Going into tonight's game 6 match up of Jeckel & Hyde the Boston Celtics vs. LeBron James & his handicap the Cleveland Cavaliers, I have some thoughts on how the Celtics might finally win a game on the road in this year's postseason. The problems on the road have been numerous for the Celtics (and everyone else) this postseason, however I believe that the key to victory for the Celtics tonight will be their aggression on offense and communication on defense.
An overriding theme in all of the Celtics road playoff games thus far has been their tendency to settle for jumpshots and a general lack of easy basket opportunities while on offense. What made the Celtics so successful in game five against Cleveland was the Celtics' constant attacking in the paint and at the rim. This kind of aggression got the Celtics some easy baskets that had huge impacts (Paul Pierce'sloud dunk late in the game and KG's thunderous stuffs set the tone for the rest of the team) and forced the Cavalier defense to collapse and leave shooters open from the perimeter. The combination of penetration and the extra pass really established a rhythm for Boston and carried them to victory. Lastly, Paul Pierce's aggression in particular sealed the game as he was able to get to the line and ice the Cavs with eight free-throws in the final minutes that kept Cleveland at arm's length.
I'd also like to commend Pierce and the rest of the Celtics for their second half defense on LeBron James. After dropping 23 on the Celtics in the first two quarters (virtually all of his baskets were in the paint and uncontested at the rim), the Celtics came out in the second half determined to shut him down. They did. LeBron converted only four of his last 14 attempts and was shut out for the majority of the second half. As a team, the Celtics deserve a lot of credit, however Pierce stayed glued to LeBron and was instrumental in taking him out of his comfort zone and his offensive rhythm.
Additionally, the Celtics limited James (who ended up with 35 points, by far his best scoring game of the series) in other areas of the game and minimized his impact on the floor. LeBron had only 5 assists (a nice game for most NBA players, but decidedly sub-par for King James) and a mere 3 rebounds in the game five loss to Boston.
LeBron's limited numbers on the glass are indicative of a great effort by the Celtics to limit Cleveland's rebounding and control the glass. The Cavaliers, who are normally one of the league's best rebounding teams (particularly on the offensive glass) were held to seven offensive rebounds (Boston had 12) and finished with 30 total rebounds, eight less than the Celtics. Rebounding has always been a huge key to Cleveland's success, and the Celtics made the extra effort to grab every loose rebound and control the ball. Especially noteworthy was Ray Allen's tap to Kevin Garnett in the closing minute of the game that gave the Celtics an extra possession and helped to secure the victory. Although Allen's jumper has been woefully inaccurate thus far, he made a huge contribution in that one play alone that was vital to the success of the Celtics.
Saving the best for last, I'd like to once again rave about the skinny second year point guard from Kentucky, Rajon Rondo. Rondo's stat line is very impressive by itself, 20 points (9-15 FG's), 2 steals, 2 blocks and 13 assists with only one turnover in 42 minutes last night. Rondo sparked the Celtics run that brought the team back into the game in the first half by hitting two huge three pointers on consecutive trips down the floor. Though his jumper is still inconsistent, Rondo was wide open both times and punished Cleveland's defense for leaving him unattended.
In the second half, Rondo has a phenominal penetration and kick to Kevin Garnett for an open 17-footer that the Big Ticket drained with ease. As the tide was turning, Rondo also came up with a huge block that denied Cleveland a fast break basket and led to a transition opportunity for the Celtics on the other end of the floor. It still excites me every game to watch Rondo develop his game and grow as a player. If you add 15 pounds to his frame and a consistent jump shot, he'll be unstoppable, pure and simple.
The Celtics will certainly need to come up big to stop the Cavs tonight in Cleveland, however if they can win and end the series right here it will make a huge statement to the rest of the league that the road warrior Celtics are back in a big way. You can never count out a LeBron james led team (as the King was eager to point out in last night's press conference), however the Celtics have a golden opportunity with the injury to Daniel Gibson, Clevelan's best perimeter threat and a young guy who has proven that he can hit big shots in big games.
In order to win, the Celtics have to force the issue by attacking the rim and making the extra pass, two factors that contributed so much to the Celtics success during this year's regular season. I make it sound so simple, but in a lot of cases it really is just about forcing the issue and not settling for contested jump shots. The Celtics need to play more like they did in the regular season in order to have road success in the postseason. It worked before, it will work again if they stick to the game plan and execute like they know that they can.
