Keys to Victory as Suns Look to Upset Celtics
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have a massive game ahead of them tonight.
The Suns are set to face the Boston Celtics in front of a primetime national TV audience - and Boston has clearly been the best team in the NBA this season, posting a record of 48-14 so far.
This contest could be an uphill battle for Phoenix regardless of what star Devin Booker's status is, but it'll be assumed that he will be good to go ahead of tip off here.
Three keys to securing the win tonight:
Good Shot Selection
Boston is the second stingiest defense in the NBA by the measure of most stats - Phoenix has to find a happy medium between assertive and aggressive.
The Celtics cede the second-worst field goal and three-point percentage across the league - their defensive scheme is predicated on lots of on-ball pressure.
Phoenix simply has to continue to tread the lines and find a way to put up volume without making too many mental errors or giving Boston too many extra possessions.
Pressure Tatum to Produce
Jayson Tatum is widely regarded to be the best player on a Celtics roster that is very much constructed like a "pick your poison" squad.
Tatum has also had two of his worst performances in the last two months in the Celtics' past two losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
Tatum admittedly hasn't been extremely aggressive in the past two weeks, but it might be advantageous on Phoenix's side to force Tatum too resort to "hero ball" tactics - he is well-known for making on-ball scoring far more difficult than it needs to be.
Weather the Storm
There will likely be stretches of the game where Boston flexes their muscles and truly show the dominant team they have been nearly all year.
Phoenix needs to embrace the likely back-and-forth nature of this particular game. Boston shoots nearly 42 threes per game, run at least nine-deep, and are consistently disruptive on-ball defensively.
The Celtics will be the biggest test Phoenix has had all season. Phoenix simply needs to embrace that truth while also believing that they can secure the much-coveted victory over the 48-14 Boston squad.
