Danny Ainge worries Boston Celtics can be taken out of their game too easily

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/04/danny_ainge_worries_boston_cel.html



Danny Ainge worries Boston Celtics can be taken out of their game too easily






RJ Hunter, Terry Rozier warm up against New Orleans Pelicans




Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on April 07, 2016 at 11:10 AM




The Boston Celtics have already clinched a playoff spot, are very much in the mix for homecourt advantage in the first round, and could still win fifty games. Still, team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge worries some of his team's flaws could be exposed in the postseason.

During his weekly appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich, Ainge explained why the Celtics may have trouble at least in the later playoff rounds. For a little context, Ainge was asked whether he considers his club a championship contender. When he brushed that off with his normal response to the question -- basically, he does not think Boston will compete for a title, but does consider the extraordinary possible -- the hosts pressed him on why.

"Now why do you think that?" Ainge was asked. "Because they've beaten almost all of the best teams in basketball once this year, outside of San Antonio. ... Golden State, they beat them once and they took them to double overtime the other one. They beat the Cavs. What makes you think that they still, after seeing all of that, their whole body of work this year, that they still aren't contenders?"

"Well, I think that there's a big difference in regular season basketball and playoff basketball," Ainge responded. "And I get worried that we can be taken out of our game too easily. Even last night (during a 104-97 win against the New Orleans Pelicans) against a depleted team I feel like we're taken out of our game too often. We go through these offensive droughts. We haven't made enough shots consistently. And like I said, we rely on grit and hustle and defense, and I just think that we need guys to make more shots."

Ainge did praise the Celtics for giving "maximum effort," buying into the defensive system, and "getting everything out of" their talent. Like a lot of other people. he considers it "really fun to watch this group of guys."

The Celtics decision-maker also fielded a question about whether Evan Turner should garner consideration for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

"Well, he leads the NBA in assists off the bench," Ainge said. "He's a huge fourth-quarter -- everybody in Boston knows how big he's been for us at the end of so many games this year. I don't know what the league views of Evan. I think Evan sees himself as a starter and not a sixth man. But I think that in a lot of ways he is because he's in the game often at the end. But Evan certainly should be a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. No question."



bob
MY NOTE:  Danny's a smart man.  He's right.  We have beaten everybody except San Antonio, and we can get taken out of our game too easily.  That's youth and youth, for lack of a better term, is curable.

Btw, a very cool video too.


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Ainge's concern is very justified, but gaining confidence in such situations can only come from experience in big games/playoffs. So far this season the Cs are better this year than they were last year in this area.

Danny needs to do a better job drafting better shooters. It has nothing to do with being taken out of our game but it still has everything to do with how poorly the Celtics shoot as a team. .439% overall and .333% or # 27 in 3 point field goal percentage

This is not rocket science. We need better shooters and as I have stated dozens of times that should be our # 1 priority going into the draft and free agency.

dboss