The Celtics-Warriors matchup in the NBA Finals has the makings to be a tightly contested series.
And if Boston finds itself in multiple close, late-game situations over the course of the best-of-seven set against Golden State, JJ Redick believes the Eastern Conference champions could be in trouble.
While ball control largely has been identified as the biggest factor that could make or break the Celtics in the Finals, Redick has another worry for Ime Udoka’s team.
“They were 1-4 in the clutch going into Game 7 in Miami in the playoffs,” Redick said Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “That game shouldn’t have been a clutch game. Their offense completely stalled out in the last few minutes of that quarter. In the regular season, they were awful in the clutch. They were 13-22 in clutch games. Jayson Tatum, in particular, in the regular season — 2-for-25 from three with 13 turnovers to seven assists. As this series progresses, that’s something we need to keep an eye on.”
Boston dropped Game 1 in both of its last two playoff series. Tatum and company will try to buck that trend Thursday night when the Celtics and the Warriors open the Finals at Chase Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
