Keys to Victory for the Celtics and Wizards in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Once again, LeBron James waits to find out who will be his next opponent (or victim) in the Eastern Conference Finals. This is his seventh year in a row getting to this monumentally important series, and now he sits watching over the rest of the conference duking it out for their big chance to try and beat the King of Akron on the hardwood floor of an NBA court. This year, the teams awaiting this chance are the 1 seed Boston Celtics and the 4 seed Washington Wizards. As of right now, the series is tied 2-2 as the squads go back to Boston to compete in the all-important Game 5 on Wednesday night, 8:00 PM EST. There are many things these teams have done right, and quite a few things both teams have done wrong. The rest of this series is going to be difficult, so let’s take a look at what the keys to victory are for both teams.

Boston Celtics:

The Celtics have a lot of strengths, as shown by their prowess in attaining the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, there are plenty of gaping holes they need to cover up. Throughout the series, we’ve seen them battle through leads the Wizards have put up. First and foremost, the Celtics need to prevent the Wizards from scoring. While this might seem like over-simplification, it is simply accurate. The Wizards have gotten off spectacular runs and leads in each of the four games we’ve seen these teams play against each other in this series so far. At the basis of these runs, we find a very poorly laid out defensive scheme. First and foremost, John Wall needs to be stopped. Put Avery Bradley on him, and make sure to stick to him like glue. The Celtics, like most of the NBA nowadays, have transitioned over to playing the softest of man-to-man defenses. If a pick is ever set, nobody ever fights through it, but instead just makes a switch. While this is good in theory, it provides some piss-poor matchups on defense. If Bradley sticks on Wall like we’ve seen he’s able to do to countless others during the season, John Wall’s numbers are sure to drop considerably. As for the likes of Bradley Beal, whoever’s defending him just needs to keep their hands up. While Beal has the ability to drive to the basket, his true place is out by the three-point line. Force Beal to take a difficult shot over the defender. While these two Guards have become problems for the Celtics, what I think to be the biggest threat is the Wizards’ center, Marcin Gortat.

Similar to Robin Lopez during the Chicago series, Gortat has been destroying the Celtics on the boards and almost single handedly been able to put up an infuriatingly large amount of second-chance points. To avoid this, someone needs to take initiative and get the man into some foul trouble. Here, you have a few options; Isaiah Thomas could drive right at him and try to draw the foul, but he’s been getting screwed on a few calls throughout the series. Instead, I suggest giving the ball to either Marcus Smart or Al Horford. Marcus, being the ‘“Master of General Mayhem” he is, isn’t afraid to get down and dirty in the post and can draw a couple fouls. Horford however, should be the primary option in this situation. As a pure Power Forward, Big Al has enough moves in his repertoire to draw contact and a foul from Gortat. Getting him in foul trouble early will take him out of the game and subsequently open up an absurd amount of opportunities for the Celtics. It’ll be easier to grab defensive rebounds, and on offense, the lane will be wide open. Getting Gortat out of the game early should be of the utmost importance for the Celtics if they want to win this series.

Washington Wizards:

The Wizards an extremely capable team with an extremely well-rounded core of players. John Wall is a more than capable Point Guard with scoring ability, while Bradley Beal just adds to the scoring prowess of the backcourt. Down low, Marcin Gortat has shown to give maximum effort up and down the court. Take the scoring ability of Bogdanovic coming off the bench, and the Wizards have one of the most solid lineups in the NBA. To take two of the next three games, the Wizards have a few things they need to stay on top of. Primarily, the Wizards need to exploit Isaiah Thomas’s presence on defense. Standing at 5’9”, I.T. is at a serious disadvantage on the basketball court. It’s truly phenomenal that he’s such a monster on the offensive side of the ball given this, but he simply can’t match up well on defense with anybody. John Wall can blow right by him, and Bradley Beal can just shoot over him. Due to this, Isaiah has been hiding out guarding the Wizards’ forwards. This is generally pretty smart on the part of Brad Stevens, as the Washington forwards don’t have the scoring ability the guards do, but it is clearly a weakness that can be exploited more. Being small is generally a huge concern for the Celtics, as another key to the game for the Wizards involves attacking the inside.

The only big man worth a damn on the Celtics is Al Horford. Amir Johnson provides a big body to clog the lane, but beyond that doesn’t do much. Kelly Olynyk has short arms and hasn’t fully adapted to playing defense in the paint, as he grew up playing the Guard position. Zeller never plays, and if Jae Crowder gets down low, he’ll do his best but eventually get called for a foul. The Wizards have already taken advantage of this lack of paint presence through dominating rebounds and second-chance points with Gortat. However, the Wizards can further exploit this weakness by taking strong drives to the basket. Get Horford out of the paint, and immediately you’ll have your window. Drive the ball to the hoop, and you’ll either have a layup, an opportunity from the free-throw line, or both.

Personally, I think the Celtics can take the series. Overall, they have more to prove, and a more productive bench than the Wizards do. If the Celtics can play to the best of their ability every night, then they should be able to make it to LeBron. Despite this, the Wizards currently have the momentum and they seem to have the mindset to get the win. As of now, it’s a best of three series. May the best team win.

Written by Rick Wronski