Celtics Look to Even Finals Tonight

The Celtics and Lakers will tip off game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight from the TD Garden at 9:00 PM EDT. The Celtics face a 2-1 series deficit and they will need a win tonight to avoid digging themselves a monstrous hole. So, what will the C's have to do to get it?

First, foremost, and most general, they need to play better. KG bounced back strong last game, but Pierce and Ray were still on vacation. They can't afford another 0-for-13 shooting night out of Allen, and Pierce will need to stay out of foul trouble and get into a rhythm offensively. As most analysts have pointed out, Boston's "Big Four" isn't truly such when only two of them are playing good basketball on a given night. When you combine that with the poor play of Kendrick Perkins on the offensive end, you have a very flawed team who cannot sustain a run to get themselves a lead.

So how will they do it? What needs to happen? Well, the officiating certainly hasn't helped Boston. And even though Doc Rivers sent complaints, the referees' decisions are still out of the Celtics' control. They need to understand that if they're going to get back into this series. Regardless of whether or not everyone is out to get them, they need to control the outcomes that they have the ability to control. They need to box out. Rebound. Play defense. Hustle back. The backup big men need to run the floor better. They need to hit shots. All of those things can be done without interference from the refs (for the most part). Maybe setting screens will be a bit more difficult than normal now that Doc brought attention to the missed calls in that area. But it doesn't matter. No matter what call the ref makes, Boston needs to play basketball.

I would certainly hope we don't see another 0-for from Ray-Ray. And it would be phenomenal if KG could come out of the gates with the same intensity he had last game. As you know from previous blogs, I am a believer in the rigged NBA conspiracy theory, and I believe that on some nights the Celtics have more than just their opponents going against them. Ultimately, though, it is up to the Celtics to overcome any adversity and maintain a level head in order to knock off a team on any given night. Tonight, it's the Lakers. Tonight, the Celtics even up the series. That happens tonight.

I've been wrong before. But I'm a believer in Boston to tie the series at two.