The Celtics Continue To Find New Ways To Absolutely Rip Our Hearts Out And It's Time They Wake The Hell Up

Jason Miller. Getty Images.

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Pain.

That's really all I feel at the moment.

Now losers of 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 including back to back losses in OT (one 2OT), if I had to describe what is going on right now I'd probably go with this

This week has been nothing but direct shots right to the chin. We get up, we come back for more, and once again our brains are bashed in. Maybe we'll have a similar ending as Rocky did in this fight, but right now we're experiencing those early rounds.

The Celts haven't had a stretch like this since December 10-21st. During that run, they lost 5 of 6 including 3 straight at home (ORL back to back). The good news is they then ripped off 13 wins in their next 15 games. So, a similar response is possible over the final 16 games, but it would require the Celtics to actually remember how to play like the team we've seen all year. 

With how close the standings are, we all knew that one bad week from someone could have big time repercussions. Well, the team that has had that bad week isn't the Bucks, it isn't the Sixers, it isn't the Knicks, and it isn't the Cavs. 

It's the Celtics. 

The frustrating part is these three losses were not a case where they were killed in each one and never competed. On some level, I think I could stomach that if they just didn't play well enough to win. No no, that is not what this is. This is a blown 28 point lead, a blown 14 point lead, and then last night's blown 15 point lead. Up 14 heading into the 4th quarter, that is a game you have to win, regardless of who is playing. They had enough talent to build the lead, so that same talent should be able to close it out.

Some might suggest last night should be viewed more like the MIL OT loss, where the Celts were on the road against a good team while missing all their guys. Putting up that type of fight had most people feeling good, despite the loss. I would not say that is the case with last night, despite being on a B2B missing 3 starters. Context is important. During that Bucks game, the Celts had won 4 in a row prior and then won 3 in a row immediately after it. They were playing much better than we're seeing now.

Last night's loss coming on the heels of the two prior games changes the dynamic a little bit for me. It was a great effort and there are positive things to take away, but overall the feeling I have today is not the same as what I felt waking up after the MIL game. It just isn't.

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By now you know, we don't run from the pain. We blog through it, turn the page, and move on. Let's dive in.

The Good

- There will be plenty to talk about in the following sections, but we have to take a minute to give Jaylen Brown some credit. He played his dick off. After 47 minutes in 2OT the night before in which he put up an efficient 29/8 with 4 steals, Jaylen came right back with another 45 minutes last night and a 32/13/9 performance

He finished 12-26 (1-7), but I'm not going to get on a guy who probably had zero legs by the end of this game given what he did over the previous 48 hours. He gave this team everything you could possibly ask for in each game, so to come up empty in both is very annoying. What I loved though was Jaylen's mindset after this loss, this is a leader

Since coming back with the mask, Jaylen has been nothing short of incredible if you ask me. The team is 3-3 in the 6 games he's played in, but it's not because Jaylen hasn't shown up. I'm talking 28/7.3/4.0/1.8 on 47.8/38% splits with 2.2 3PM a night. His TOs are a little high at 3.2, but that comes with the high volume territory. During this 3 game skid, Jaylen is putting up 30 a night on 50% shooting. He's given the Celts more than enough in his role to win these games. I'm not sure how anyone could have too many complaints about Jaylen right now. He's doing his job.

- The same is true when it comes to Malcolm Brogdon on the offensive end. There are some late clock issues that we're going to get to, but overall? This is exactly the type of production Brogdon has been giving all season and in my opinion, he was the best point guard on the Celtics roster last night, at least from an offensive standpoint

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24 points on 8-14 (3-6) with 5 assists and 1 TO in his 36 minutes after missing the last few games, this wasn't all that different from what he did in that MIL OT game. This team needed someone to step up and provide some efficient offense with Tatum/Al out, and Brogdon rose to the occasion. 

He continues to be not only the best catch & shoot guy on the team, but really the entire league. I've been waiting for this outside shooting to regress, but it looks like he's snapped out of whatever funk he had in December because it's been consistently awesome 

The guy may not be able to stop a nosebleed on the other end which is a tad concerning, but he is FAR from the only one experiencing that issue right now. 

- I actually thought for the most part, the Celtics had great ball movement in this game. This was the 3rd game in a row they finished with at least 25 assists, which this year has usually meant things work out. With a record of 34-10 on the season when they hit that number, somehow they've found a way to lose 3 straight despite doing it.

