Post Game - Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks - Thursday, March 28 (L)

The worst thing that ever happened was beating GSW by that huge margin, we have not played the same since that game

Should we be concerned that the Hawks can still make the play-in tournament?

My level of concern is about 5 out of 10.

You have to remember CJ is trying out different things in these games as a means of practice and if he will use it in the playoffs.

It was good to Holiday back and the starters do need reps.

The concerning part is the rebounding. Horford or no Horford those second chance points were an absolute disgrace. Once again the late game execution had too much ISO ball. However, these things can be cleaned up.

The main thing is staying healthy. I wouldn't mind seeing the starters playing 20-25 minutes the last 5 games.

Rosalie,

I never thought of it that way until you just mentioned it and phrased it that way regarding the GSW game.  That's brilliant.  That's 50+ years of Celtic analysis and living the Boston Celtics coming through you.  Thank you!

Now the root cause of the problem, is it hubris, is it entitlement, is it just laziness, is it coaching, is it management, etc., we can discuss until the cows come home.  But thank you for putting it so succinctly! You are SPOT ON!!

Here's what I think the problem is.  I believe Coach Joe has reached the end of his jumbled lineups and gleaning all that you possibly can from those different lineups.  I believe this happened a few weeks back or maybe a week or two back.  If he hasn't seen all the possible combinations  of lineups for the playoffs, then something is wrong.  Losing two games to ATL is just the straw that has finally broken that camel's back.  His managing these line ups, while admirable and the team can normally work within it, it's reached the point where it's time for the players to just get back to normal and ride into the playoffs, come what may.  Coach has to juggle these line ups because it's whoever is healthy plays.  The stakes are HUGE.  He is also trying to time things so that we peak at playoff time and not run out of gas like we did last year in the ECF.  He has no easy task before him, believe me.  But his personality, focus, vision and work ethic work well in this crazy version and season of the NBA of trying to keep players healthy.  He's done an incredible job and come playoff time, nothing will surprise him, nor our players.  That really bodes well.        

What it is time for is getting the Starting 6 back out on the court for these last now 9 games and put together some great basketball to which we have become accustomed.  

What we need to prepare for is we may lose one more game.  Watching MIL v. NOP, we don't have an answer for Zion and Valanciunas.  None that I saw or see.  That's not to even mention CJ McCullum.   But we'll see where are heads are at.  They are either still in or finally out of their asses.    

Anyway, that's enough for now!

db

I have been surprised by the sudden increase in the level of allowed physicality at the defensive end. The Celts appear to have been thrown off by this. Porzingis’ effectiveness is reduced. We are getting lulled into more 1-1 play.

The coaching staff will work to figure this out. We have some time.

Having said that, it was a fun game to watch. Murray was sensational. Nobody on the Celts was that inspired.

Celtics17 wrote:My level of concern is about 5 out of 10.

You have to remember CJ is trying out different things in these games as a means of practice and if he will use it in the playoffs.

It was good to Holiday back and the starters do need reps.

The concerning part is the rebounding. Horford or no Horford those second chance points were an absolute disgrace. Once again the late game execution had too much ISO ball. However, these things can be cleaned up.

The main thing is staying healthy. I wouldn't mind seeing the starters playing 20-25 minutes the last 5 games.

I agree and think that is the one big point of concern. 28 second chance points for the Hawks. Atlanta bigs had a field day with Porzingis. Fix this one area and I believe you are correct that staying healthy is the only significant key left to hanging a banner.

If Tillman wasn't the answer to add some muscle to the interior, maybe Queta can still be. They have until the last day of the season to convert Queta's contract, so we'll see.

This was a very disappointing loss again.   It looks like a carryover from the 2nd half of Monday's  loss.  However, the Celtics had a healthy lineup except for 6th man AH. The Hawks who have not been able to find their arse with both hands went into the game with a high level of confidence thanks to the 30 point comeback in the previous game.  Even with that high level of confidence there were several factors that turned another Win into a Loss.

You can begin with all of their 2nd chance points that were generated because they beat the crap out of us on the offensive glass (17-9)  I think there are two reasons that come to mind.  The Celtics were hell bent on running in transition and were quite formidable with a 27-2 advantage in fast break points.  The other thing that stood out was the lack of intensity on the defensive glass by our centers.

As much as I appreciate the offensive weapon that Kristaps brings to the table, I can no longer watch his lackluster rebounding.   He continually gets pushed around out of position and is slow to react.

We have Centers by committee with KP, AH, LK and XT.  Not one of them is a top of the line rebounder.   KP averages 6.9 rebounds per game.   That ranks him around 38th in the entire NBA among centers.  The Celtics have been a very good rebounding team because we rebound well at all other positions.  When the opponent has a top of the line rebounding center we may be in trouble. Our best rebounding center does not get to play.  His name is Neemias Queta.  He  has only played in 26 games all year while only averaging 11 MPG but he has produced 4.1 rebounds per game.  He is a 7 footer with a very strong body.  He does not get pushed round like the Kristaps, Al and Luke.

