Boston Celtics: 3 keys to beat the Brooklyn Nets in Christmas Day game

No. 3: 3-point shooting efficiency

In the preseason game against the Nets, the Boston Celtics shot 17.8 percent from deep on 45 attempts; comparatively, against the Bucks, they shot 45 percent on 40 attempts. Clearly, the Celtics do better when they make threes at a more efficient clip. The preseason woes could have been attributed to several different factors. It was the first time the team was playing in months and could have been a little rusty. Especially their stars, who were particularly inept. Still, the fact stands that the Boston Celtics must be efficient if they want to beat the Brooklyn Nets.

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Jeff Teague, who will probably shoot more than five tonight, must be on target. Otherwise, the Brooklyn Nets, a steadily efficient team, will have an easy time beating Boston. Considering that the Nets held the Golden State Warriors to only ten made threes, it is another difficult task. Because as great as the Celtics are at shooting, they have to face the Nets perimeter defense, one of the most versatile.

Steve Nash has been able to use his plethora of players to his advantage. Against Golden State, he made Kevin Durant look like an all-defensive guy and was able to use the bench productively so that each one could use their fresh legs to burn out ball handlers. He was able to slow down both starters and bench players. Particularly the Nets were able to limit Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall, and Stephen Curry.

If the Celtics cannot find open shots from three or at least makeable ones, it will be a long game. But the Boston Celtics do have many versatile shooters who can most definitely make an impact.