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Celtics Wrap: Boston Falls 129-121 In All-Important Game Vs. Heat

The C's were hoping to stay in the hunt for the No. 6 seed


NESN by Abigail Adams

This was not the outing the Celtics had hoped for.

Boston fell 129-121 to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night at TD Garden after a back-and-forth game turned ugly late for the C’s. Things got interesting late in the final frame, but the Heat managed to hang on.

Tyler Herro (24 points, 11 rebounds), Duncan Robinson (22 points) and Bam Adebayo (22 points, seven rebounds, five assists) led the charge for Miami. The Heat’s bench got hot late in the game as they opened up a double-figure lead the C’s couldn’t erase.

Kemba Walker (36 points, seven rebounds, four assists) dazzled while Jayson Tatum (33 points, eight rebounds, six assists) found bursts of success throughout the game. Evan Fournier (20 points, four rebounds, eight assists) helped Boston get off to a strong start, but faded into the background down the stretch.

The Celtics dipped to 35-34 and now likely will finish the season as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat, meanwhile, improved to 38-31 and have a chance to boost their positions in the standings before their final game Sunday.

Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Tristan Thompson

NOT BAD

This wasn’t one of the slow starts Celtics fans are used to seeing, but it wasn’t Boston’s best either.

Things started on a scary note, though, when Kemba Walker went to the locker room less than two minutes in after colliding with Bam Adebayo. He appeared to be clutching his left arm as he left the court but returned a few minutes later.

Boston’s starters helped open up a six-point advantage in the opening minutes. But Miami erased it rather quickly and the two teams traded leads for the rest of the quarter.

Still, the Celtics and Heat entered the second knotted at 28-all. Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 11 points.

Fournier and Tatum had eight points apiece on a combined 60% shooting while Walker and Smart both had five. Tatum led the C’s with four rebounds and one block but collected two personal fouls.


MIAMI HEATS UP

Boston and Miami continued to trade leads in the second, but the latter solidified theirs ahead of halftime.



Walker hit his stride in the second and finished the half with 17 points 58.3% shooting. Fournier also finished the quarter with 17 points on 66.7% shooting on top of his two rebounds and six assists.

Boston was on fire offensively, hitting 53.35% from 3-point range and 50% of all shots from the field through two.

But the Heat were just as persistent. Adebayo and Tyler Herro putting up 15 points apiece on an incredible 14-for-17 (82.4%) shooting and combined for eight rebounds.

Both teams hit some impressive shots in the moments leading up to halftime, but the Heat found an edge down the stretch. Miami ended the quarter on an 8-0 run and took a 62-56 lead into the second half after completing 70% of their shots in the second.

DOWNHILL

The Heat maintained an edge throughout the third, and things got uglier as time progressed.

Butler did not return after getting poked in the eye in the second, but Miami did just fine without him. The Duncan Robinson exploded for 13 third-quarter points on 75% shooting a tied Adebayo with 22 points through three.

Walker remained consistent for the C’s and led all scorers with 29 on 12-of-23 (52.2%) shooting. The rest of the team did not follow suit, though, allowing the Heat build a 14-point advantage.


Miami outscored Boston 17-6 in the final four minutes of the quarter and entered the final frame up 93-79.

NOT MUCH FIGHT LEFT

It didn’t take long for the Celtics to shut down and the Heat to take over.

Miami pushed its lead from 14 to 21 in a heartbeat as Boston struggled to keep up. The Heat’s bench got its time to shine down the stretch, with Goran Dragic (15 points) and Kendrick Nunn (14 points, six rebounds) providing some much-needed support to keep the C’s at bay.

Tatum and Walker tried to give Boston some sort of momentum offensively as they continued to pile on the points, but they did not have much support elsewhere. The Celtics did make it a six-point game with 9.5 seconds left, but it was too little too late.

In the end, Boston fell 129-121 to Miami.

PLAY OF THE GAME
For Walker, at least.


UP NEXT
Boston has just three games left on its regular-season schedule, the first of which is slated for Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET.

112288

Daniel Theis is not walking through that door!!

Funny Ktron. Funny.

