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CELTICS COMPLETE WEST COAST TRIP WITH 112-104 LOSS TO TRAIL BLAZERS

WEEI - By Jackson Alexander  
 
The Celtics worst case scenario for their five-game West Coast trip came to fruition on Saturday night: five games, five losses.

Boston (13-25) finished the trip with a 112-104 loss to the Trail Blazers (28-9) in Portland. The C’s losing streak has been extended to eight games, the longest losing streak for the team since 2007 when they dropped 18 straight in the dreadful 24-58 campaign that precipitated the formation of the Big Three.

LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland’s explosive, league-leading offensive with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Five other Trail Blazers  scored between 10 and 16 points with Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews each pouring in 16.

Boston’s Avery Bradley contributed 25 points in the losing cause. Jeff Green (14 points), Jared Sullinger (14 points, 10 rebounds), Jordan Crawford (13 points), Jerryd Bayless (12 points) and Kris Humphries (10 points) also reached double figures.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE CELTICS

Poor third: While Boston, for the most part, carried its torrid shooting pace from the first half into the third quarter, and avoided turnovers, the team failed in a couple other areas that led to Portland reclaiming a four-point lead. Portland out-rebounded the Celtics in the third frame 14-9, and also grabbed six offensive rebounds. Additionally, Portland got to the line at will and converted every opportunity, finishing 10-for-10 in the quarter.

Three D: The Celtics had the unenviable task of slowing the Trail Blazers’ NBA-best 3-point attack. Portland again used the long ball as a major weapon, as it canned 10 3-pointers, and accomplished this in an efficient fashion: percent shooting. The triples made, and percentage both exceeded season averages for Portland, who lead the league in 3-point makes, and percentage. Five different Trail Blazers connected on a trey with Mo Williams registering a team-high three.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE CELTICS

Scorching start: The Celtics showed no sign of a hangover from their tough loss the previous night, as Boston posted 32 first quarter points on 70 percent shooting for a five point lead. Every starter scored, and none missed more than one shot, with Bradley leading the way (13 points, 6-for-7 shooting). The C’€™s hot start comes as a refreshing change from a recent run of poor first quarter shooting. In the last three first quarters, Boston has averaged shooting 36.5 percent from the field.

Paint presence: Portland entered the game ranked last in the NBA in points in the paint allowed and the Celtics took advantage. Boston exposed the Trail Blazers’€™ weak interior defense with 46 points in the paint. Boston received contributions from both the front court and the back court in achieving the success inside. Three guards and three forwards reached double digits.

Bayless breakout: The newly acquired Celtic enjoyed his best game in his short career in Boston. Bayless tallied 12 points — 10 in the first half — for his first second double digit game with the C’s. But for the first time, he scored his points efficiently. Bayless entered the game shooting 7-for-26 in his first three games. But against Portland, Bayless shot 6-for-10 from the field and added six assists.

Starting guard play: The best way to describe the play of Boston guards Crawford and Bradley would be finicky. One night, the pair can’t hit the broad side of the barn — like on Friday when they combined for a rancid  6-for-24 shooting performance. But the next night, the duo aided largely in snapping the Celtics’ seven-game losing streak. Bradley with 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting, while Crawford chipped in 13 points and six assists.
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Rapid Reaction: Blazers 112, Celtics 104

Rapid reaction after the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Boston Celtics 112-104 on Saturday evening at the Moda Center:

THE NITTY GRITTY
The Boston Celtics concluded a winless five-game road trip with a familiar script: A gritty effort to hang with one of the Western Conference's powers, but not enough to snap what's now an eight-game losing streak. Avery Bradley -- playing about as close to his hometown of Tacoma, Wash. as he can get -- scored a team-high 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting with five rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers while pacing six Boston players in double figures. Jared Sullinger added a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) off the bench, while Kris Humphries filled up his stat line (10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 2 assists). LaMarcus Aldridge (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Robin Lopez (15 points, 13 rebounds) feasted on Boston's undersized frontcourt while pacing seven Blazers in double figures for scoring.

