You'll Never Believe This But The Celtics Found Another Extremely Embarrassing Way To Lose Another Game In Horrific Fashion

Kathryn Riley. Getty Images.

(I am instituting a blog rule that if you are going to read this blog, shit, even if you are going to scroll to the bottom just to tell me the Celtics suck, you must be playing this video. When it stops, scroll up and play it again if you are not finished. This is non-negotiable. Thank you).

I'd say I am at a loss for words but you're probably about to get like 3,000 about the latest episode of "How Will The Celtics Blow A Game This Time? I'm Sure It Will Be In Embarrassing And Pathetic Fashion!" (working title) so that's not really true. I think I'm at the Ron Burgundy stage personally. I'm not even mad, I'm impressed. Well OK, that's not true either. I am very much upset. How could anyone not be? Even if you have accepted this is who the Celts are, it's still beyond infuriating. Not the losing part. But simply how this team continues to lose games. People tell me I need to stop saying "this was the most embarrassing" way to lose, but what do you want me to do! They keep finding new ways! I'm not just being hyperbolic or have run out of material. This is literally what is happening on a nightly basis. Every time they touch the goddamn floor it's never a question of how will the Celts pull a game out, it's more along the lines of what absolutely horrific way will they blow it. We all sit around and wait for the other shoe to drop no matter how they look all game. We know it's coming. 

Again, it's not really the losing part. It'd be one thing if this team was getting smoked on a nightly basis. No no, what makes it truly painful is the manner in which they keep stacking losses. Just look at the numbers. The Celts now have 17 clutch time losses. That's 70% of their losses on the season. 70%!! Just think for a minute how insane that is. We could go down the list from the entire year, but all you have to do is just look at what has happened so far this month!

2 point loss vs SA at home with Jaylen missing a layup

3 point loss vs NYK by blowing a 25 point lead on a prayer 35 footer

4 point loss vs POR at home by blowing an 11 point fourth quarter lead missing every shot for the final 7 minutes

I mean for fucks sake. And I don't want to hear that this is common either. It very much is not! 

Last night was only the 3rd time in 25 YEARS that they had a finish like this. It was the first time in 12 YEARS. So when I say this team continues to find new ways to ruin our lives, I'm not kidding. It's incredible in all the wrong ways. I'll be honest, I did not have "blow an 11 point lead in the final 7 minutes by missing every shot you take against the league's 29th ranked defense" on my bingo card. Probably should have, that's on me. 

As you can imagine, we have a lot to get to. Let's get started

The Good

- People think blogging is easy. They think we live a fake life where things aren't even that hard. Well, let me ask you something. Have you ever tried to fill out a Good section about the 2021-22 Boston Celtics? No? Oh, what, you have some TPS reports to do? Maybe smile and dial 150 times, most of which are VMs and sometimes are even fake conversations you have with yourself (shoutout my Rapids days) so you reach your daily calls quota? Try finding the positives in this shitstorm that I'm told is professional basketball but I'm pretty sure might actually be an advanced method of torture used by the government or something. You want to break someone in an interrogation? Show them a Celtics 4th quarter. 

But, I know there are some that are like me and woke up this morning still feeling that tightness in your chest and that feeling in the pit of your stomach. I imagine a select few reading this blog know exactly what I'm talking about. Reliving that entire last 7 minutes over and over in your head. People like us need any sort of positivity this morning. Even if we don't really mean it. It's my job to bring that to you and help the best I can, so let's watch Romeo!

Gotta say, Romeo looked awesome. There was a time in this game he was a +31 which was cool, and his 12 points on 5-7 (2-4) in 23 minutes were a direct result of Romeo filling his role perfectly. When he first came in, he made his impact right away with his energy. The defensive plays on Nurkic to putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim in order to see the ball go in and catch a rhythm. Then came the corner threes. I dunno if you can say he had a perfect night, but it was nice to see him finally take advantage of his minutes opportunity. Even if it's all just to showcase for a potential trade. I just want to see Romeo continue to show flashes and progress with his opportunity. We've seen it a few times this season, and you can see his two way potential. I'm even interested in maybe seeing a little more Point Romeo lineups moving forward in the second unit and playing small rather than giving Enes real minutes right now. 

While I think a lot of talk with Romeo will focus around his corner shooting which is has made a great leap, he's also improved his finishing around the rim. The types of buckets he made last night were shots he often missed last season. He shot just 66% at the rim and 26% from 3-10ft. This year those numbers are up to 70% and 37%. Romeo missed every shot he took last year from 10ft-3P (0-12), and this year he's 5-13 so far. Him being able to finish at the rim/paint on a consistent basis is what will help find him ways to make an impact. Romeo has the size to get to those spots, now we're seeing him start to finish at a higher clip.