NO DEFENSE

112288

Folding up like a cheap suit. Let's go 0-2 in the play-in and save ourselves some real embarrassment.

db

Oh wait!!!  It can't get any more embarrassing for a Celtic fan!!

db

Members have suggested a less toxic approach to fixing the Celtics problems then firing a coach. The new suggestion is to hire a defensive assistant coach. That seems to be a rational idea by preserving unity within the Celtic organization, and a boat load of cash on a buyout of Stevens contract if fired.

However, there are a lot of stars that need to alien in order for this new idea to succeed.

First and foremost, Brad has to accept the idea of adding a defensive coach. Not just a guy working in the gym on defensive strategies, but actually taking control of the team on D while Brad sits the F down and shuts up! Doc had this arrangement with Thibs. But then again, it was also Doc's last chance of staying a head.

Second, the Big Three era offensive was not a laissez faire, do what you want style. Even on offense, the Celtics were in position early to prevent a break away or a quick transition by the other team with fast breaks that normally is hard to defend and breaks down defenses. Can this new D coach rein in Brad and his offensive strategy by positioning players while on offense while also preventing fast transitional offensives from their opponents?

Third, can Brad even accept a D coach in the mold of Thibs? Or for that matter a D coach at all?

If all of you remember, Thibs was co-coach, not assistant coach. I remember that clearly because at the time I found it to be odd. Can Stevens accept a co-coach?

This now brings me to #4.

Fourth, If Brad is such a great coach and is not trying to just make the play-offs but actually take a run at the Title #18, why has he not hired a great defensive strategist in the past? It is common sense that you would if all of you were the head coach. Unless Brads style is a run and gun offensive style and to hell with defense...we will just out score our opponents.

Fifth, there is a lot to be said in Traditional Chinese Medicine about Yin and Yang play a role in healing and curing ailments . As defined, in Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

The problem with the Celtics is their Yin and Yang or Offensive and Defense are out of Sync! Let that settle in your heads for a minute while you also reflect on why Doc and Thibs were so successful together! Brad has to buy in completely into a D coach and allow him to run the plays while we are on defense, or like this year our Yin and Yang will be out of Sync again!

112288

I think the game has passed by Marcus Smart, he’s doing a better job of not shooting us out of games, see constant mistakes by him both ends, and overall he brings such little offensive firepower. He’s a great post defender, able to mix it up with a lot of bigs, but he couldn’t contain any of the multiple Heat snipers, no better than Kemba or PP last night. Our perimeter defense got exposed last night again and has been for so many stretches this season. Heat have so many 3 ball specialists, they just force you there and open up the paint for easy looks. Riley did an amazing job retooling this roster, getting multiple snipers without going after a star player that kills a teams cap. They constantly got open looks inside, outside and our offense was contested shots off one on one pretty much the whole 2nd half. Once Frenchy cooled off we were done. Tatum with one of the most ineffectual 33 point efforts in a long time. Spolstra totally outcoached BS again.

11288 - Lots of wisdom there. Lots.

Thanks Worcester!

112288

Wow just read Kendrick Perkins said the same thing I just said about Smart....

Well, as far as defensive coaches go, there's Thibs and waaaaaaaaaaaaay down there in 2nd place is who?  I'm guessing Thibs is off the table since NYK have found him to be the 2nd coming of Gary "The Glove" Payton.  Wait, what's he been doing since Michael Jordan called him out 20 years ago??  I'll take him sight unseen.  

db

Have KG go to MGH and withdraw 2 pints of his blood. Then Have Brad come in for a transfusion. Problems solved.

112288 has cut through all the BS and hit the damn nail on the head.

Do I really think Brad's time has come and gone for this team?   Yes I do but Danny, the head architect of this dumpster fire is not going to ask for his resignation.  And nice guy Brad Stevens is loyal but also delusional if he believes this team can somehow be the new "best version of themselves"

If he wants wants to make a big contribution to the future of the Boston Celtics he should step aside.

Suggestions and agreements about adding a defensive minded coach for this team that would have authority is not going to happen.  Brad has staffed this team with coaches that don't cut it.  

Brad is an offensive coach but he has never put together a complete offense and he does not have a skilled PG to even run what has become the most predictable offense in the NBA.

