ROUND #2 PLAYOFF > POST GAME #4 Mil Bucks - Home - Mil - 113 Boston - 101 Final

Celtics Wrap: Boston Pushed To Brink With 113-101 Game 4 Loss Vs. Bucks

NESN by Michael McMahon on Mon, May 6, 2019 at 9:26PM

BOSTON — The buck needed to stop here. Instead, the Bucks roll back to Milwaukee in utter control of the series, and the Boston Celtics are on last leg in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

A very poor night from the floor plagued the Celtics, who was not able to take adavantage of their opponents’ foul trouble and dropped a pivotal Game 4 112-98 Monday night at TD Garden.

Giannis Antetokounmpo once again led the way for the Bucks, leading all players with 39 points. George Hill had 15, while Khris Middleton had 13.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points, but was just 7-for-22 shooting. Al Horford (20), Marcus Morris (18), Jayson Tatum (17)  Jaylen Brown (16) all had double digits.

The Bucks hold a 3-1 advantage in the series.

Here’s how it all went down.

STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford

SMART RETURNS
Neither team could build much a discernible lead in the opening minutes, but the Celtics were able to creat some breathing room late, taking a 30-22 lead after one.

The opening minutes largely were back and forth, with the Celtics hitting six of their first hit attempts from the floor.

Smart, who entered with 6:16 left in the quarter to a huge ovation, started 0-for-2, but his three pointer with 2:43 to go in the quarter gave the Celtics a 25-17 lead.

The Celtics would lead by as much as 11 before Pat Connaughton hit trey at the buzzer.

NECK AND NECK
Boston could not build on its first-quarter advantage, but did take a 49-47 lead into the break due mostly to a pedestrian half shooting the ball for both sides, each shooting under 40 percent over 24 minutes.

The Bucks scored eight unanswered over 2:30 with Antetokounmpo on the bench, knotting the game at 39.

With Antetokounmpo back on the floor, Middleton found a groove, pushing Milwaukee’s run to 16-4 with a trey to make 47-43 Bucks with 2:19 left in the half.

The C’s punched back, closing the half on a 6-0 run, kickstarted by a Morris corner three.

Irving, Brown and Morris each had 11 points to lead the hosts at halftime. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 15, however the Bucks were just 4-for-21 from beyond the arc.

CELTICS MISS OPPORTUNITY
Boston missed a tremendous chance to put distance between it and the Bucks when Antetokounmpo and Middleton both got into foul trouble in the third quarter and left the floor. Instead, the Celts were outscored 33-23 in the third and trailed 80-72 head into the final stanza.

Antetokounmpo picked up his fourth foul with 8:18 left in the third, sending him to the bench with score knotted at 59. Middleton picked up his fourth a minute later. But Boston was outscored 13-9 over the next 4:43.

George Hill gave the Bucks a jolt with a 5-0 run to make it 72-68 on a three-pointer with 2:31 left in the quarter. The Bucks extended the run to 11-0 to lead 78-68 thanks to a Hills floater with 1:16 left in the quarter.

NIGHT NIGHT
Boston made an early push in the fourth at a comeback, but ultimately came up well short, and now face elimination.

Things were getting dire for the C’s, down 91-79 with 9:05 remaining, but a 7-0 Boston run got the C’s and TD Garden back in the mix, trailing 91-86 with 7:25 to go. Milwaukee responded with a 6-0 run to make it 97-86.

The Bucks advantage grew to double digits in the final five minutes with a Hill lay-in making it 99-89 with 4:28 to play.

Milwaukee continued to charge forward, with the advantage growing as large as 13.

PLAY OF THE GAME
They call him “The Freak” for a reason.

UP NEXT
The Celtics and Bucks will meet for Game 5 on Wednesday. Tip off from Fiserv Forum is slated for 8 p.m. ET.
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Celtics on brink of playoff elimination following Game 4 loss to Bucks

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely May 06, 2019 9:30 PM

BOSTON -- You could not have drawn up a better scenario than the one the Boston Celtics were looking with more than six minutes left in the third quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, Celtics killers No. 1 and 2, were on the bench straddled with four personal fouls with the score tied.

For a Boston team that absolutely had to have Game 4, this was their time to take control of the game right?

Uh … not exactly.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Milwaukee was sporting an 80-72 lead.