- Same shit with Grant. This might have been one of his better two way performances of the year

It's both awesome and extremely concerning that Grant Williams might be the best three point shooter on this roster. It's great that Grant is now shooting 42.4% (61-144) from deep. You can see the confidence he has in his outside shot. We even saw him fake, take a dribble, and then relocate into a made three. Do you think I ever typed that sentence at any point last season? The play of Grant and Romeo were why the Celts were even in this game if we're being honest. Again, that's both great for them but also very concerning when talking big picture of this team. They are role players. You get these type of games from Grant and Romeo, that should be enough for your starters and better players to carry you over the finish line. What do we think happened?

- Speaking of these two, we also saw something from Ime in this game that intrigued me, and is something I would like to see more of just so we can have a larger sample.

For the first time this season, we saw a lineup of

Jaylen/Romeo/Tatum/Grant/Rob

they played 11 minutes, had a 108 ORtg / 100 Drtg / +8.3 net rating while sharing the floor. Not bad! Enough to say hey maybe let's do this some more and see if anything is there. I think it's pretty obvious this team is better when they play faster, and to do that you have to play smaller. That lineup is extremely switchable defensively, you get the spacing, and you just have to collectively hit the boards. 

Now to be fair, we did see Ime roll with this lineup in the fourth quarter, and they got absolutely smoked to the tune of a 28 Ortg / 137 Drtg / -108 net rating in their 4 minutes together, but I saw enough good things to want to see it a little more. 

The Bad

- We can start right where the game started. Inexcusable to come out so flat defensively to open this game. Blazers made 6 3PM in the opening quarter and shot 77/75%. Under no circumstances should a team that has 95% of their normal rotation players get down by 15 points at home to the fucking Blazers. Grow up. I don't care that they came back, you shouldn't be in that position in the first place. Especially when you are supposed to be hanging your hat on defense. The guards last night got roasted almost immediately. The Blazers backcourt started 5-6 (4-5). This is right after the Hornets guards lit this team up. Everything defensively for this team starts on the perimeter. If they can't provide any resistance there, the defense is cooked. 

It was the same old shit and something that was a precursor of what was to come. Half the Celts FGA in the first quarter were 3PA, and they went 2-10. That combined with no defense is what did them in early. Sound familiar? 

- When we say that each of these collapses is the same, it's because they are. Let's now move on to their second half defense. If you go back and look, every one of these types of losses tells you a similar story when it comes to the second half defense. It's nonexistent. Last night was no different

55 points / 47.5% FG / 53% 3P with 8 3PM

No quarter under 26 points. So yes, the shooting is absolutely an issue, but don't let the defense off the hook. If this team doesn't defend, it doesn't matter what happens offensively. Last time I checked the only plus defender that wasn't in the lineup last night was Marcus Smart. So what's the deal? I'm told that Smart doesn't even really matter, well then explain these last two losses on that end of the floor? It's bad enough nobody can shoot right now, but if they also aren't going to execute on the defensive end when things matter most, they'll lose every game they play.

- While I can understand why Ime continues to roll with the double bigs, I know what the numbers say, I think he's missing the point. As long as this team does not have a big who can play behind Rob that isn't Grant which forces Enes to be the first "real" big off the bench, he can't start two bigs. You have to stagger Rob and Al simply so you have an additional option to fill in that primary back up big spot. Enes is a "break the glass in case of emergency" type big right now. His 2:35 last night were a disaster on both ends, and he was a tough -9 in those minutes. He was providing no residence defensively, he kept fouling, he didn't have a rebound, and he missed his only "shot" which was more a turnover than FGA. 

You then add in the reality that this team plays better when they can play fast, and you have a variety of lineup combinations you can do to achieve that, there's really no excuse to keep rolling with it. I honestly don't think there'd be that much of a defensive drop off, and it can only help your offense. Plus it keeps Al fresh. It seems like a win/win for everyone involved, yet we still don't see it. That's not ideal.

- All you have to do is look at the pace at which the Celts played this game and it tells you all you need to know.

1st quarter: pace of 88

2nd quarter: pace of 104

3rd quarter: pace of 94

4th quarter: pace of 92

So think about it. First quarter this team was ass. Second quarter they looked much better and made up that 15 point deficit while playing at their fastest pace. Third quarter they played worse and allowed the Blazers to get momentum while playing at a much slower pace. Fourth quarter, they collapse while the 2nd slowest pace of the night.

