Celtics Score One For Tanking: Impressions Of The Celtics Loss To The Hawks

http://nesn.com/2014/04/celtics-score-one-for-tanking-impressions-from-bostons-loss-to-hawks/


Celtics Score One For Tanking; Impressions From Boston’s Loss To Hawks
by Ben Watanabe on Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 10:40PM



There have been other losses, 54 of them, in fact, before the Boston Celtics rolled over in the final five minutes Wednesday. The defeat stretched their drought to nine consecutive games, so it wasn’t as though the Celtics came in as a well-oiled machine.

Yet this one still felt different. The Celtics have blown bigger leads, but not quite as quickly. They have lost other games, but never quite with such unforgivable defensive breakdowns. They have fallen short, but almost always had some silver lining to speak of.

Not this time.

The Celtics’ 105-97 loss to the Atlanta Hawks probably won’t register with most fans, since only the absolute diehards inside or outside New England likely caught more than a few minutes of game action. But after leading by as many as nine points in the second half and holding a comfortable eight-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Celtics were outscored 25-8 over the final 5:10 in one of the most unacceptable losses of their season.

“I don’t know what to say, other than you’ve got to play all the way through the game,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters in Atlanta. “We’ve got to be better collectively at both ends. But the big ones are those transition baskets. It gets them back in it. It gets them quick baskets. It gives them momentum.”

It almost was as though a change came over the Celtics in the second half, when word began to leak out that the Orlando Magic had beaten the Brooklyn Nets. Suddenly, a bottom-three spot in the standings was there for the taking. If the Celtics lost, they would move into a tie with Orlando for the third-worst record — and the third-highest draft lottery odds — in the NBA.

Following a free throw by Rajon Rondo for an 89-80 Boston lead, the Celtics simply stopped playing defense. They left Kyle Korver, owner of the league record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer, absurdly open on back-to-back possessions to give the Hawks the lead for good. With that, the Celtics matched the Magic with identical 23-55 records. It was tough to watch, if you’re interested in seeing winning basketball.

If you’re not, well, hopefully you DVRed this one. You’ll want to watch it over and over.



bob
MY NOTE:  I hate to say it, but I was watching the scores on ESPN while watching the game.  It did sorta look like the bottom fell out right around that time.  I hope to God that's wrong, because that would be a sickness.  It's one thing for Danny to look at "the bigger picture", he's looking 4-6 years down the road but the players' job is to go out there and try to win every possession, every quarter, every game and if they're not doing that, for whatever reason, they need to be gone before next season starts.  I don't care if it's Rondo.  You have to get rid of the cancer as early and as quickly as you can and that's what players deliberately tanking a game is, it's locker room cancer.


.

Geez, when will the tankmeisters' affronts to basketball stop?  There's a different between tanking and losing, and that difference lies in the word "intent."  There's absolutely no logic to the possibility that, after blazing back from a 14-point deficit, the players would decide to throw that effort away by tanking the last five minutes.  There's absolutely no logic to the possibility that the players—knowing there's a high possibility that many of them wouldn't enjoy (as a Celtic) the alleged "fruits" of tanking as a Celtic.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Yes, losing is just plain awful, and I thought Rondo's late performance last night made it particularly awful.  But it doesn't soften the blow to throw around insulting terms where they're obviously not deserved.

Sam

The C's defense has just been bad lately. The wheels tend to fall off at some point during almost every game. I gotta say, I miss Wallace's unrivaled intensity. He always chases down the shooter on the arc.



KJ