They had 26 against BKN, 27 against NYK, and 25 last night. This is not a case where the Celts are playing like assholes and just going iso heavy. They are actually moving the ball. I thought Jaylen's playmaking in this game may have been his best showing all year, as he did a solid job of not falling victim to tunnel vision on his drives. I tend to trust that if the team moves the ball like this on a consistent basis, as long as they tighten up some other areas they'll be just fine.

- OK, that's enough. Let's get onto the real meat of this blog.

The Bad

- For the Celtics to be successful, they need to follow the blueprint that they've established over the last 120+ games. When they do, they are able to reach a level that few other teams in the league can get to. When they don't, not only is it blatantly obvious, but it fucks everything up.

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The clearest example of this is the current play offensively of Marcus Smart. It's all fucked up. We know what the blueprint is for him and how he needs to play to maximize this team, and we're not seeing it really on either end, but especially offensively. Defensively, he's not really providing the same sort of resistance on the perimeter as we saw last season. His isolation defense is hot garbage, and whether that's his ankle or he's not in shape yet from missing time, who knows, but I can tell you it hasn't been anywhere close to acceptable all year. At the same time, I trust him to figure out that end of the floor.

When it comes to the other end, I'd say last night was the first time in a LONG time where we saw the version of Marcus that does more harm than good. He's been pretty brutal since coming back from injury, but last night was the first time in a while that his biggest issue is the approach and decision making. Allow me to explain.

In these last 2 games, Smart has taken 30 FGA. Of those 30, 22 have been 3PA. Now the thing is, when it comes to Smart's three point shooting, it's not so much the volume of 3PA as it is the type of 3PA he's taking. If the ball is moving and it swings to him and he's open and it comes within the flow, then that's a 3PA he should take. Last night, that was not what happened. It was more hero ball looks and poor quality shots. We know that Smart is at his best when he attacks the rim/paint first and then shoots 3PA later. That is not what he's been doing over the last two games, and as a result, we're dealing with 26/27% splits. That's horrific.

But my issue with Smart goes further than just the shooting. I care way more about his decision making, and last night was arguably some of his worst all year. There are a few moments that stood out most, the first coming with about 8 mintues left in the 4th quarter

This was his 2nd turnover that came via jumping and passing. That's maybe the first thing you learn not to do in Biddy Basketball. What bothers me about this play is the situation. The Cavs had started to make a run, starting the 4th on a 6-0 run. LeVert had just his a 3, so making sure you get something good on the next possession. A turnover like that, especially a live ball turnover there is just killer. You can see Smart attacked without a real plan, didn't have anything at the rim, and got caught in the air. 

If that was bad, what happened in the final moments of the 4th was 100000x worse.

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This is what I would call piss poor situational awareness. You have to remember the situation here. Derrick White had just taken an 3PA with about 10 seconds on the shock clock on this same possession that missed. The Celts were fortunate enough to secure the rebound with a fresh shot clock (14 seconds) and about 40 seconds on the game clock, up 1 point. There is NO need for a shot like that in this moment, regardless if Smart was open.

You have to know the time/score/situation here. There's plenty of time to reset and get a better look, while also burning the clock so CLE wouldn't have as much time. If that still results in a 3PA from someone, fine. But maybe running something gets you to the FT line or an easy bucket in a big moment instead of a low percentage 3PA with tired legs. To not even have an offensive possession here is just losing basketball. For a guy who has avoided plays like this for basically 2 years, this was a very bad time for that to creep back up again.

People laugh at me when I say that Smart might be one of the more important players on this roster, and this is sort of what I'm talking about. When he's good, the team is GREAT. When he stinks, it outdoes pretty much all the good we see from everyone else.

- We're currently navigating through a pretty brutal Derrick White offensive slump. Over this stretch where the Celts have gone 1-4, Derrick is currently shooting 40/16% from the floor. Outside of the BKN game where he shot 6-10, he's been at 40% or under in every other game. Over his last two, White's shooting 9-26 (3-9). That's pretty tough.

The thing is, his struggles are different from Smart's in that his process is still good. This is not a case of White taking bad shots, he's just missing looks he normally makes. I know this to be the case because whenever we see White miss wide open point blank floaters like he has these last two games, that's just a slump and not an incorrect offensive approach. 

Plus he did hit what should have been the game winner, so my annoyance with his shooting over the last 5 games isn't that crazy, but 9-26 is 9-26 and that's not great.