It was indicative of how this series has played out as the Bucks surged ahead in the fourth for a 113-101 win.

Highlights from the Celtics' Game 4 loss

Milwaukee now leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 with a chance to close out the series on Wednesday in Milwaukee.

It was a collective meltdown by Boston to the top-seeded Bucks who simply played harder and smarter while showing a level of depth that proved to be too much for the Celtics - even against the Celtics go-to guys like Kyrie Irving who delivered yet another underwhelming performance.

Even the return of Marcus Smart couldn’t provide the necessary spark for Boston to get back in this series which seems all but a given to end with the Bucks moving on to the Eastern Conference finals while the Celtics will have their season end in the second round - the quickest postseason exit for Boston since 2016.

Here are the standouts from Game 4 between Boston and Milwaukee.
MVPS

Mike Budenholzer: He didn’t log a single minute of court time, but he seemed to push all the right buttons with the right combinations all making their impact felt. And the way his team responded to real adversity - no Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton for most of the third quarter because of foul trouble - spoke volumes not just about the players but his decision-making to have the right guys in the right position to make a significant impact at the precise time the Bucks needed it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: He has been giving the Celtics fits this entire series, but it seemed Game 4 was when he finally broke Boston’s defense down for good. They had no answer for him. They couldn’t slow down his drives. He was making 3-pointers. He was everywhere and anywhere defensively, finishing with a monster game of 38 points, 16 rebounds and four assists.
Most Improved

Marcus Morris: He was one of the few bright spots for the Boston Celtics. He was tough, made big shots, played well on the glass and did all the things that the Celtics needed so many others to do but failed to do so. He would finish the night with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds.

WATCH: Smart gets standing ovation during return to action

Al Horford: For most of the game, the Boston Celtics got solid Al Horford who in the fourth quarter became spectacular with big plays at both ends of the floor. He would tally 20 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. But it was clear that defending Giannis Antetokounmpo was taking its toll on his legs with most of his missed shots being short.
Sixth Man

George Hill: A strong case could be made for him as the MVP of this game when you consider those clutch baskets he made in the third quarter when their top two scorers were on the bench because of foul trouble. For the game, he had 15 points.
Mr. Not-So-Great

Kyrie Irving: It’s not even close. You have to tip your hat to the Milwaukee Bucks who have done a solid job defensively on Irving and the rest of the Celtics. But the struggles Irving has had making shots, has more to do with him missing open ones than how the Bucks are guarding him. He came into Monday’s game shooting just 39.3 percent from the field, and was even worse in Game 4 connecting on just seven of his 22 shot attempts (31.8 percent shooting) before finishing with 23 points. And let’s not talk about the times he was beaten off the dribble or fouled a 3-point shooter in the act of launching one up. This will easily go down as the worst playoff series in Irving’s career.

Gordon Hayward: From the outset, a strong playoff showing from Gordon Hayward was going to be needed for the Celtics. And Hayward just didn’t get it done. He struggled to make shots. His playmaking skills weren’t anywhere close to what we saw at the end of the regular season. He has been a non-factor in this entire postseason run, so his struggles in Game 4 unfortunately for the Celtics were par for the course. He had just two points on 1-for-5 shooting with zero assists.

Barkley predicts C's won't win another game. Is he finally right?

Celtics bench: Boston got little to nothing out of its second unit, leaving head coach Brad Stevens little choice but to lean heavily on his starters in the fourth quarter with the team’s season on the line. Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes all struggled to make shots and were all over the map when it came to defense. They combined to shoot 3-for-17 (17.6 percent).
Turning point

Giannis Antetokounmpo picks up fourth personal foul with 8:18 to play in the third quarter and the score tied at 59. Then, Khris Middleton picked up his fourth personal foul 61 seconds later with Boston leading 62-59. With Antetokounmpo and Middleton on the bench, it was Milwaukee - not Boston - that surged ahead as the Bucks went on a 21-10 surge to lead 80-72 going into the fourth quarter. Boston spent the rest of the game playing from behind, showing no signs of putting together enough stops or making enough shots to make a serious dent in Milwaukee’s lead.
Up Next

Boston will try to stave off elimination with Game 5 set for Milwaukee on Wednesday.


112288

Dad...Yes little Johnny........is the moon made of Swiss cheese?

No little Johnny............but the Celtics parquet floor is made of green Swiss cheese!

