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Three Things Celtics Must Do Differently To Win Game 7 Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After blowing Game 5 at home and losing Game 6 in Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 on Saturday.
If the Celtics win, they advance to the next round to face the New York Knicks. If they lose, they'll complete a historic collapse and their season will be over.
No pressure, right?
Boston is favored to win Game 7, but the vibes and momentum of the series have completely shifted in the 76ers' favor. The Celtics clearly need to do things differently in Game 7 if they want to avoid a third straight loss.
The biggest thing for them is improving their shooting, which has been terrible at every level. Boston has shot below 30 percent from beyond the arc in all three of its losses.
The Celtics have been atrocious at the free-throw line, too, shooting just 59 percent from the charity stripe over the last two games after making 80.7 percent of their free throws during the regular season.
Knocking those down will be critical in a Game 7, as will hitting more 3-pointers. Boston lives and dies by those shots, but if they're not falling, they need to adjust and start attacking the rim more.
The Celtics need to take better care of the basketball, too. They committed the fewest turnovers in the league during the regular season but have lost the turnover battle in each of the last two games, leading to too many extra possessions and easy transition points for Philadelphia.
Lastly, Boston must be better on the boards and win the rebounding battle. The two teams have the same number of rebounds over the last two games combined, which is uncharacteristic for the Celtics. They were one of the NBA's top rebounding teams during the regular season while the Sixers were middle of the pack, so Boston needs to exploit that advantage and be more aggressive cleaning the glass.
If the Celtics shoot better, rebound more aggressively and take better care of the basketball, they should be able to win Game 7 and finally finish Philadelphia off once and for all.
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