Celtics Turn Back The Clocks At The Garden

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Celtics turn back the clocks at Garden
March, 1, 2015
MAR 1 10:10 PM ET
By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com






Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Celtics let a big lead slip away Sunday against the Warriors.


BOSTON -- Isaiah Thomas stood near midcourt pumping his fist and imploring the crowd to get louder. The Boston Celtics had just unleashed a 3-point barrage to open an improbable 26-point, first-half lead against the Golden State Warriors -- the best team in the NBA -- and Thomas took a moment to savor the energy inside TD Garden as the visitors called a timeout to collect themselves.

"It was one of those games I used to watch on TV when [Kevin] Garnett and those guys were here," said Thomas, the pint-sized spark plug who has helped ignite these Celtics since being acquired at last month's trade deadline. "The crowd was wild. It's crazy, that's what you want to be a Boston Celtic for. That was amazing."



Steve Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
With a combination of drives and 3-pointers, Isaiah Thomas helped whip the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy.


He paused briefly before adding, "It hurts because we didn't finish it off."

Yes, even when the Celtics owned their big lead, there was still a nervous energy in the building because of how fast Golden State can erase deficits. The Warriors clamped down on Boston in the second half, rallied all the way back, then hung on for a 106-101 triumph.

The Celtics were left stung by the loss because not only did they let the big lead slip away, but they had a couple of chances late to steal a win. There was Jae Crowder's long jumper with less than a minute to play in a one-point game that rattled in and out (hanging on the back rim for a second) or Thomas' clean look at a last-second 3-pointer that could have forced overtime had it not slammed off the side of the rim.

But Boston can pluck a lot of good from this loss. The Celtics gave one of the league's elite teams all it could handle. This was a playoff atmosphere against the caliber of opponent Boston might see if it scraps its way into the postseason. And the Celtics made the NBA's best sweat a bit.

"I thought we should have won the game," Evan Turner said. "There's no such thing as good losses, but I think we can compete with anybody."

That sentiment was echoed throughout the Boston locker room. The Celtics slipped a game back of the pack (Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets) that is in a virtual tie for the eighth seed in the East. It's still an uphill battle over the final 25 games to extend their season.

But those who are members of #TeamLotto and desire the Celtics to chase pingpong balls instead of playoff berths often have noted how a team such as Boston would simply endure a four-game sweep against a top seed. Sunday's game suggests that, if nothing else, this squad has the potential to give anyone in the East fits, and it's clear that those inside the Celtics locker room reside firmly on #TeamEightSeed.

The Celtics have played some inspired ball recently, winning seven of their past 10 entering Sunday's game, and that was while incorporating newcomers such as Thomas on the fly. Boston wilted when Golden State ramped up its defensive pressure in the second half -- the Celtics shot just 30 percent (15-of-50 overall) and fizzled from the 3-point line (2-of-13, 15.4 percent) after intermission -- but put together a near-perfect first half in which they struck the league's best defense for 67 points.

"I think the biggest thing that I take away is that it's a disappointing loss," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "But I really like the guys in our locker room, and I’m looking forward to working with them the next time we're together to work because they're trying to play the right way."

When pressed if this was a step forward for his team, Stevens added: "Well, since we've only been together eight days, I would say that everything we do better lead to progress. I don't know. I think obviously we're all disappointed in the loss, but we did a lot of good things today."

The NBA will announce its weekly and monthly awards on Monday. Stevens, coming off his first winning month since taking over in Boston, is likely to be a runner-up for coach of the month in the East (Indiana's team success last month, besting teams such as Golden State along the way, might give the nod to Stevens' good friend, Frank Vogel). But it's obvious the Celtics are making progress and their young core believes this team is better than its record indicates.

The Celtics have been much better in the fourth quarter of recent games, and Sunday's collapse was a bit of an outlier. Stevens has routinely put his team in position to win and the Celtics are making noticeable strides in close games.

It's not an easy road to the playoffs. Boston's schedule is full of challenges, including Tuesday's trip to Cleveland. It's going to take a lot of grit just to get to the postseason.

But nights like Sunday remind you why it's important for this team to at least fight for that opportunity. The energy inside TD Garden when Boston was firing on all cylinders was enough to get even the most ardent supporter of #TeamLotto to ponder switching bandwagons.

"It was kind of like a playoff atmosphere tonight," said Brandon Bass, one of the few holdovers from the Big Three era who has tasted playoff basketball here. "It felt great to play in an atmosphere like this. It kind of felt like old times."

It hasn't felt like old times in the Garden in a long time. But the Celtics have emerged as a really fun team to watch and the kind of scrappy group that the city can embrace. They've got a coach who is maximizing their talents and giving them a chance to compete on a nightly basis.

And come late April, it wouldn't be the worst thing to turn back the clocks again inside TD Garden.




bob





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The reason last night's loss was disappointing was that, for the first time in quite a while, the Celtics had a reasonable expectation that they could compete well enough to win.  That's an amazing development in this year of changing on the fly.

Sam