More of the same won’t save the Celtics

Two diagnoses for Game 6

BY HENRY ABBOTT

David Thorpe has a lucid picture of what’s happening in these Finals, and a lot of his brilliance is on display in the BRING IT IN we published on Monday before Game 5. (If you have never listened to BRING IT IN, I recommend this episode, even though producer Jarod Hector was NOT happy with David’s joining us by cell phone.)

One of David’s big points is that the Celtics are bigger, and have generally been able to punish smaller opponents at the rim. But the Warriors are getting away with smaller lineups because they have figured out a way to not exactly protect the rim, but muck things up around it. They may not have Rudy Gobert back there, but when the Celtics get deep into the paint they face a crowd, with four, five, six arms in the way. It works because there are so many of them. And we’re talking about players like Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, who are super mobile and ready to race out to the 3-point line if that’s where the Celtics move it. 

The Warriors’ rim p…