Last night one of our better rebounders, Brissett was a DNP.  I thought we could have used him to defend the wings as the Hawks pretty much got whatever shot that they wanted.  And we know he is a guy that has a real knack for coming up with offensive rebounds.

Defense wins championships.

It is my opinion that CJ did not adjust to the way the Hawks were running their offense.  The most obvious error on his part came down the stretch when Murray burned us repeatedly off of high screens that were being set up top by Capela.  they used and abused KP's totally inability to defend those actions.  We saw 3 straight baskets on the same plays run by the hawks.  KP switched onto Murray and got lit up every time.  Why even switch that action?  As a matter of fact why is KP going out there with the non-shooting Capela in the first place.?

There is an undeniable  truth about Kristaps' inability to defend away from the basket.  His size and lack of agility makes him a clear target for teams looking to exploit this weakness in our defense.  We actually have seen this occur all season long.  

How is it possible that Murray took 44 field goals?  At some point you have to take the damn ball out of his hands.  Other teams will do that to the Jays all the time. Adjustments were not made in a timely manner.

If the Celtics rely on ISO basketball when a game is on the line, they are going to lose.  I hate watching JT play with his food or just stand around holding the ball while seconds tick off of the shot clock.

Mazzulla needs to do something different.  If you want to get a good look try running more off ball actions (screens) to free up our shooters no matter who that shooter is. We pretty much know that Tatum is going to have the ball in his hands to close out games.  But why start the play out with him having the ball?  Run him off some screens to get open or even fouled and then get him the ball.

Any team that studies how the Celtics play, will certainly take a look at the past 2 losses to the Hawks.

I'm done now.

it is on to NOLA!

It’s a copycat league what works for a week or month, may not work after that. I thought it didn’t make sense that we are the no 1 rebounding team in the league, I’ve questioned that a few times. My eye test tells me we have had more than a few instances of giving up too many offensive rebounds. Jaylen also has stretches where he likes to defend points and he’s very good at it, this also takes him away from the basket. I’m curious what is our weakest rebounding line ups, but that’s hard to be totally accurate, because the other opposition is always different too. Either way doesn’t take a genius to see that Zinger can be pushed around in the paint, and it’s a copycat league. This is concerning as we get ready for playoffs with no 1 seed and should rest players as we get closer to playoffs.

We still have an open roster spot.  I would upgrade Queta.  Get another layer of insurance at center.

This team is solid on the glass 1-4.  They mask the weak rebounding from our centers.

The Hawks are a top offensive rebounding team so the Celtics should not have been one bit surprised at what happened on the glass.

I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made above by NY Celt, DBoss and Cowens.

I really thought Tillman was going to provide that hard nosed defender and rebounder and he still might, but maybe giving Queta a shot is a good idea. We have 9 games left . This is plenty of time to see if Queta’s skill set is what is most needed.

I also agree that KP is weak defensively. They should have never switched 3 times in a row and let him guard Murray. KP also does not box out properly and is easily pushed around. The other thing that bothers me with KP is his passing. Sometimes he makes horrible decisions. All that said, we need KP, his ability to score and create mismatches is something that no team has an answer. I wish the coaches would lit a fire under him defensively. He has to do better on that end.

The elephant in this room is TAtum's late game choking. He is 1 made 9 missed in end of game shots. We have only lost 16 games, and the ball has been in his hands e xclusively in 10 of those gMes. Am I wrong?
If so plz let me know. Joe should not entrust Jayson to close out with his damn ISO ball.

worcester wrote:The elephant in this room is TAtum's late game choking. He is 1 made 9 missed in end of game shots. We have only lost 16 games, and the ball has been in his hands e xclusively in 10 of those gMes. Am I wrong?
If so plz let me know. Joe should not entrust  Jayson to close out with his damn ISO ball.

Agree. I don't understand why they can't run some type of action initiated by JT. The ball could very well end up back in his hands for a better shot than a fade away, and if not I don't have a problem with D White, Holiday, Jaylen or KP taking the shot. Holiday is known for getting big buckets.

by running other plays it takes the pressure off Tatum. Make Brown or White have some finishing plays. My only issue here is Tatum is taking the ball and pounding the heck out of it. everyone knows what he is going to try to do. The other issue is, when he does go to the hole it is not a guarantee that these ref's are going to give him the free throws. This is a big issue, as far as I am concerned. Time to grow up and push a few people around guys, I believe the message is that they are soft. And I do not always think that is true. Look at Brown, Holiday, even White, they are afraid of no one. It is true that Tatum and KP do not like to be pushed and pawed at, but teams are doing it and it is working. God, where is Paul Silas when we need him?? Even Marcus?? I will not beat the hell out of Tatum, sorry, it is up to Joe to find newer plays, come on Brad, come out of the woodwork and give him the keys to your brain for a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We need Dave Cowens

dboss, I agree completely on Queta. He is our best defensive center against teams with aggressive strong front lines and Joe has him glued to the bench. I like Zingis, but he's a highly-skilled beanpole. IMO, the game was lost when our hard-nosed defender, Tillman, had his nose flattened. Group-rebounding is okay most nights, but against a tough team, like the Milwaukee, Denver or Atlanta, the C's need Queta. And he needs reps, pronto! hawk