Mike Budenholzer not only has Brad's number but he owns Al Horford! Fantsastic defense for sure, but they kept coming full steam ahead into the paint and we had no answer!

Time to rip the team apart and start over. We have come as far as we can with this team over the last few years and now we have hit a brick wall. Very importantly, other young teams have now passed us _ Mil Bucks Toronto and Philly.

#15th player or no #15th player, this team as presently constructed is a total bust.

I would go for a big in the draft....Bol Bol perhaps and trade up for a point guard. How about Boogie? I think Davis is too expensive.

I believe we could have kept up with Mil if we had another option on offense. I think we could have kept it close, same for game #3, but Ainge never even went for a shooter. Carmelo Anthony would have been an interesting pickup as a shooter off the bench. To come to think of it we really do not have a lock down/Ray Allen shooter on the team besides KI who is a point guard.

Tatum cannot create his own shot to save his own life despite what he scored tonight. I would bench him and let him come off the bench. When the big shot is needed, he usually misses a key shot. Tatum, please work with Pierce and forget Kobe......... he F'ed up your head and you are not the player you were last year as a rookie.

What was a promising season with lofty expectations...........is not just a pile of junk!

112288

Yes, time to rebuild with some trades and youth.

112288 wrote:Dad...Yes little Johnny........is the moon made of Swiss cheese?

No little Johnny............but the Celtics parquet floor is made of green Swiss cheese!

Mike Budenholzer not only has Brad's number but he owns Al Horford!  Fantsastic defense for sure, but they kept coming full steam ahead into the paint and we had no answer!

Time to rip the team apart and start over. We have come as far as we can with this team over the last few years and now we have hit a brick wall.  Very importantly, other young teams have now passed us _ Mil Bucks Toronto and Philly.

#15th player or no #15th  player,  this team as presently constructed is a total bust.  

I would go for a big in the draft....Bol Bol perhaps and trade up for a point guard.  How about Boogie?  I think Davis is too expensive.

I believe we could have kept up with Mil if we had another option on offense.  I think we could have kept it close, same for game #3, but Ainge never even went for a shooter.  Carmelo Anthony would have been an interesting pickup as a shooter off the bench.  To come to think of it we really do not have a lock down/Ray Allen shooter on the team besides KI who is a point guard.

Tatum cannot create his own shot to save his own life despite what he scored tonight.  I would bench him and let him come off the bench.  When the big shot is needed, he usually misses a key shot.   Tatum, please work with Pierce and forget Kobe......... he F'ed up your head and you are not the player you were last year as a rookie.

What was a promising season with lofty expectations...........is not just a pile of junk!

112288

I wish everyone would quit blaming Kobe for Tatums problems. I hated Kobe as a Laker but he is one of the smartest players to ever lace them up. How bout blaming Tatum for shopping carting Kobe’s advice and tutoring. Looks as though Jayson took what he wanted from the tutorial and left the rest on the shelf.

Scal: “I cant understand how Kyrie kept missing layups. How did this happen”?

Note to Scal: YOU’RE AN EX PLAYER HOW BOUT YOU GIVE US A HINT AS TO HOW THIS HAPPENS YOU USELESS FUCK!

its over

Paul Pierce- 4/28/19


can't help it, it was the most stupid thing I heard when he said  it and everyone should be reminded of how much of a dumb ass he is as a so called "analyst"

kdp59 wrote:its over

Paul Pierce- 4/28/19


can't help it, it was the most stupid thing I heard when he said  it and everyone should be reminded of how much of a dumb ass he is as a so called "analyst"

Yeah and if we lose Wednesday that he would be right.
He and Scal must be roommates

I am not feeling the love guys. Now Kobe, Pierce, Scal, and Tatum are all in the same trash barrel with Kyrie? Is there room in there for Hayward too?

worcester wrote:I am not feeling the love guys. Now Kobe, Pierce, Scal, and Tatum are all in the same trash barrel with Kyrie? Is there room in there for Hayward too?

=
They’re not all in the same trash barrel. Scal and Pierce are in the Conneticut School of Broadcasting trash bin.
Tatum is in the recycle bin (there’s hope) Hayward....In the dumpster trying to climb out and Kyrie is in the waste basket thats getting ready to be taken out and emptied.