This team needs a new direction all around.  We need an offense that includes the utilization of a center than can score in the post.   We need an offense that uses the proven tactic of fast break basketball as a weapon and not as an afterthought.

We need a coach that will discipline our best player when he misses a shot and than heads back on defense in slow motion.  We need a coach that will discipline a guy who repeatedly is a day late and a dollar short on covering his assignments.  We need a coach that will not be outcoached.

There is not much room to ignore what has become obvious.  

We need a new coach and a new coaching staff.

From your mouth to Wyc's ears, dboss.

Their bench kicked the stuffing out of our bench 50 - 20.  That is not a typo, their bench outscored our bench by 30 points.  The backcourt bench combo of Pritchard and Edwards combined for a whopping 9 points in 26 minutes.  I'd like to say playing Edwards was a mistake (I usually say that anyway) but Pritchard wasn't showing much either.  Aaron Nesmith, the rookie we've been so high on lately, our latest love?  6 points in 18 minutes and not up to guarding Butler.  One issue I have with Brad last night was his not playing Romeo.  If there's a spot for Romeo it's to guard a dominant wing player like Butler, that's Romeo's NBA calling card.  If Romeo can't get on the court for that then why is he on the team?

Coming off their bench they had 37 year old Andre Iguodala (18 minutes), 34 year old Goran Dragic (25 minutes), almost 32 year old DeWayne Dedmon (13 minutes) and young'un Tyler Herro (35 minutes).  Coming off of our bench Brad had 22 year old Grant Williams (20 minutes), 21 year old rookie Aaron Nesmith (18 minutes), 23 year old rookie Payton Pritchard (13 minutes) and 23 year old Carsen Edwards (13 minutes).  Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing?  Pat Riley gave Eric Spoelstra a veteran bench with a single young sparkplug while Danny gave Brad Stevens a kindergarten.  Our bench, if you give them full credit for this season, have a combined 6 years of NBA experience, a combined total playing time of 4498 minutes including last night.  Of those 4498 minutes 2105, almost half, of them belong to 2nd year player Grant Williams.  This was an unfair fight and I blame Danny for it, not Brad.  Danny decided to go the cheap, accumulate draft pick strategy and now we're a bunch of babes in the woods.  Forget about whether you like Carsen Edwards or Grant or the other two, collectively they are too damn young to be the bench of a contending team and they weren't going to suddenly get half-a-dozen years older overnight were they (although I'll bet last night aged them quite a bit, just like it aged me)?  This was like clubbing baby harp seals, the silencing of Celtic lambs.  Last night made it clear, to me at least, that Brad was handed a fixed deck by Danny this year.  You cannot win with this bench and it's not their fault, not Brad's nor the players'.  You can expect only so much from rookies, especially ones with no summer league and an abbreviated pre-season. Danny counted on big step ups from his Kiddie Brigade.  It was a bridge too far.

They were 17-22 from the line.  We were 11-17.  There's 6 points they got from the line.  We lost the game by 8 points.  11-17 is 64%.  Tatum was 4-6, he's an 87% frito shooter this year.  Kemba was 4-6, he's a 90% frito shooter this year.  Fournier was 2-3, he's a 80% frito shooter this year.  If they just shot their averages there's another 3 points.  There were gimmes that we didn't take advantage of, and a 5 point game with a minute left (it was 8 with 55.9 seconds left) is a different game to play and coach than a 5 point game with a minute left.  2 offensive possessions vs 3.  With an 8 point deficit you have to foul them to stop the clock.  Do that twice and it's fritos the rest of the way for them, if not quicker than that and it's hard to close the gap when they're banking free money from the line on every possession.

More significantly is why they got more ftas than us.  Over the last 2 games, and even back in the bubble last year, they make excellent hard, sharp cuts to the rim.  They move superbly and constantly without the ball.  Moving without the ball gets you more open shots because your defender is trailing you and increases the likelihood of getting fouled as they try to catch up.  Last night we were mesmerized by the ball, again, and our men moved while we were distracted.  You know, basketball 101.  If they aren't watching you, move to where they can't get to you in time.  As Tommy used to say "move the ball or move yourself".  Miami did it, we didn't and generally don't.  We go one-on-one, try to make the defense collapse on us and then kick to a shooter at the arc.  Tatum was being swarmed every time, so very limited penetrations by him.  Kemba, with his quickness, was able to get in there.  Fournier also did a good job in the first half.  Otherwise is was business-as-usual.

