Category: News

After coming up just two games short of winning the NBA title, the inevitable happens for your Boston Celtics. The exclamation point is that they had a 2-1 lead in the series before coughing up three straight losses to Golden State. And since they can only be described as (use your own word) bad to horrendous losses that saw them blow double-digit leads in all three, let the finger-pointing begin.

I don’t like the words “blame” or “fault” because those are words for losers who get stuck in the past and don’t focus on the future, which is where you need to be to find a solution, which is what Brad Stevens and the brass need to do.

So, while this may be semantics, I prefer to think about “responsibility” because it identifies areas that need to be improved in the off-season. That could be a weakness in personnel, questionable coaching decisions, repeated mental mistakes or just playing against a better team.

First thing is to assess what the season was in relation to expectations. This can be looked at two ways.

Glass Is Half Full: Getting to the NBA Finals was a major step forward with a disappointing ending. Especially in light of their train wreck first two months of 2021-22, which suggested we were in store for a repeat of the same infuriating under-achievement as last year. After somehow finding their mojo in early January it turned into a major step forward for a team that exceeded everyone’s expectations, which, after a few minor tweaks, makes the future look bright.

Glass Is Half Empty: This Celtics loss doesn’t approach a blown opportunity by the favored Lakers over the Celtics in 1984. They’re hardly the first underdog to blow a 2-1 series lead. I mean the Celtics put that same number on the defending champion Bucks just last month.

But what I care most about is how a team loses. And the way the C’s lost to GS raises major red flags about their heart and collective ability to hold their attention firm during adversity. They had their moments earlier in the playoffs, but they really needed the same mental toughness when the Warriors put the heat on, and this time the top three melted like a stick of butter in a hot frying pan.

Is that just part of the growing process, or in their DNA?

That’s where Stevens’ assessment should begin as he decides what steps are needed to win those last two games next year.

The Opponent

Golden State: First, the Celtics lost to a better team in a series GS earned. A surprise to me because I underestimated two things: their team defense and Steph Curry.

The D was exceptional because Andrew Wiggins (mostly) did a great job on Jayson Tatum in his forgettable series and their quickness to close out on open shots took away what the C’s do to put opponents on their heels. It especially flummoxed them in the half court during crunch time.

As for Curry, I somehow forgot how good he is at scoring around the basket, which destroyed my “crowd him to make him drive” strategy. This dude’s just good and raised an interesting question from my nephew, who asks, is he a Top 10 player all-time? I never thought of him that way, but since he’s the leader of a team that’s won more titles than Larry Bird did, maybe we should.

The Red Flags

Heart and Grit: They were resilient all through the playoffs even amid hiccups vs. Milwaukee and Miami. But it’s a tough call because good opponents can cause them. But at the end of it all, I’m back to where I was in December on Tatum. While he has the talent, does he have the make-up to be the team leader or do they need to find a Jimmy Butler team leader to pair with him?

Turnovers: Careless, mindless T.O.’s thrown up for grabs handed the Warriors free baskets that killed Boston all series. Tatum set a record for most T.O.s in a playoff season and in Game 4 alone Marcus Smart handed GS 10 free points himself on five totally mindless cross-court passes. As for Jaylen Brown, despite his occasional brilliance, almost every drive was an adventure because he has the worst handle I’ve seen since Tom Boerwinkle retired.

Can they fix this issue internally or do they need a point guard to do so?

The Bench: Despite some earlier heroics, Derrick White aside, it was mostly a Finals no show. So is it good enough?

IQ And Instincts: It made Jeff Van Gundy crazy all through the series and me for much longer than that. With the peak being Tatum giving take fouls to stop a fast break early in Games 5 and 6 that led to first-half foul trouble both times. Somehow he and Smart think that’s smart but risking early foul trouble over two points is just dumb.

Most amazing is they kept repeating the same dumb mistakes.

What Next

Since they also had similar collapses twice against Milwaukee and Miami, my view is they have to address all their red flag issues to take that next step.

Who To Build Around: I don’t think a big change is needed. But if a big deal surfaced to make them clearly better, the two untouchables are Tatum and Robert Williams. Though I’d be reluctant to move on from the wisdom, versatility and toughness of Al Horford as well. While I think everyone else deserves appreciation for a terrific season I’d be willing to part with anyone else in the right deal.

One-Player Wish List – Damian Lillard: Wouldn’t give up both Brown and Smart for him. But he’s a real point guard and the kind of seasoned leader to reduce that burden on Tatum.

