If the Boston Celtics want to build on their home-court performance from the previous two rounds, they’ll need to improve their ball protection first.
Once once more sloppiness in possession of the ball was very costly for the Celtics, whose propensity to lose it has been a recurring problem in their march through the playoffs. Boston lost possession 19 times in Sunday’s 107-88 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The series is tied 1-1.
“It’s as simple as we have to take care of the ball,” star Jayson Tatum said. “We have done it and we are really a good team when we protect it. But we have those periods in which, like a snowball, we lose many balls and we have dug our own grave”.
The Celtics made up for their turnovers in the first half of Game 2 by shooting 10-of-19 from 3-point range to stay within striking distance of the Warriors.
But when the Celtics’ shooting faltered in the third quarter, the game slipped away as they continued to lose balls. Now, the team returns to their field with a defeat in tow following having won the first match.
“Whatever the reason, the same thing happened to us in the previous series. In our victories, we did not lose the ball; in our losses, we lost possession excessively,” power forward Al Horford said.
“We have to take care of that situation in this match on an individual level and see how we can improve. I know that we can prevent a lot from happening to us, and to increase our chances of victory, we have to decrease them”, added the Dominican.
The Celtics have averaged nearly four more turnovers per game, resulting in nine or more points per game for the opponent when you compare their losses to their wins.
Boston is 1-5 this season when it commits at least 16 turnovers, compared to 12-2 when it happens 15 times or less.
The problem started early in the game on Sunday. Boston turned possession seven times in the first period, resulting in 13 points for Golden State, offsetting the efficiency and speed of their offense.
