addByline("Marc D'Amico", "Celtics.com", "Marc_DAmico");
BOSTON – There is one factor that could very well decide the fate of Boston’s season come Saturday night: decision-making.
They’ll need to improve in that area during Game 7 in comparison to their previous few games.
The Celtics have ridden a rollercoaster during their series against the Bucks when it has come to decision-making. In turn, the team’s offense has fluctuated as well.
Boston scored 102 or more points during three of the first six games of this first-round series, but it also scored 92 or fewer during the other three games. The C’s managed just 86 points during their loss in Game 6 Thursday night in Milwaukee.
Turnovers are certainly in the conversation when it comes to decision-making, but the real emphasis for Boston is deciding when to shoot and when to pass. Making the right choice in that regard oftentimes leads to baskets for the C’s. Making the wrong choice in that regard almost always leads to transition buckets at the other end of the court for Milwaukee.
“If there’s three people at the rim, you’ve got to pass the ball,” Brad Stevens stated on a conference call Friday afternoon. “If there’s nobody at the rim, make the play. There’s always a right play to be made.”
Stevens did, however, acknowledge that making a great decision is easier said than done. The Bucks are playing at a very high level at the defensive end of the floor, which is affecting Boston’s ability to execute.
“What makes the game challenging, what makes the game difficult, is the level of athleticism that’s on the floor and you have to make those reads in a millisecond,” said Stevens. “It’s easy for me in a coach’s seat to stop the film and put it on pause, but that’s not how the game is played.”
Still, the Celtics have managed to make great decisions at times. For example, during their 15-4 run during the middle of the third quarter of Game 6, they made great decision after great decision, and that led to quality shot after quality shot. In less than four minutes of action, they were able to erase an 11-point deficit.
The problem for Boston is that it hasn’t been able to sustain that level of play throughout entire contests. The offensive decision-making has been down, and then up, and then down again, and that rollercoaster must be avoided Saturday night.
“It’s not always a conscious choice on your part, but I think you have to really, really be committed to having as many of those good possessions as possible like I talked about [Thursday],” Stevens commented. “In the last two games, we’ve had more than in Games 3 and 4, but we haven’t had enough. And tomorrow needs to be our best night at generating and creating those best possessions.”
It all comes down to decisions, decisions, decisions.
If the Celtics make quality decisions, they’ll be in position to move to the next round. If they don’t, their season will likely come to an end.