One silver lining here is that there is no doubt that there still is some of the old Cardiac Kemba still in there.  I have no complaints about Kemba last night that wouldn't be just petty nitpicking because I'm irritated, not a single one, and I have not been shy to express them when I did.  He sliced them up, but it was still one-on-one.  17 points in the 1st half, 19 points in the 2nd is evidence of sustained effort and sustained Pride.

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
yesterday
Kemba Walker has scored at least 30 points in 4 of his last 6 games. First time he's done that since February 2019 when he played for the Hornets still.

Fournier, and Kemba, saved our bacon in the first half.  17 first half points on 6-10, 3-4 from 3, 6 assists.  He had a total of 3 points on 1-5, 1-3 from 3 and 2 assists in the entire 2nd half.  17 minutes in the 2nd half, 3 points.  Just like with Tatum, they swarmed him every time he touched the ball.

In the playoffs last year Daniel Theis struggled to contain Bam Adubayo.  Second verse, same as the first (you gotta be old to recognize that musical reference).  Thompson couldn't handle him either.  In these two games Thompson has played a total of 60 minutes.  He scored a total of 4 points on 2-5.  15 rebounds, but 12 of those were on Sunday.  I know, I know, Bam is an All-Star for a reason but still, we have done a lousy, lousy job over the course of 2 seasons to address the problem created by him.  For all those who were down on Theis because he was too short, too light, too whatever ( ) let me remind everybody he anchored a top 5 defense for years for us, and he couldn't stop Bam either.  Our defense has stunk this year, even while Theis was here.  What happened?  Many of the same players, they're just playing like they've forgotten every defensive scheme they've ever learned, ever played (before and with Brad), ever seen before.  It's like they're seeing a pnr for the first time. Is some of that Brad?  Sure, everybody has to share in some of the blame, but the players aren't even doing the stuff they know to do, that we all know they know how to do because we've seen them do it before.  Some of it is lack of physicality, as Fournier pointed out after Sunday's game, but it's also just not moving their feet and forgetting fundamentals.  These are professional basketball players.  Fundamentals on offense and defense should be part of their DNA by now. Brad needs to talk about schemes and specific assignments.  He shouldn't have to teach basketball kindergarten-level stuff.  Every single one of us watching last night could see what was happening before it happened.  I am now, honestly, starting to question the basketball IQ of a lot of our players and, absolutely, their ganas.


Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
yesterday
It's pretty clear the Celtics cannot execute a switching D right now with Fournier out there. Countless blown switches the last few weeks, including that last Dragic 3 to ice it. He's been solid defensively besides that, but too many communication errors surrounding him & Smart.

They were letting Dragic and Herro just do walk-up 3s.  You cannot do that with shooters, you can not let them feel like they're just working out in the gym and stepping into an open 3.  Once?  Ok, but after that you should know you need to go out a few feet and pick them up earlier.  We didn't, and that's just plain dumb basketball.  I don't know if, or what, Brad was yelling them to do from the sidelines but you shouldn't have to see that happen more than once before you realize you have to go out to their range and not just hope they're icy cold from their range.  Especially not after they've already shown you they aren't.

They shot 59%.  We shot 53%.  Not a lot of defense was played in this game on either side.  The difference was in the offense, both the nature of it as well as the production.  They created offense with movement and their bench took and hit their shots big-time. Our bench took 11 fgas, total. 11. Once again, not a typo.

Jay King @ByJayKing
about 6 hours ago
The Boston-Miami games were hugely important. The Celtics still gave up at least 57-percent shooting in each of the two games. It was the first time a Celtics team had done so in back-to-back games since 1998. That was the Pitino era.  Yikes.

Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
about 6 hours ago
BOSTON CELTICS - SHOOTING 52.3% OR BETTER Last 3 days: 0-2 Previous 6 years: 49-0

The difference is in our weaker defense, not our offense.

Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
yesterday
Kemba Walker on the #Celtics defense: "It's a pride thing. We all have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'are we giving it every single thing we have on that end of the floor?' And to be honest, we not, not on every possession. That's all of us."

We were without RWill and, of course, Jaylen.  They lost Butler after 17 minutes.  I'm not making excuses, just pointing out that their offense continued to score without him because it's not as individual player-centric as ours.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401307840


Bob


.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Cs have ranked in the top ten in defense for the last five years. Now suddenly Stevens and his coaches can't coach defense? Seems to me that you can put a random bunch of great scorers/shooters on the court and score points. If they're good enough you can probably win games with no coach at all. But put great defenders need a coach or they run around aimlessly. Great defense requires everyone "being on the same page". This year's players are not on the same page. Hell most of them haven't even seen the page. Judging a coach after these two seasons is pointless (pardon the pun.) EF, TT, PP, and AN have not even had one preseason under Brad. Walker has barely played one full season in two years. You expect them to have the defense down pat already? Of the starters last night, only Smart and Tatum can be said to really have been trained in the defensive system.

Actross

I respect your opinion but I think you are missing a very relevant point. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum have all been less engaged defensively for most of the year.

It has little to do with guys new to the roster.

It has everything to do with holding players accountable and that unfortunately falls squarely in the lap of Brad Stevens.

dboss wrote:Actross

I respect your opinion but I think you are missing a very relevant point.  Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum have all been less engaged defensively for most of the year.

It has little to do with guys new to the roster.

It has everything to do with holding players accountable and that unfortunately falls squarely in the lap of Brad Stevens.

 

I have never coached a team but I was in management for many years and I can tell you that the idea of talking people into working harder or having better morale rarely works. You either find them a work setup that better suits their personality or talents, or you replace them. The "win one for the Gipper" scenario is largely a myth, in my experience. We don't know what Stevens is saying to his players on the plane or in practice. He can bench them, but benching your star players doesn't usually work out well. When making players accountable does work is when it comes from other players that are respected. KW doesn't seem the type and EF and TT haven't earned that level of respect yet. As for the stars, I think JT and MS may have been reading their clippings and trying to hero wins. And they are both spending way too much energy jawing officials. Bottom line is we have terrific young talent but not terrific maturity. I could go on but bottom line I don't think a coach can hold a young superstar accountable. Kobe might have been able to call JT up and build a fire. But to me it looks like at any given moment half the players on the floor, vet or newbie, don't know where the others are going. And without a preseason or practices I wouldn't expect them to.

dboss wrote:112288 has cut through all the BS and hit the damn nail on the head.

Do I really think Brad's time has come and gone for this team?   Yes I do but Danny, the head architect of this dumpster fire is not going to ask for his resignation.  And nice guy Brad Stevens is loyal but also delusional if he believes this team can somehow be the new "best version of themselves"

If he wants wants to make a big contribution to the future of the Boston Celtics he should step aside.

Suggestions and agreements about adding a defensive minded coach for this team that would have authority is not going to happen.  Brad has staffed this team with coaches that don't cut it.  

Brad is an offensive coach but he has never put together a complete offense and he does not have a skilled PG to even run what has become the most predictable offense in the NBA.

This team needs a new direction all around.  We need an offense that includes the utilization of a center than can score in the post.   We need an offense that uses the proven tactic of fast break basketball as a weapon and not as an afterthought.

We need a coach that will discipline our best player when he misses a shot and than heads back on defense in slow motion.  We need a coach that will discipline a guy who repeatedly is a day late and a dollar short on covering his assignments.  We need a coach that will not be outcoached.

There is not much room to ignore what has become obvious.  

We need a new coach and a new coaching staff.

Well put dBoss and thank you for the complement. The check is in the mail as I write. LOL

But seriously folks, this is a mess. What has been the common thread throughout BOSTON CELTIC BASKETBALL since 1956 until a few years ago? Any guesses? I will tell you! SUFFOCATING, LOCKDOWN, GOOD OLD FASHION................... DEFENSE!

We never looked so bad as now, where every game there appears to be a quit attitude in the air regarding playing defense.

112288

atcross wrote:

dboss wrote:Actross

I respect your opinion but I think you are missing a very relevant point.  Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum have all been less engaged defensively for most of the year.