TURNING POINT
A one-point game one minute into the fourth quarter, the Celtics watched the Blazers embark on a 14-2 run. Boston missed six of seven shots over the next four minutes, while Portland utilized five offensive rebounds (three by Robin Lopez) to help open their biggest lead of the night. Following the pattern of the end of this trip, Boston still made another late fourth-quarter run, surging within six with multiple chances to get closer in the final minutes.

SECOND CHANCES
The Trail Blazers put up a whopping 20 offensive rebounds (nine alone by Lopez) while generating 31 second-chance points. Amazingly, Boston had the same number of offensive rebounds, but turned them into a mere 14 points. That wasn't nearly enough to stick around with an offensive-minded squad like the Blazers.

LOOSE BALLS
Celtics coach Brad Stevens stretched his rotation to 10 players, adding rookie point guard Phil Pressey back to the mix one night after tightening to nine players. Pressey has two assists over 11:28. ... Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, and Vitor Faverani were all healthy DNPs. ... Boston took excellent care of the basketball, turning it over just nine times for 12 points. The Blazers gave it up just 12 times for 17 points. ... The Blazers were their typical stellar selves beyond the 3-point arc, connecting on 10 of 21 attempts (47.6 percent). ... The Celtics shot 70 percent in the first quarter and only had a five-point lead. You knew it wasn't going to be easy after that.

WHAT IT MEANS
Mercifully, this brutal five-game trip out west is over. The Celtics allowed their foes to score 110.6 points per game on this trip on 47.8 percent shooting. Opponents shot 39.3 percent beyond the 3-point arc against the Celtics. For a team with an inconsistent offense like Boston, it was nearly impossible to keep pace. Credit to Stevens for getting his team to stick around the final three games, especially after getting walloped in the first two outings. Boston gets a day off while trekking home Sunday, but the challenges keep coming. The Houston Rockets visit Monday to open a three-game homestand. The Celtics will happily take the cloak of New England football victory while trying to find their way again.

112288

THE LOST WEEK.......THANK GOD THE PAT'S ARE STILL STANDING!

HEY PITCHERS AND CATCHES REPORT IN 5 WEEKS!

Just an example of why Crawford has no BB IQ......Celtics down 6 with +- 1 minutes and Crawford has the ball........he drives to the paint.......and I am waiting for him to kick it out to the wings for a 3 pter...........oh no........not Jordan.............he makes a ridiculous out of control shot from under the basket
and misses.............WOW.........Red has to be turning in his grave!

112288

Portland sure knows how to pass the ball and make shots.

I did not watch the game because the Pats were #1 on my must see list.  But I did watch the first half around midnight and finished watching this very AM.

The effort by Boston deserves an A because they played hard throughout the game and were never really out of this one.

Portland got a lot of 2nd chance points all night because they won the 50/50 battle.  They just seemed to be a step quicker to the ball.  

Not unlike the previous game, execution down the stretch was the deciding factor in winning or losing.

As determined as he may be to help this team,  Jordan Crawford lacks the discipline to make the right play that will often require that he passes the freakin ball.  Here is a sequence of his 4the qtr meltdown where his selfishness impacted the final score:

Mr. Hyde enters the game with 8:23 left in the 4th.

7:48 Jordan Crawford misses 12-foot  
4:41 Jordan Crawford misses layup
3:39 Jordan Crawford misses driving layup
3:31 Jordan Crawford shooting foul (Wesley Matthews draws the foul)
3:12 Jordan Crawford makes 24-foot three point jumper (Avery Bradley assists)
2:53 Jordan Crawford misses two point shot
1:43 Jordan Crawford misses 3-foot jumper
1:29 Jordan Crawford misses 24-foot three point jumper  
0:21 Jordan Crawford misses two point shot

Whatever he showed us a few weeks back was nothing short of fool's gold.