So, overall mostly a job well done. But get to work, Brad, because you’ve got some holes to fill.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

As I write this, Game 5 of the NBA Finals goes off tonight in San Francisco with the Celtics and Warriors tied at two games apiece.

That is vexing to me as a writer because you will not see this until after it’s over, and going in I have no idea what is going to happen.

Part of that has to do with the rhythm of any seven-game series, while the other part, as Yogi Berra might say, is mental. By that I mean since Game 1 of the Milwaukee series the Celtics just can not stand prosperity. The latest example is Friday’s Game 4, where with a 2-1 lead and playing in front of a ravenous, frothing at the mouth crowd the series was there for the taking, especially after they jumped out to an early double-digit lead. But they didn’t/couldn’t keep their foot on the gas and let Golden State back in the game, which eventually cost them as under a barrage of late-game Steph Curry bombs they lost.

Give GS credit for staying the course and being tough enough to win in that environment. And the Celtics are hardly the first team to get bulldozed by Curry. But still, it seems like the C’s let a golden opportunity to take command of the series slip away.

However if you’ve been following this playoff season it shouldn’t have been a surprise really, as it’s had only two constants so far. One is that, by somehow going just 6-5 at home, the Celtics seem determined to make it harder on themselves. The other constant is their resilience. Just when you think they’ve put themselves in a hole they won’t get out of by losing all those supposedly vital home games, they do, thanks to being a ridiculous 8-3 in enemy buildings.

All of which brings me back to my original statement. I have no idea what’s going to happen in Game 5, let alone 6 and 7.

However, Curry’s brilliance aside, the unpredictability of the first four games speaks to why I much prefer the NBA playoffs to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It’s a to each his/her own world. But, while watching the run of a dark horse is fun, you can luck out to win in a one-and-done tournament (see Villanova–Georgetown 1985), but outside of losing a key guy to an injury, you can’t luck out in a long series. You’ve got to earn it by surviving the inevitable ups and downs that come when excellent teams face each other seven times in a row. It builds friction among players that leads to increasing physical play and the kind of hard feelings that can form the foundation of a real rivalry. That rarely happens in the tournament.

There’s also the overreactions of the fans and pundits from game to game to enjoy. Like Steven A. Blowhard saying the Warriors looked in trouble after Game 1. Ridiculous. The C’s famed Mother’s Day massacre of L.A. shows Game 1 is just one game. Instead, most times, these things go game to game. Especially in the first four.

Then there was just last year when Phoenix dusted the Bucks by double figures in the first two games, to have the media spouting OMG, they’re dead because only four teams have ever climbed out of an 0-2 hole to win a title. Well guess what? It’s now five times because the best player in that series took it over after Game 2 to lead Milwaukee to win four straight, culminating with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s historic 50-point game in Game 6.

Which brings us to the point of this diatribe. While sometimes, like Cedric Maxwell in 1981 or Grant Williams in Game 7 vs. Milwaukee, an unexpected surprise happens. I’m standing by what I said before the series: that for the Celtics to win Jayson Tatum had to play Curry even and Jaylen Brown had to outplay Klay Thompson. So far the latter has happened, but with Curry averaging 34 per and making several backbreaking shots in the GS wins, the former has not.

And that’s where the series lies in the last three games — in the lap of Tatum, who has not played well in either of the last two series. At least not to the dominating level he showed in series wins over Brooklyn and Milwaukee.

It speaks to a guy’s talent when a big mouth like me can say a guy averaging 22 a game isn’t playing well. But the way to tell if a star is struggling, beyond the stats, is hearing announcers like the ABC crew bending over backward to talk about Tatum’s improved passing and floor game. That’s great and speaks well to the future. But Tatum isn’t paid to pass. He gets the big money for scoring big and imposing his will on big games. That’s what’s needed here because the Celtics won’t win unless he does.

Can he do that? Yes. Will he do it? I don’t have a clue. Though as of right now I’d bet on Curry, because Tatum hasn’t reached the point yet where you know he’s going to come through even when he doesn’t.

It was like that with Larry Bird. But even he suffered through some tough times, like his miserable games 3, 4 and 5 vs. Houston in the 1981 Finals, where he shot 11 for 37 as he scored just 8, 8 and 12 points in those games.

You can say it’s not fair to compare Tatum to Bird. But at that point he wasn’t Larry Legend. He was just in his second season and yet to win a title. But he came back in Game 6 to put 27-13-5 on the board in a 102-91 series-ending win.

Which brings us back to resilience. It’s been their calling card so far and how you win. You keep moving forward to get your groove back.

We’ll know by now if Tatum found his in Game 5.