It has little to do with guys new to the roster.

It has everything to do with holding players accountable and that unfortunately falls squarely in the lap of Brad Stevens.

 

I have never coached a team but I was in management for many years and I can tell you that the idea of talking people into working harder or having better morale rarely works. You either find them a work setup that better suits their personality or talents, or you replace them. The "win one for the Gipper" scenario is largely a myth, in my experience. We don't know what Stevens is saying to his players on the plane or in practice. He can bench them, but benching your star players doesn't usually work out well. When making players accountable does work is when it comes from other players that are respected. KW doesn't seem the type and EF and TT haven't earned that level of respect yet. As for the stars, I think JT and MS may have been reading their clippings and trying to hero wins. And they are both spending way too much energy jawing officials. Bottom line is we have terrific young talent but not terrific maturity. I could go on but bottom line I don't think a coach can hold a young superstar accountable. Kobe might have been able to call JT up and build a fire. But to me it looks like at any given moment half the players on the floor, vet or newbie, don't know where the others are going. And without a preseason or practices I wouldn't expect them to.

Actoss

I would expect a manager or a coach to hold their workers or their players accountable.  After all, that would be a requirement for their job.

I believe a coach can and should hold players 1-17 accountable be they young superstars or scrubs.

There are some things that are too obvious to ignore.  The Celtics were a top 3 point defensive team with most of the same key guys that played last season..  

A coaches job extends way beyond the x's and O's.  If a coach is unable or unwilling to bring a high level of accountability to a team, the end result is just what you see from the Celtics.  

If a guy misses a rotation assignment due to inexperience and lack of repetition, stupidity or physical limitations that is one thing but when a team comes out with a lack of focus, a lack of energy and a lack of accountability then that falls squarely in the lap of the coach.  When that becomes a persistent and pervasive pattern on a team with few exceptions, you got yourself a coaching issue.

atcross wrote:

dboss wrote:Actross

I respect your opinion but I think you are missing a very relevant point.  Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum have all been less engaged defensively for most of the year.

It has little to do with guys new to the roster.

It has everything to do with holding players accountable and that unfortunately falls squarely in the lap of Brad Stevens.

 

I have never coached a team but I was in management for many years and I can tell you that the idea of talking people into working harder or having better morale rarely works. You either find them a work setup that better suits their personality or talents, or you replace them. The "win one for the Gipper" scenario is largely a myth, in my experience. We don't know what Stevens is saying to his players on the plane or in practice. He can bench them, but benching your star players doesn't usually work out well. When making players accountable does work is when it comes from other players that are respected. KW doesn't seem the type and EF and TT haven't earned that level of respect yet. As for the stars, I think JT and MS may have been reading their clippings and trying to hero wins. And they are both spending way too much energy jawing officials. Bottom line is we have terrific young talent but not terrific maturity. I could go on but bottom line I don't think a coach can hold a young superstar accountable. Kobe might have been able to call JT up and build a fire. But to me it looks like at any given moment half the players on the floor, vet or newbie, don't know where the others are going. And without a preseason or practices I wouldn't expect them to.

I absolutely agree with atcross on the management scenario. Is why I have been saying "have the players tuned out the coach" and not "fire the coach because he sucks" since game 10. The blame is all around and it is just as much on JT, JB and MS as on Stevens. The true blame for me is of course at the head. Danny assembled this team with 0 veterans, he has put Stevens in a position he should have known would not work out for him well. He and "management" not wanting to spend money or whatever other reason is why the Celtics have been bleeding veterans since Al Horford left.

