Rd2 Gm6 Celtics vs Raptors (Wed 9/9 @ 6:30pm on ESPN)

It's no secret ... everyone knows if the C's shoot the 3-ball well, they will advance.

Celtics: 3-point efficiency will likely decide game six
by Mark Nilon

The Boston Celtics find themselves on the brink of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. In tomorrow’s game six, 3-point efficiency will likely determine the outcome.

After a disappointing two-game stretch during this competitive second-round series, the Boston Celtics managed to recapture their dominating level of play from games one and two in Monday’s victorious exhibition and, in turn, find themselves once again in the driver’s seat with a 3-2 lead.

Heading into these Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, many envisioned the series to go the distance and, according to multiple publications, even viewed Boston as relative underdogs against the defending world champions.

Now, after a back-and-forth first five games, the Cs find themselves just one win away from clinching their third Eastern Conference Finals berth in four seasons.

This series has easily been the most closely-contested second-round matchup during these 2020 playoffs. With All-Stars on both sides in Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker for the Celtics and Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry for Toronto, coupled with amazing key-contributors on both squads, this matchup was destined to be a dog fight right from the get-go.

Amazingly enough, however, during these six games, the end result has not necessarily been determined by the performance by any one specific player but, rather, how the entirety of the team has played and, more specifically, how the team as a whole has performed from beyond the arc.

It is an undeniable fact that each game’s winner found themselves as victors in the 3-point shooting category. In games one and two, when the Boston Celtics reigned supreme, they managed to shoot an impressive 43.6 and 39.5 percent from downtown, respectively, while Toronto only shot 25 and 27.5 percent.

In games three and four, however, the roles were reversed in regard to both long-range shooting and game victor, as the Raptors led the way with 32.5 and 38.6 percent in comparison to Boston’s 31 and a lowly 20 percent.

Game five, as we all know, the Celtics out shot the Raps from (32.4 in comparison to 30 percent) beyond the arc and, in turn, coasted to a 111-89 win.

Like its predecessors, game six will likely be a hard-fought battle until the end and will be heavily influenced by which team can find a way to win the 3-point battle.

Tip-off will commence Wednesday at 6:30 PM (ET) and will be nationally televised on ESPN.