Celtics still tend to stall in the clutch
Team will have to perform under pressure in playoffs
President Biden delivers his State of the Union Address tonight.
Load up on caffeine ahead of time, if for no other reason than to be awake when the evening’s main event begins at 10 on TNT.
The Celtics visit the Denver Nuggets in a game that many — including oddsmakers — see as a preview of the 2024 NBA Finals.
The State of the Boston Celtics is terrific — on your digital screen.
Boston has the best numbers in the NBA. It holds a six-game lead in the loss column over Minnesota for Association-wide bragging rights. It leads the Bucks by 7.5 games for home court in the East.
The Celtics are No. 1 in overall average point differential, No 1 in defensive rating, No. 1 in defensive rebounds, and No. 3 in overall points scored.
The Celtics have not lost to an Eastern Conference team at home during the regular season for more than a calendar year.
The Celtics are the dominant betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference at -110 and Banner 18 at +230.
Celtics State Run Social Media called the team’s recent winning streak “the most dominant 11game stretch in NBA history.” Boston won those 11 games by an average of 22.1 points. And the streak came on both sides of the All-Star Break.
Dizzying accomplishments all.
Those who just dropped in from Mars have no reason to believe this team should, if not will, finally win Boston’s second NBA championship since the Reagan Administration.
When Larry Bird finally met Jayson Tatum at the NBA All-Star Game, it was as if a metaphorical baton was finally being dished.
Here’s hoping Bird Flu will turn into a pandemic in the Celtics locker room by playoff time. Thus far, the 2023-24 Celtics appear to have been fully vaccinated against it.
More than any other NBA franchise, the Celtics embrace history.
But they also appear hell bent at times to repeat that recent history this season.
Tuesday night, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about a timeout called with 4.6 seconds to play that nobody saw.
He said his team needed to “go faster.”
He offered a lament about how the team created “a lot of good situational stuff” but still has “small things to work on execution.”
This was not a dissertation on the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
These were some of Mazzulla’s quotes after the historic collapse in Cleveland.
A chunk of progress this team made over its first 60 games in winning hearts and minds was erased in less than minutes.
The nasty leprechauns — those that dogged Boston in recent playoff runs — revisited the Celtics in what played out as bad as the all-female “Ghostbusters” sequel.
There was “Stone Cold Shooting.” “Lazy Defense.” And their BFF: “Lack of Focus.” Jayson “MVP In
Waiting” Tatum led the slide. He played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter and hit just one of nine shots. He may still be holding and dribbling on that last possession.
No one should extrapolate playoff doom from a single regular-season defeat.
Nor is it rational to rip these Celtics for not winning the Finals, since it’s still March.
But it’s still all about the Banners.
The most disheartening part of Tuesday’s capitulation came when Kristaps Porzingis called it a “good loss.”
Kristaps is new in town. But this team has suffered far too many “good” losses in recent years.
Boston has gotten more “wake-up” calls than Cornelius Rooster of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes fame. But they go soggy at crunch time.
Whatever lessons the Celtics could/should/ would learn from that loss in Cleveland are not new.
“Play 48 minutes of defense.”
“Keep your foot on the throat/gas.”
“Finish fast.”
The eloquence of Kevin Garnett remains elusive, even with the additions of Jrue Holiday and Porzingis.
This team lacks “grit and balls.”
Boston blew a 22-point lead and was outscored 34-11 over the final 8:59 by Cleveland in losing 105-104 Tuesday. When Boston led 93-71 in the fourth quarter, the Cavs were +4000 to win at FanDuel.
But this game was not lost during the final Celtics possession, which included Mazzulla’s phantom timeout with 4.6 seconds to play.
The Celtics blew this game when they decided it was over early in the fourth quarter — or maybe — as Mazzulla said — on Cleveland’s final possession of the third.
Someone named Dean Wade outscored the Celtics 20-17 over the final 12 minutes. In much the same way Gabe Vincent terrorized the Celtics during the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston was beaten by another unheralded role player. This one best known for having someone else’s moniker.
With this D-Wade in Cleveland, LeBron might have another six rings.
The new-and-improved Celtics have yet to fully form under pressure. That’s understandable because they’ve won three games by at least 50 points, including on Sunday against the depleted and cowardly Warriors.
But things get too tight around the collar in close games.
They need a crutch in the clutch.
When the Celtics trail by five points or less, Jaylen Brown and Tatum are a combined 1-for-10 from the floor, while missing both 3-point attempts. The Celtics are 0-for-9 when taking shots in the last five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime to tie the game or take the lead. Tatum is 0-for-5, including his clanger that ended Boston’s hopes on Tuesday.
Thanks to Boston Sports Info for those numbers.
Overall, seven of Boston’s 13 losses have come via one possession games at the end of regulation. Turning green late may not be a big deal in March.
But it’s a death sentence come May and June. The regular season ends a week and a month from today. In the interim, enjoy the Celtics at their best.
Because the Celtics at their worst are never more than one game away.