Crawford is a jerk and I would get rid of him as soon as possible.  To me this has little to do with him not being a true PG and more to do with the way he plays basketball and how he envisions himself as a big time scorer.

He is the ultimate hero ballplayer.


dboss

Bayless seams to be the more logical backup to Rondo.  He has BB IQ and rarely seems out of control and is cheap.

112288

You set your watch by the ship Crawford out of town / Jeff Green is a bust posts out here.  The only question is who will draw the ire today.

Who said JG was a bust?

Boston was right in it until the end. They played with tenacity and managed to give the Blazers all they could handle, just like the Golden State game a night prior. Of course, Portland's superior team chemistry and execution is what ultimately made the difference.

A few notes...

1. Return of The Effort

Boston had a stretch of games during this losing streak that were just horrible. They were getting blown out. They weren't executing and seemed to have given up. Brad was starting to look a bit miserable on the sidelines; not from losing but from the team not playing with maximum effort.

2. Kris Humphries... Starter?

It seems that Stevens has opted to shake things up a bit the past couple of games, ever since Sully's "show of force." (Side note: I applaud Sullinger's toughness).

Humphries finished with 10 points on 4-8 FG, 8 REB, 2 AST, 3 BLK, and just 1 TO, a solid performance indeed.

3. Bradley the Beast

After having a tough shooting night against Golden State, Avery returned with a vengeance. He finished with 24 PTS on 11-19 FG, 5 REB, 3 AST, and *zero* TOs.

4. Percentages

Portland was held to 43% FG, compared to Boston's 46.3%. In fact, Boston made 4 more FGs than Portland by game's end, but Portland was 10-21 from 3 PT vs 4-13 for Boston. Portland also hit 10 more FTs on 9 more attempts.

5. What to do with Green

He finished 6-15 for 16 points and pulled in 8 reb. Green will have to shoot better from the field, but it's important they keep him involved as he is a dangerous offensive weapon.

6. Late Game Lack of Execution

If nothing else, this has to be the team's most glaring habit and flaw.

Other teams, like Portland and Golden State, are so good because they are able to win games even when they don't play their A game. In fact, I'd venture to say they didn't play particularly great games against Boston. But they still won, because even though they weren't playing great, their execution was still better than Boston's down the stretch. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the ball movement and shot selection were rather poor while Portland was in closeout mode.

7. Much Ado About Crawford?

I stated a few weeks back that I felt he was a feast or famine type of player. He can shoot you into games, but he can also shoot you out. He can make spectacular plays, and he can do things that might require you to buy a new television set if you've had too much alcohol in your system that night.

Last night, he finished 6-16 FG. He had 6 AST and 0 TOs, but how do we factor in missed shots as it pertains to momentum? A deep shot miss with a long rebound to the opposing team is as good as a TO I'm thinking.

As the PG, Crawford's play has an enormous impact on the team. If Crawford does not play well, their play suffers. There is no real way around that fact. This is precisely why their execution is that much more important than Portland's and other teams, the margin of error is simply razor thin. I fully understand that he's been placed in this role, and has played to the best of his ability. That brings up another subject that appeared on another thread: has Crawford reached his ceiling?

In his current role, I think he has reached his peak. Crawford can't take them any further than he already has. He'll have great games, and then he regresses. Lately, he seems to be regressing. With Rondo back, perhaps he can become better.

In the meantime, he should keep his guys involved a bit more. If his own shots aren't falling, it's okay to opt to pass more. If the game turns into a one-man show too soon, game execution later on becomes more difficult. Opposing teams can key in on Crawford and force him to turn it over or pass it out to someone else that isn't in a good position to make a positive play. We've seen this sequence time and time again late in the 4th.


KJ

k_j_88 wrote:That brings up another subject that appeared on another thread: has Crawford reached his ceiling?

In his current role, I think he has reached his peak. Crawford can't take them any further than he already has. He'll have great games, and then he regresses. Lately, he seems to be regressing. With Rondo back, perhaps he can become better.