Excellent analysis Ktronic. I always get bewildered by what goes into which recycling bin on trash day. But you have explained it expertly. D'accord!

worcester wrote:Excellent analysis Ktronic. I always get bewildered by what goes into which recycling bin on trash day. But you have explained it expertly. D'accord!

I forgot Kobe. The trash men will go on strike if they have to pick him up too. :>)

Our very own actual genius postgame said (in part) “Who Cares?

Betcha Danny somehow gets a real point guard on next year's team. And a center.

Seems there are a few disgruntled Celtics fans.

They are just plain better than us.

During the regular season there was absolutely nothing that said this team was great.  The Celts teased us with an eye opening performance against a 5 seed that was missing their guy.

In the meantime the Bucks were killers all season long and are now 7-1 in post season play.  

There is a game 5 scheduled and I wiil watch and root for our guys no matter what.

In reality nothing changes for me.  When I wake up tomorrow I will still be a Celtics fan.  

My disappointment is tempered by a belief that we could only get so far with this team.  Changes are coming.  

And we will have months and months to prognosticate.

Until the final buzzer sounds and the scoreboard shows a deficit for our guys, I am rolling with them all the way.  

Next season when the Celtics tip off I plan to be glued to the TV.

Let's go Celtics!

bobc33 wrote:Our very own actual genius postgame said (in part) “Who Cares?

That was after the reporter asked him if he ever had a 3 game cold stretch 19-62 like this in the playoffs before. He kept on saying they were loading up on him, making it difficult, no shit Kyrie, they might even double you, you dumb arrogant fock....He was overhyped, I get it he hit the winning shot in game 7, but how much easier was it to play off Lebron and go to open spots or drive down open lanes when the defense was so geared to stop Lebron? Sad pathetic thing is he was missing so many shots that he usually makes. I don’t think he’s in shape, he used to coast on defense, now that he tries on defense, he seems to be too tired to carry his offensive load. Maybe he should eat some red meat...???

Barkley and Shaq ripping Kyrie.

Shaq saying this is when it counts, you can’t shoot 7-22 in a game like this if your the man. Barkley chiming in saying you wanted to be the man, wanted to have your own team, this is what you asked for.....whether it’s fair or not, the star player gets the credit and/or gets the blame. They are saying the series is over, that we have too many of the same players, so much for positionless basketball, we got killed in the paint....

dboss wrote:Seems there are a few disgruntled Celtics fans.

They are just plain better than us.

During the regular season there was absolutely nothing that said this team was great.  The Celts teased us with an eye opening performance against a 4 seed that was missing their guy.

In the meantime the Bucks were killers all season long and are now 7-1 in post season play.  

There is a game 5 scheduled and I wiil watch and root for our guys no matter what.

In reality nothing changes for me.  When I wake up tomorrow I will still be a Celtics fan.  

My disappointment is tempered by a belief that we could only get so far with this team.  Changes are coming.  

And we will have months and months to prognosticate.

Until the final buzzer sounds and the scoreboard shows a deficit for our guys, I am rolling with them all the way.  

Next season when the Celtics tip off I plan to be glued to the TV.

Let's go Celtics!

Love your contribution to the board dboss!!

worcester wrote:I am not feeling the love guys. Now Kobe, Pierce, Scal, and Tatum are all in the same trash barrel with Kyrie? Is there room in there for Hayward too?

to be clear I am talking about Pierce the analyst not the player. Scalabrine was a marginal NBA end of the bench player, who I really never listen too since i am not in the area. from what some say here is about as good as a commentator as he was a player.


Kobe is Kobe...also known as the enemy, fuck him.... ..Hall of famer though DAMMIT!!

Hayward has alwasy been a mistake as a Max signing IMO and I see no reason to change my mind becasue he has ONE game in TEN where he plays better than a MINIMUM WAGE NBA player. Signing Hayward just may be Dannys worst signing ever.

Danny (or whoever) has a big choice to make this off-season ...keep Irving and double down by trading for Davis.......or staying with the young guys ( Tatum, Brown, Smart, etc) and keep building with them. Danny's history says he will go all in since he already used some capital on Irving.

unfortunately Danny is STUCK with Hayward, as he cannot be traded with his current deal.

