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Celtics need Garden version of Terry Rozier in Game 5 – Metro US

Celtics need Garden version of Terry Rozier in Game 5

Celtics, need, Garden, version, Terry Rozier

In many ways, Terry Rozier is this year’s Boston Celtics team personified. 

He’s taken the opportunity presented to him due to injuries to his teammates and really run with it, proving a good amount of people wrong along the way.

Rozier went from a relatively unknown guard in the NBA to one that many now feel can start on NBA teams today – and there are a number of playoff games that would prove that point.

Take Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston, for example, when “Scary Terry” sparked the C’s second-half run with 14 points in the third quarter, of which he played all 12 minutes of.

His lightning-in-a-bottle offense has been something the Celtics have counted on in big moments during this playoff run.

But one thing Celtics fans have probably also noticed is that while Rozier has shown the ability to carry the team offensively at times, it’s not consistently enough. And like many of his teammates, the production has dropped off on the road during this postseason, where the Celtics are just 1-6.

Check out the home and road splits: At home, Rozier is averaging 20.0 points on 46.2-percent from the field, including 45.5-percent from three-point range. On the road, those numbers fall to 13.3 points per game on 36.0-percent shooting including 25.9-percent from three.

Looking at the Game 4 box score, you’d see Rozier finished with 16 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds. Not bad at all.

It was what the Cavs were doing to Rozier when they were on offense that was really hurting, though. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has assembled a strong defensive team that has switched defenders on opponents with much success this year. In Game 4, though, it became obvious that Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue was targeting Rozier on the defensive end, creating mismatches with LeBron James, Kevin Love, and even Tristan Thompson.

“We want to have the movement,” Lue said, “we want to try to take advantages of mismatches and Rozier is a tough fighter, tough competitor, but if you try to get switches, I guess he’s the one you want to get with Kevin [Love] and [James], because those other four guys are the same size, they’re strong, they’re physical. So, the way they play you have to try to take advantage of the mismatch, but they don’t have a lot on the floor at the same time … we have to just get to it and we have to make the right plays out of it.”

So how do the Celtics counter it? That’s a job for Stevens to figure out over the next couple days. 

The C’s need Rozier’s offense, so cutting his minutes down isn’t a viable option. They could move him to the bench and start Marcus Smart, who is a bigger body and better defender. But eventually Rozier will be out there in important minutes looking to score.

It will come down to Boston hedging on and fighting through screens, rotating with more purpose, and working to make things difficult again back at home where they haven’t lost yet this postseason.

The Celtics aren’t where they are today without an effective Rozier. His play over the next couple games could determine their plans in June.