It's right there in front of their faces! Play faster! When you do = good things happen. When you don't = bad things happen. You don't need to overcomplicate things. It's really that simple.

- Celts had more FGM, more points in the paint, more 2nd chance points, more fastbreak points, fewer TOs, had the same rebounds, had more steals and more blocks and yet they still lost. I mean that is so insane I don't even know what else to say. Only this team could outperform someone in so many areas yet still find a way to lose. Only them.

The Ugly

- Another stellar night shooting the basketball from three. What, that's not how you would describe a 11-37 (29.7%) performance? Even better, almost all of them were open and wide open!

Last night as a team the Celtics shot: 

4-14 on "open" threes 

5-17 on "wide open" threes 

9-31 on either open or wide open looks (29%)

31 of their 37 3PA (83%) were either open or wide open, and they shot under 30%. That is so bad I don't even know how to rationalize it. How is it possible for NBA players to do that? The thing is, this is not a one off. Look at what they did the game before against CHA!

This is simply who the Celtics are. They cannot shoot. From the role players to more importantly the stars. Nobody can make an open three. Jayson Tatum has missed 20 CONSECUTIVE threes. That's outrageous. A career 40% shooter is at 31% and hasn't made a three in an entire week's worth of games.  Things were already going to be dicey in terms of this teams shooting even if Tatum overachieved this year shooting the ball. But to be at 31% and 0-20? You're cooked.

On the final possession, it was just a mess. Down one point, nothing going towards the basket despite having options

is a tough way to end it. Even though this is a shot Tatum makes, at 0-19 heading into that three, maybe switch it up. You had plenty of time to drive to the right baseline. Shit, even kick it to an open Jaylen and let him take an in rhythm three. As soon as Tatum bobbled the ball to start, you knew they were doomed.

- But let's not ignore Jaylen's night either. He went just 7-20 (2-7). He was 0-fer in the 4th quarter as well. He also made the biggest mental error of the night that essentially handed them a loss

You cannot make this mistake. Why the fuck would you leave a shooter on the strong side? Did that fake dive really get you that bad? Everyone with a brain knew this shot was going in the second Covington caught that ball. It was his only make all game because of course it was. That's how this works. We all saw that play coming because we know this team only loses games in the most painful way possible. 

- As we know, this team will only go as far as Tatum/Brown can carry them. In these last two home losses, they've been brutal. A combined 30-78 (4-31) 38/12%.

Jaylen: 17-40 (4-18) 40/20%

Tatum: 13-38 (0-13) 34/0%

and then you have disastrous defensive mistakes on top of that. These aren't mistakes by role players or guys that shouldn't even be in the NBA like we had last year. These are your two best players.Your building blocks. If they are going to no show, nothing else really matters. Having additional shooting won't matter. Lineup combinations don't really matter. All of that is with the assumption that Tatum and Brown will not play how they are currently playing. That's Step 1. 

- And of course, we can end things with the 4th quarter. 

I knew the second that the Celts made 4 of their first 5 3PA to start this quarter we were fucked. I knew what it meant for the rest of the way. They wouldn't change their approach. They had seen the separation that the threes gave them and they fell in love. 10 of the 17 FGA were threes, 6 of their final 9 shots were threes. Color me shocked this was a losing strategy. Kind of like how we saw them take 16 of their 24 fourth quarter FGA be threes IN JUST THE LAST GAME to fall against the Hornets. To do that legitimately the very next game is pathetic. That's on Ime, that's on the players, like what are we even doing. Ime basically coming out and saying he fucked up by basically not calling plays

I agree! Call anything. Just try it. How is it that nobody in this franchise seems to know how to break a 2-3 zone? It boggles my mind, the Blazers were giving you a gimmick defense all night and you went 7 goddamn minutes without making a basket. Who could even defend that

It's clear that the approach of having Tatum be the primary initiator in fourth quarters isn't working. There's a large enough sample to warrant trying something new. Doesn't mean you can't do it sometimes, but we all see it. The team plays slower, things get stagnant, they settle for threes and they blow lead after lead after lead. We're 47 games into the season, it's OK to switch things up.

The whole appeal of January was the lighter schedule. Well that means dick if you don't take care of your business. Especially at home. The Celts had every opportunity in the world as they entered this month, and they've done nothing but let it slip through their fingers. Last night was just the latest example.