Celtics building a debacle, one brick at a time
They are Broadway stars who overlook their curve if the blind goes up. They are blood racers that blunder and abatement if the aboideau swings open. They are laptops that yield consistently to cossack up.BOX SCORE: HAWKS 89, CELTICS 72
Every Celtic bold these canicule is like a UConn women’s basketball game. In reverse. Every Celtic adversary is UConn. It’s consistently something like 30-10 in the aboriginal few minutes.
If this keeps up the Celtics will anon accompany the Bruins in bounce hibernation.
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| Celtics building a debacle, one brick at a time |
Sorry, Green Teamers . . . but . . . you waited all year for this? What in the name of Curtis Rowe and Sidney Wicks is traveling on about here?
Yogi Berra abundantly said “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’’ In the Celtic bounce of 2016, it’s over appropriate at the beginning. The C’s trailed, 24-7, afterwards one on Tuesday and Boston’s 7-point absolute represents the affliction aboriginal division in the history of the NBA playoffs (shot-clock era).
Counting the approved season, the Celtics accept now absent four of their endure 5 games. Dreadful aboriginal behindhand accept been the affliction of their existence. In their endure four games, the C’s accept congenital halftime deficits of 22, 24, 17, and 15 points. Endure anniversary adjoin Charlotte at the Garden they were outscored, 31-3, during a abject amplitude in the aboriginal half. In the regular-season afterpiece they trailed the Miami Heat by 26 in the aboriginal half. In the aboriginal bold of their alternation with the Hawks they fell abaft by 19 in the aboriginal half. Tuesday night at Philips Arena they attempt 3 for 23 in the aboriginal division and fell abaft by 21 in the aboriginal half.
“It seems like that’s been our trend to appear out slow,’’ said Celtic bouncer Evan Turner. “They came out added able than we did . . . We accept to be accessible to acknowledgment aback and bandy the aboriginal punch.’’
Coach Brad Stevens, the a lot of acclaimed of these faceless Celtics was asked about the bad starts afore Tuesday’s bold and said, “We talked about that this morning. We’ve got to be bigger at the alpha of the game.’’
They got worse.
The Celts were somewhat undermanned. Avery Bradley, the Celtics’ second-top scorer and best backcourt defender, artificial his hamstring in the fourth division of Bold 1 on Saturday and is apparently done for the season. Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) was aswell alone for Bold 2.
Marcus Smart started in abode of Bradley, who was in the architecture but not sitting on the Celtic bench. The cocked and bound position is not accessory to healing a hamstring injury. Smart absent all eight of his shots in the aboriginal three quarters.
The Hawks drained a brace of treys afterwards acceptable the aperture tap. Again Al Horford threw down a “Take That, Tommy Heinsohn!” douse and Kyle Korver (0 for 7 on threes in Bold 1) active three treys. If Jeff Teague denticulate off a fastbreak Atlanta led, 21-3, with 6:12 larboard in the quarter. The Hawks were on a 160-point pace.
It got worse. Korver hit addition three to accomplish it 24-3.
In the words of Bill Belichick, “. . . not what we were searching for.’’ The Hoodie absolutely would accept told the Celtics to defer.
In summary, afterwards falling abaft by 19 in the additional division of Bold 1 the Celtics dug a 21-point aperture in the aboriginal division of Bold 2. They got abroad with it at home adjoin Miami endure week, but they are not traveling to get abroad with it on the road, in the playoffs.
“They outplayed us in every category,’’ said Stevens. “One aggregation was arena at an aristocratic level. One aggregation was not . . . We can’t get off to starts like that. We just put too abundant burden on ourselves to accomplish shots later.’’
We spent the final three abode watching some new and absorbing combinations on the floor, apprehensive if the Celts were traveling to accomplish it admirable or capitulate altogether. This alternation is demography us aback to the rock age. Julius Erving was in the abode and should accept ill-fitted up at halftime to accord Bold 2 some adroitness and dignity.
Atlanta blocked a whopping 10 Boston shots in the aboriginal half, 15 overall. With the Celts down by 17, Terry Rozier was slapped with a 24-second violation, again best up a abstruse for battlefront the brawl in disgust. The halftime account was 43-28. The Celtics fabricated 1 of 13 threes in the aboriginal half. Jared Sullinger was benched for the alpha of the additional bisected as Stevens adopted to go with a smaller, quicker lineup.
The Hawks appealing abundant akin the Celtics, brick-for-brick in the additional half, but there was no drama. The aboriginal two amateur of this alternation accept durably accustomed what we abstruse if the Celtics were swept by the Cavaliers endure spring. Isaiah Thomas (4 for 15) is admirable during the approved season, but gets absent in the alpine balk in the playoffs.
Stevens gave his troops some acclaim for Saturday’s improvement in Bold 1, but not Tuesday.
“It never acquainted like we were at their level.’’
Ugh. Hard to watch. In every way.
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