But focusing on lack of leadership and accountability:
This team has so many problems it is hard to pinpoint one in particular as being THE problem, but lack of leadership has definitely been the case throughout the season. As pointed out we do not know what Stevens is saying to his players or how he is trying to hold them accountable. We just see the results and they can be as much because of players' attitudes as the inability of the coach to be tough with his stars. And it just so happens that this is highlighted by a year where we have 0 respectable veterans to hold their young studs accountable. Hayward may have been much much more important to this team even if he would have been with a bum leg and 2 broken hands... Who do we have that can play and can be the veteran check for the lazy effort from our young stars we have been seen all year? "Frenchy"? Could be actually, but it was all over when we got him already. TT? Too much like "Mook" - talks too much and cannot back it up on the court. JeT? No comment there. Who is left? Ah yes there was probably 1 more - Daniel Theis. Not the most influential probably, but if he tells you to give more effort on defense would you not at least hear it? He was sacrificed in the name of the dollar however so here we are. With 2 young talented players that seem to be lacking the drive to really compete and a Marcus Smart - a player that used to be a complete pitbull and perennial all team defense consideration that seems to have lost connection with what made him indispensable in favor of looking to showcase his all-round game which he just does not have.

All of this is not really on Brad Stevens. Unfortunately, I also agree about most of the Brad critics on the board, but as his failings seem to be very well documented here I am not going to write another "Problem Paragraph" for him as well.

112288 wrote:

dboss wrote:112288 has cut through all the BS and hit the damn nail on the head.

Do I really think Brad's time has come and gone for this team?   Yes I do but Danny, the head architect of this dumpster fire is not going to ask for his resignation.  And nice guy Brad Stevens is loyal but also delusional if he believes this team can somehow be the new "best version of themselves"

If he wants wants to make a big contribution to the future of the Boston Celtics he should step aside.

Suggestions and agreements about adding a defensive minded coach for this team that would have authority is not going to happen.  Brad has staffed this team with coaches that don't cut it.  

Brad is an offensive coach but he has never put together a complete offense and he does not have a skilled PG to even run what has become the most predictable offense in the NBA.

This team needs a new direction all around.  We need an offense that includes the utilization of a center than can score in the post.   We need an offense that uses the proven tactic of fast break basketball as a weapon and not as an afterthought.

We need a coach that will discipline our best player when he misses a shot and than heads back on defense in slow motion.  We need a coach that will discipline a guy who repeatedly is a day late and a dollar short on covering his assignments.  We need a coach that will not be outcoached.

There is not much room to ignore what has become obvious.  

We need a new coach and a new coaching staff.

Well put dBoss and thank you for the complement.  The check is in the mail as I write.  LOL

But seriously folks, this is a mess.  What has been the common thread throughout BOSTON CELTIC BASKETBALL since 1956 until a few years ago?    Any guesses?    I will tell you!   SUFFOCATING,  LOCKDOWN, GOOD OLD FASHION................... DEFENSE!

We never looked so bad as now, where every game there appears to be a quit attitude in the air regarding playing defense.

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Every Celtics team in history that were winners played great defense.  It has always been part of there DNA.  At some point this team just stopped playing defense over extended periods during a game.  Now it seems to be embedded in who they are as a team.  Brad has been preaching to them all year long.  They apparently are not hearing the sermon.  This situation is not unique.  We have seen this type of situation unfold in many sports.  If there is trouble maker in the group you can move them.  But if it is mainly about the ability of the coach to extract an optimum level of performance from his team, then a coaching change is needed.  This happens all the time.  There is nothing unusual or unique about making a coaching change.

I am pretty certain that Brad does a great job telling his players what they need to do.  I watch and hear him on the sidelines employing them to push the ball on offense and get back on defense.  He has a handle on that.

That is not the problem.  Their play does not reflect his efforts and that tells me they are not responding to him.

Is he the only problem?  Hell no but he has lost the ability to motivate his team.  I do not think the team really respects him as a coach.  Or maybe it is really just a case of him no longer being able to inspire them to play the right way.

I am reminded once again by the words of our best player who candidly defined for us who Brad Stevens is and is not.

JT said coach K was a leader.  He said coach k was demanding and did not tolerate bad play.  He said he would run through a brick wall for him.  he said coach K was a leader. He said Brad was an X's and O's coach.

That statement by him captures the essence of what we are seeing.

Guys are not defending strong because sometimes you have to run through a brick wall to do that. And Brad cannot lead them through the mental barrier of that brick wall.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Wow just read Kendrick Perkins said the same thing I just said about Smart....

Except he didn’t say the game has “passed him by”. I agree with a lot of what you and Perk said but With all due respect, the game has not hardly passed Marcus Smart by. No even close by.