Over the past three games, Irving has gone 19-for-62 (31 percent) from the field. Those 43 missed field goal attempts are the most Irving has ever missed over a three-game stretch in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. – via ESPN
Statistics, Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics

Tim Bontemps: Kyrie on his shooting woes (19-62 the past three games): “Who cares? I’m a basketball player. Prepare the right way. … The expectations on me are going to by sky high … for me, the 22 shots? I should’ve shot 30.“ – via Twitter TimBontemps


https://www.forbes.com/sites/donyaeger/2019/03/05/team-chemistry-declines-when-you-go-palms-up-like-bostons-kyrie-irving/#797922d57c0f


2,780 viewsMar 5, 2019, 11:37am
Team Chemistry Declines When You Go "Palms Up" Like Boston's Kyrie Irving
Don Yaeger
Don Yaeger
Contributor
Leadership Strategy
I study high performers in sports for lessons in business leadership.



Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Sunday afternoon I found myself at a restaurant with my wife. Not a fancy restaurant, mind you, but the kind of place that has sports playing on large televisions. On the TV nearest our table was the Boston Celtics versus the Houston Rockets. Perfect Sunday afternoon NBA action.

Because the place was crowded, the volume was muted on the TV. As a result, I wasn’t able to hear the broadcasters analyze the game, but it didn’t matter.

What I saw spoke volumes.


uncaptioned
GETTY
As a writer, especially in the world of sports, I’ve learned to pay attention to body language. Athletes, coaches, and team officials are trained to speak in useless clichés, but if you’re paying attention, they tell you a lot with their bodies.

Arched eyebrows. Crossed arms. Leaning in. Leaning back. Looking away from you. Looking you dead in the eyes.

Sometimes, on rare occasions, even the simple elegance of a raised middle finger.

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Point is, even without words, the body tells the truth—and there was a lot of truth being told Sunday in Boston.

I’ve learned something profound through my study of great teams: on any team, you can have multipliers, or you can have dividers. During that Celtics-Rockets game, I saw examples of both.

Dividers are those teammates who, when the going gets tough, turn up their palms as if to say, “Who knows? Not me” or “Not my fault!” That was the exact gesture I saw Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Boston’s best player, make twice during the first quarter.

Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
After a play had gone wrong, the team turned to Irving, their leader, and he turned his palms to the air as if to say, “What do you want me to do? That’s on you.”

I immediately looked at my wife and said, “This is going to get ugly.” And it did—a few minutes later, the Celtics were at the wrong end of a scoring run and down by nearly 20 points. The team was clearly out of sorts, not communicating, not connecting, not functioning as a team.

And why would they? Their leader was playing the role of a divider instead of a multiplier.

You see, multipliers don’t go palms up—they tap their chest as if to say, “That’s on me.” That was what Rockets guard Chris Paul did after one of his teammates fumbled away one of Paul’s passes. Candidly, it was the other guy’s fault, but Paul tapped his chest, took responsibility, and turned an awkward moment into a learning moment.

I wonder, in your office, which role do you play?

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GETTY
Are you a “palms up” teammate—one who points out errors, passes the blame, or demands accountability…but only for others?

Or are you a “chest tap” teammate—one who takes responsibility, shares the credit and holds yourself to a higher standard than anyone expects?

Chances are, if you’ve spent these last few seconds thinking about it, you’re not a “palms up” teammate. Dividers are rarely reflective; they prefer to live under their own delusions. Multipliers, on the other hand, are quick to pause and assess their own role within the dynamic of a team. It’s part of what makes them such great teammates—their humility, authenticity, and chemistry are contagious.

As I sat there, watching the game with my wife, I couldn’t help but think about things at home too. We’re a parenting team—so do I parent “palms up” or “chest tap”? It was a sobering thought as we watched the final seconds tick off the clock, another lost game for a Boston team that was supposed to compete for a title this year and instead is mired in fifth place in its own conference.

I don’t know what the future holds for the Celtics, but based on what I saw Sunday night, it won’t be good. Even though they made the final score reasonably close, it was obvious to anyone watching that their team chemistry was bad and trending worse.

And we don’t need words to understand why.

Don Yaeger is a keynote speaker, NY Times best-selling author, longtime associate editor of Sports Illustrated and author of Great Teams: 16 Things High Performing Organizations Do Differently.

KDP - Don Yaeger's story speaks volumes about what was wrong with the Celtics this year. We don't have to repeat the mistake. Danny, let Kyrie go.

Get out the nails and hammer, bring a box lunch, line them up and start the crucifixion.

