. I really feel like the Celtics have a chance to beat Golden State. They’re obviously a buzzsaw but maybe… just maybe they can…
What do you mean they play tonight? Why you always lyin?
[checks schedule]
Oh. So they do play tonight. Against the Bulls.
Shit.
OK… well… let’s figure out how to win this game.
1: Avoid the trap
The first game back from a long road trip often trips teams up. They’re finally in their own homes, in their own beds, with their families, and all their stuff… They relax. Just like you would after a long business trip.
On top of that, the Warriors are looming on Friday, and the talk of the Celtics potentially ending their epic win streak is everywhere. No one cares about playing Chicago right now. We all just want to fast forward to Friday and see if the Celtics can snap the streak.
Well, that’s a recipe for disaster. If the Celtics succumb to this trap, this will be a blowout loss at home. The Bulls have effort issues of their own, so somehow, the guys have to come out focused and ready to play. Let’s not let the Bulls get back on track by being off track ourselves.
2: NO THREES!
The Bulls are a weird team. They are the 4th best 3-point shooting team in the league (37.3%)… but they are the worst in the league from less than 5 feet. They are 4th worst from 5-9 feet. And their percentages climb higher as they move further out.
The Celtics have the 8th best opponent 3-point shooting percentage in the league (33.5%). So let that swarming D run Bulls shooters off the line and force them into places they’re uncomfortable.
3: Dictate the pace
The Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics are virtually tied for defensive rating. The Bulls offense, though, is not good right now, which is reflected in a Celtics net rating of +4.8 and the Bulls’ +0.4.
The aforementioned Bulls effort issue could be used in the Celtics’ favor by taking advantage of Chicago’s tendency to slow down at inopportune times. If the Bulls are running on offense, they’ll be hard to stop. But if they’re being forced to slow down and work the clock, they become a lot less dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Celtics want to get up a lot of shots against Chicago to combat that stifling D. If the C’s can continue to force some turnovers and run.. they can get some easy points rather than face the Bulls in the half court.
4: Crash the boards
The Bulls have a tendency to turn and look rather than turn and box out. They’re in the bottom third of the league in defensive rebounding percentage while the Celtics are fifth in offensive rebounding percentage.
Take advantage of their laziness in this area to get a couple of easy baskets. Don’t send everyone, because as I just said the Celtics need to get back to stop any transition runs Chicago will make. But the bigs shouldn’t be afraid to try to sneak in for a board or two.
Can the Celtics avoid the trap tonight and come out with a big effort? If they can… and do these other three things.. they’ll have another win under their belts (and a big jump in the standings) before facing off with the Warriors.
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