- When the Celts find themselves in a rut like this, you can usually bank on a few things happening. Chances are they are not protecting the glass and I'd bet everything I have that they have a turnover problem. Well, let's start with the OREB.

I know the Celts played "small", but giving up 10 OREB in the 4th quarter and OT is inexcusable. This was not a case of Jarrett Allen or Mobley dominating with their size against smaller players. No, this was a case of a SF coming in and simply playing harder than everyone else. Lamar Stevens had 6 OREB to end this game, and all of them came from simply outworking everyone else. As you can expect they all came in dagger moments, especially late

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I'm sorry, but I don't care who was missing. Rebound the fucking basketball. How many more games are we going to see the Celtics lose because they get lazy on the defensive glass to end games? What good is getting stops if you can't finish the possession clean with a rebound? Again, this is losing basketball.

- OK, now the TOs. Let me know if you see a common theme during this skid

Does this look familiar? If the Celts are going to be careless with the ball, they're fucked. The way this team loses is if they miss all their 3PA and turn the ball over. Well, a 3-20 second half shooting the three and 16 TOs leading to 24 points seems rather important in a game the Celts lost by 4 in OT.

- I don't really understand why this is the case, but I'm not sure I want Brogdon with the ball in his hands at the end of a clock situation. I'd rather have him off ball for a catch & shoot 3PA, because there were multiple times he simply didn't do anything with the ball until it was too late to the point where the Celts didn't even get a shot off. He's so good offensively, but this is not a role I think he should be in with the 3 guard lineup. Let White handle it or something. 

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When you're in a rut like this, small moments like that add up. He had similar issues in the 4th quarter against CLE a week ago when he committed 3 straight TOs to let them back in it. Just very weird for a guy who in theory should be calm and collected in those moments.

The Ugly

- I mean what more is there to say about that 4th quarter other than it was yet another horrific collapse. This time, Joe had the right guys on the floor, we saw Brogdon, we saw White etc. 

You tell me if this is good or not

Shit, we even saw Joe call an early timeout as soon as the Cavs cut it to 8 in the first few minutes! Did it matter? No, because timeouts aren't some savior people think they are. At the end of the day, it's about the players executing. 

All you had to do was not collapse. You could have even played like shit and lost the quarter by like 10, and you still win. But a 31-17 quarter, one that was the highest for the Cavs all night, is inexcusable. Joe talked about how the lead issue was a one time thing, and I'm not so sure that's the case

- Defensively, things are still a mess. Donovan Mitchell became the 8th guy in 9 games to have at least 35 against the Celts, and he's done it twice in that span. He absolutely cooked Brogdon to the tune of 11 points on 13 possessions, and things were even worse for Muscala (which is to be expected). A total of 21 of Mitchell's 40 came against those two guys, and right now we're seeing that opposing players are in no way concerned with the Celts defense. They know they're going to be able to get to wherever they want whenever they want, and that is a gigantic issue.

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- Of course, Grant's FTs were the biggest story from this game. We went over it last night, but you cannot talk shit about making both FTs and then immediately miss both.

In fact, I'm not sure Grant should have even made both. Make the first, miss the second on purpose and boom, there's your 0.8 seconds. Making both would have allowed CLE to at least attempt a heave. So right off the bat, I didn't love that approach, but then to choke like he did was the twist of the knife. 

When an 83% FT shooter isn't even close, that's how you know your team is in a rut.

- The thing is, while Grant should have made at least one, fuck this team for even putting him in that position. Don't collapse. Close the game out like you should and there isn't even a need for Grant to knock them down.

But come on man. Just give me 1.

- Back to back games where a Celtic hits what should be a game winning three and the team just needs one stop on the defensive end to secure the win. They went 0 for 2. Quickley got the floater, Mitchell got the foul on Grant. Those are the margins that Joe is talking about. You need to win the margins because if you don't, these last two games are what happens.

So now here we sit. I'm going to assume MIL takes care of ORL today, which will have the Celts 2.5 back of the 1 seed with 16 to go, and a head to head game with MIL left. They sit 2 up on PHI, but really that's 3 given the Celts own the tiebreaker, but they also play today so that could be 2.5 by tomorrow. 

While things are still on the table for the Celts, that is not the case if they continue to play like this. Throwing away games at this point of the season is the exact opposite of what they need to be doing, so for it to happen in 3 straight games makes my blood boil. They have the talent, so I'm going to need the talent to start showing up.

If not, well then they have no one to blame but themselves for whatever happens.