I guess this discussion won't end until Rondo returns full-time, Bayless is capable of taking over point guard duties, or Crawford is traded.

To anyone critical of Crawford's performance, it bears repeating:

1. Due to how much responsibility is placed on the Celtics' point guard this season, it is the most physically and mentally draining position on the team. The ball is in Crawford's hands an inordinate amount of the time, and the other players keep deferring ballhandling and decision-making responsibility to Crawford. That is a huge load to carry.

2. Crawford is not a point guard, yet he is being asked to play that position. That means that a) it's harder for him to fill the role because his skillset and experience don't fit the job; and b) other teams recognize that and tailor their defensive strategy to attack Crawford as a weak link, making the job even harder.

3. Despite all that, Crawford is filling the point guard role better than anyone else on the roster, and it's not even close.

4. He deserves a gold star, extra rations, or whatever form of appreciation can be bestowed upon him for stepping in to that role and filling it as well as he has, not criticism because he's not a natural point guard and didn't have experience playing the position before this season.

5. Once Rondo, Bayless, and/or anyone else is able to fill the point guard role, Crawford has earned an extended try-out at the backup shooting guard position. That's where his long-term value to the team can truly be measured, and it cannot truly be measured until then.

It's like taking a guy who has been a first baseman and batted third his whole life, asking him to play shortstop and lead off, and then complaining that he doesn't turn double plays or make throws to first as well as he should or get on base often enough from the leadoff spot.

KJ, I don't mean to single you out here because you've given Crawford credit for the good things he does, and others have been more critical of him. But I think the passage I quoted above points to a trap that is too easy to fall into -- thinking that his ceiling can be judged on the role he is currently playing.

If anything, I point my derision mostly at the media, most of whom seem willfully ignorant of what Crawford is being asked to do. I'll also spread some blame Stevens' way, because I think he should be more assertive to the media in expressing how well Crawford has filled in for Rondo, but Stevens is new and seems to be cautious regarding media relations.

I certainly hope that Stevens and the team have expressed their appreciation directly to Crawford to buoy his spirits and let him know that what others think doesn't matter, because this kind of criticism, especially on top of how hard his job is, could wear him down. I haven't seen him hang his head or seen Stevens or the team get on him when he messes up during games, so I think everything is good there. Their support of Crawford is absolutely crucial to the team turning its fortunes around in the coming weeks. Rondo may start playing in the next month or so, but I expect that Crawford will fill this role in a significant capacity for the rest of the season. He needs to keep doing it as well as he can, because so far, he's shown that he's the only one who can.

Outside,

I think Crawford can still grow and improve as a player. He's already shown that between last season and this season. But I am primarily referring to his role as PG.

As a PG, I don't think he can get any better than what we've seen from him, barring any sort of divine intervention. His habits tend to revert back to what he was before. We've seen this time and time again and I'm not the only one to reference it. I really only point it out to be realistic, not overly judgmental.

They've played almost 40 games, and he is what he is in this role, and the team as a whole is what it is (without Rondo). Other teams are paying more attention to Boston now than they did in the past, so they are able to exploit Boston's weaknesses much easier.




KJ

Too bad this team prefers to fire away from the outside instead of trying to score in transition which is best accomplished by passing the ball before you get across halfcourt.

Crawford is not the only one at fault here but he is the guy pounding the ball
In search of a Sport Center highlight.

Bay Leaves already looks like the guy who is better suited to run the offense.

I think a change in the starting lineup is needed. The worse we can do is get better.

Dboss

while on the subject of who should start at pg between Crawford and bayless, i don't think that change needs to be made right now. give Crawford a few more games and if the issues persist, then switch.


KJ

I'm hoping Rondo's return will make that question moot and we can turn our attention to who backs up Rondo. If Bayless (particularly) and Brooks can sustain tonight's effort, one would have to believe that, between those two and Crawford, there must be at least one decent, complementary trading chip.

Sam