There is little evidence that the Romans flogged their victims but what the hell, let's flog them anyways.

Our guys are coming up short but we still love them right?  Naw let's kill them anyways because we are Celtics fans that will turn on you in the blink of a false eyelash.  You see we are suffering from schizophrenia. Our vicarious relationship with this team, with these players, has turned ugly and now we must dole out blame in increments.  Maybe we could use percentages of blaming.  That may be comforting to our sense of inequality.

We've said it numerous times on this site.  The playoffs are about exposure.  And we have been exposed.  Time for Danny to start passing out the unpinned hand grenades and super glue for the fingers and hands.  

First and foremost, since he asked for it, is Kyrie.  You never think an opposing team can take out your #1 go-to superstar scorer but they have.  The complete opposite of Kawhi.  Will Kyrie just go the normal route, test the FA market and pick another team, going out with his tail between his legs?  Probably.  I wouldn't want to come back to the bed I've made for myself either. Kyrie may be looking back in a few weeks at the playoffs and have a similar quote..."This is what Boston let me go for." It does free up $20Mil.    

Second has to be Danny, unfortunately with all that is going on with him medically recently.  This is his assembly.  And now he has all these draft picks that he's going to have to unload on somebody.  AD costs too much unless you add/throw in a Hayward or Horford and I'm not sure anyone is going to take that bite.  He really has a mess but as GM must make the decisions on who and what to keep and what to let fall to the wayside.  

Brad Stevens comes in 3rd but to a lesser degree.  He is an underdog's coach.  And now that he had a team of superstars with high expectations going into this season, he realized he hadn't studied for that exam nor taken the course for that matter.  And of all people the bozo coach from MIL has completely exposed him head-to-head.  Brad can't seem to find his ass with both hands.  Might be on the chopping block, extended contract or not.  

Tatum comes in 4th.  Just too sporadic.  When the perception by the opposition is you only have one really good superstar scorer and the rest of the team  players are all over the place or non-existent, let's try shutting him down.  Just ask Larry Bird about the 1979 NCAA Finals and how that worked out for him.

For 5th, Hayward gets the slap on the wrist.  That injury really messed with his head mentally and physically.  Can't blame him.  Can't trade him.  We really needed him to step up in the playoffs and it just wasn't there.  

All the rest showed up.  MM, MS, AH, JB.  To a lesser degree TRoz, although sporadic.  

The ONLY thing left I can see that will save us this playoffs is the on/off switch we used the hell out of during the regular season.  We've lost 3 games in a row several times during the season.  What followed was a very long, sustainable winning streak.  I know the playoffs are different that the regular season, but that's all I've got for hope.  It's weak, pathetic and probably completely unacceptable but that's all I've got.  I saw it happen with my own eyes during the regular season with consternation and disbelief but it happened.  The problem with the playoffs and that mind set, you can't go more than losing 3 games in a row.  We'll know for sure around 10:30pm EDST Wednesday.  

db

Look, I was the first guy on this board at the beginning of the season to say that this team was flawed, partly due to the players and partly due to Stevens.

There was a lack of chemistry between players for one reason or another, and the team could not click for long periods of time, only spurts here and there with a little luck in between. You saw it when players were arguing against players and KI arguing with Stevens.

The coaching staff could not come up with a solution on how how to fix this disconnect, so Brad and Danny should have made changes mid season! They did not.

Last night Coach Bud exposed our flaws big time. I can see missing shots while under pressure, but I never saw a hard pick set, nor a screen so a player could get off a non contested shot. That my friends is coaching. So the Celtics reverted to chucking 3 pt shots up in hopes of getting hot...........they did not.

KI is either relied upon by the rest of the team to do the dirty work in trying to score or he is a ball hog. Maybe a little of both. I never saw him as a fit on the team long term.

In addition I thought Brad was very unfair when he stated in public that he was dissatisfied in his teams effort when they lost Friday and cited lack of consistency. keep you dirty laundry private Brad!

I think Danny needs to assess both the players and the coaching staff and make changes. Bring on a defensive coach to help out, clearly Brad needs help.

The summer will be interesting .............I hope they can go young and keep most of their draft choices.

112288

Spot on analysis Dbrown, and that does not mean I've stopped loving the Celtics Dboss.

"I hope they can go young and keep most of their draft choices."

Ditto.