Confessions of a Celtics roller-coaster rider after newest vexing loss initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Boston
Hello, I’m Chris. And I trip the Celtics’ roller-coaster.
In the future, the Celtics look invincible and we’re scouting routes for the duck boat parade. The subsequent, I’m tearing out my hair over the staff’s variable depth degree. It’s a vicious cycle.
It’s not that we anticipated the Celtics to go undefeated in these playoffs — although that might have been simpler on the nerves of its followers. It’s the wild swings in focus that are likely to infuriate us after unpleasant losses.
In additional rational moments, we might simply clarify away Boston’s Recreation 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers by noting how the Celtics missed 27 of their 35 3-point makes an attempt (22.9 %). A trash-time 3 by Oshae Brissett spared the Celtics from their worst 3-point capturing evening of all the season. The Miami Warmth already confirmed in Spherical 1 that there shall be video games the place the opposing staff wins the 3-point math, and that alone could be an excessive amount of for the Celtics to beat.
However what was maddening about Thursday’s loss to the Cavaliers was the best way the Celtics appeared to let their offensive struggles affect their defensive power. Typically it seems like this staff doesn’t need to roll up its sleeves when issues don’t go as anticipated.
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The Cavaliers hadn’t received a playoff sport on the highway in these playoffs. That they had averaged a meager 90.8 factors per sport away from residence over their first 4 highway playoff video games. And but the one parade in Boston on Friday was layup line the Celtics allowed, because the Cavaliers piled up 60 factors within the paint in Recreation 2.
Do I imagine Thursday’s dud goes to value the Celtics this sequence? No. Some of the endearing issues about this Boston staff has been the best way it responds to bumps within the highway.
However the truth that the Celtics maintain hitting the identical potholes is a little more regarding.
If Boston bounces again on the highway in Cleveland and finally places this sequence away in 5 video games, then we are able to poke enjoyable at folks like me who overreact within the second. However our concern isn’t the sport itself; it is the larger image for a staff that hasn’t been bashful about noting how Banner 18 is the one aim.
A pair causes these losses are likely to gnaw at us:
Residence bitter residence
The Celtics had been dominant within the common season, posting a 64-18 file that was 14 video games higher than the subsequent closest staff within the East. They had been a ridiculous 37-4 at residence. Their reward for his or her dominance was getting homecourt benefit throughout their postseason keep.
They usually haven’t precisely made essentially the most of it to date.
Boston is 3-2 at residence to start out these playoffs, their two Recreation 2 losses freely giving home-court benefit in each sequence they’ve performed. On Thursday evening, followers who paid huge bucks to be inside TD Backyard had been left stomping to the exits with 5 minutes to play as Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench with the sport out of attain.
Ever since LeBron James and the Cavaliers eradicated rookie Jayson Tatum and the Celtics at residence in Recreation 7 of the 2018 playoffs, Boston is 17-17 in residence playoff video games at TD Backyard (ignoring the “residence” bubble video games in 2020). The Backyard as soon as overwhelmed opponents who had no likelihood right here. Now, opponents are means too snug.
Boston watched the Warriors increase the Larry O’Brien Trophy right here in 2022. The Warmth celebrated a Recreation 7 win in final 12 months’s Jap Convention Finals right here. The Warmth and Cavaliers each bounced again from Recreation 1 thumpings to steal Recreation 2 right here this season.
All these residence losses taxed the Celtics in previous seasons and sophisticated their quest for elusive Banner 18. It would seem to be a blip within the second, however these things provides up.
Again in 2008, the Massive Three-era Celtics hit surprising turbulence to start out their very own playoff quest. What steadied them was their dominance inside TD Backyard. Boston dominated video games at residence to outlive early-round challenges then finally discovered methods to thrive on the highway en path to Banner 17.
Can this staff win ugly?
It’s oversimplifying issues to state that Boston’s success is tied solely to 3-point capturing. However to start out this postseason trek, wanting on the math on triples is the simplest option to decide whether or not the Celtics received by 20+, or misplaced by double figures. There hasn’t been any in-between.
The Celtics overhauled their roster final summer season with the aim of with the ability to beat groups in numerous methods. That plan acquired a little bit extra sophisticated when Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf harm in Recreation 4 of Spherical 1.
The Celtics, for all their offensive firepower and their record-breaking offensive ranking this season, should be extra prepared to roll up their sleeves on the defensive finish and make that their calling card within the postseason. Can they grind when opponents take away Plan A? Can they dig in and win gritty when the offense is struggling?
You begin fascinated by potential future opponents on this playoff journey and the Celtics can not merely subsist on shot-making.
We admire Jaylen Brown acknowledging that Boston’s Recreation 2 effort was “unacceptable.” We’d favor each him and fellow famous person Tatum did one thing to get the staff on observe within the second. Recreation 2 in opposition to Cleveland was tied at halftime and it felt just like the Celtics merely wanted a jolt of depth and focus to take management within the second half. As an alternative, it was the Cavaliers cranking to a different gear because the Celtics stayed caught within the mud.
A staff like Minnesota is making an attempt to smother its opponents and hound them into submission. The Knicks appear to carry relentless power regardless of Tom Thibodeau’s penchant for leaning closely on his core gamers. The Celtics typically really feel like the child reaching for the reset button on the Nintendo when issues get tough early.
Once more, Boston’s response to losses has routinely been glorious. The Celtics’ means to place these kind of missteps within the rearview mirror and produce the required power subsequent sport is encouraging.
It could assist if they might determine easy methods to change their mindset on the fly. As a result of it typically seems like this staff is enjoying with hearth.
Again in 2022, they had been working on fumes within the Finals after having to grind their means there. In 2023, they put themselves ready the place Tatum turned his ankle early in Recreation 7 of the East Finals and that sequence slips away on the Backyard ground.
Losses are inevitable. However the Celtics shouldn’t get outmuscled and outhustled, notably on their residence turf. They’re held to an irrationally excessive commonplace, however solely as a result of they’ve confirmed they’ll play at that degree.
It’s time for the Celtics to point out once more that moments like Thursday evening are simply small blips on the 2023-24 radar.
This roller-coaster isn’t for the faint at coronary heart. But it surely’s well worth the twists and turns if it delivers the Celtics had been they yearn to go.
