TV: 9 p.m. ET | ABC
BetMGM Line: Celtics -3.5
With 6:45 remaining in Game 4, the Golden State Warriors were staring at a 91-86 deficit and a potential 3-1 series hole in the NBA Finals. A 21-6 run and a Game 5 win later, and they’re on the brink of a fourth NBA championship in eight seasons — one win away from reviving a once-dormant dynasty to the ranks of the league’s all-time elite.
Standing in their way is a desperate Boston Celtics team anchored by 24- and 25-year-old All-Stars playing in their first NBA Finals, humbled by their elders in 55 minutes of basketball that’s swung the narrative of a championship series. The Celtics are down, 3-2. But they aren’t done yet. And they’ve got a Game 6 at home to keep the series alive.
Celtics must take care of the ball
Win or lose the NBA Finals, one stat will stand out above all others for the Celtics: turnovers. Boston’s looked unbeatable at times through these NBA playoffs, capable of smothering defense and 3-point heights not even the Warriors have seen. They’ve ridden their superior size, athleticism and youth to dominant stretches against quality opponents.
At others, they’ve looked lost, out of sync and outmatched by teams and players who have been here before. The culprit in those moments is almost always turnovers that often lead to easy buckets. In two wins against the Warriors, the Celtics turned the ball over 12 times in each game. In three losses, they’ve averaged 17 giveaways with at least 15 in each game.
The story was the same in a 4-3 win over the Miami Heat in the East finals. In four wins, the Celtics averaged 11.5 turnovers per game, limiting themselves to just nine giveaways twice. In three losses, they averaged 18., including an ugly 23-turnover effort in Game 3. It’s as reliably a predictive stat as any other in these playoffs.
Leading the way? Jayson Tatum, who’s seen his regular-season average of 2.9 turnovers per game spike to 4.1 in the postseason. In Monday’s Game 5 loss, he broke the record for most turnovers by one player in a single postseason with his 95th. It’s the type of résumé ding that makes the drumbeat case for his superstar status a tough sell. That is, unless
