In an interview with Chris Ryan, the Coach of the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens discusses the keys to victory; forward, Jason Tatum talks about how the Celtics will deal with the loss of Jaylen Brown due to injury; guard, Marcus Smart speaks about slowing down the high scoring Nets; rookie, Aaron Nesmith explains what his role will be in the playoffs; and point guard, Kemba Walker reflects on the challenge which the Celtics face.
Coach Stevens believes that the Celtics must control the ‘controllables”—the defense needs to challenge everything, everyone needs to sprint back to stop their fast breaks, and they must fight hard to control the defensive backboards to eliminate second chance shots. On offense, the Celtics need to take care of the ball.
The Celtics have been up and down all year, but Jason Tatum has had his best year as a pro. With Jaylen Brown out with an injury, Jason Tatum will be expected to help pick up the scoring load.
“When anybody is out on the team, for any reason, it’s next man up. Everybody in the locker room must do more, including myself.”
Marcus Smart spoke about the importance of sticking to the game plan, but also adjusting to situations which might develop due to the individual talent on the Nets with players like Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.
Hitting open shots, bringing energy off the bench, and making effort plays is how Aaron Nesmith has been playing, and he hopes that he can continue to help his teammates in the playoffs.
The Celtics finished the season in seventh place, and the Nets, who had several of their stars out for most of the season, finished in second place. The Nets swept the season series with the Celtics. As they go into the playoffs, the Nets are all healthy, and they are favored by many experts to win the NBA Championship.
Defense will be the key to victory for the Celtics. Stopping the offense of the Nets will hinge on Kemba Walker winning the match up with Kyrie Irving. Kemba Walker sees this as an opportunity.
“It’s a chance for us to play against a team that’s playing super well. That has really great players. It’s a chance to test and challenge ourselves.”