Have you ever ever heard the phrase that “the bar is the ground?” Nicely, it could’ve utilized to what it’d take for the Boston Celtics to win Recreation 3 and take a 3-0 collection lead over the Orlando Magic.
The bar was, in reality, the ground.
But, the Celtics managed to search out themselves within the basement.
It wasn’t all the time that manner, although. Boston went into halftime with a 10-point lead over the hosts. They then headed to the locker room for what one can solely assume was a House Jam-esque lack of their basketball skills.
The primary 17.5 minutes of the second half needed to be essentially the most pathetic-looking stretch of basketball this group has performed all 12 months. They have been outscored 37-18 and put themselves in a gap that they only couldn’t climb out of.
Even when contemplating the ice age, that was the second half of the January 7 loss in Oklahoma Metropolis, this has to take the cake for the worst of the worst.
It had all the pieces: turnovers, dangerous offensive possessions, and a plethora of second probabilities for the Magic.
Boston began the third quarter with an enormous three-point make from Jayson Tatum. Then, Jaylen Brown secured low-post place on Magic guard Cory Joseph, made a layup by contact, however was referred to as for an offensive foul.
After that, issues bought worse.
Together with that Tatum triple, the Cs made simply three subject objectives for all the quarter. In a vacuum, that’s dangerous. For those who think about the truth that they’d 5 turnovers, two greater than photographs made, then it’s put-your-head-in-the-microwave dangerous.
“It’s important to give them credit score,” head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned of his group’s turnovers. “I assumed it was a mix of each (Orlando’s physicality and Boston’s carelessness). They clearly upped their physicality on the level of assault. Pushed extra within the half-court. They didn’t settle for switching. So, I might say credit score to them with their defensive physicality. We additionally had some ones that we’ve to be higher at.”
Mazzulla was completely proper. Orlando dialed up their depth by a billion. It’s important to give them credit score, 100%. On the identical time, Boston actually let it trouble them.
Neither Tatum nor Kristaps Porzingis put sufficient “umph” on their finish within the above play, and it price Boston a possession.
For what it’s value, this was one of many extra organized-looking possessions from the Cs throughout this stretch. There was really some type of display screen motion being tried by the gamers. For almost all of this lifeless stretch, Celtics gamers would get pushed round whereas going to set a display screen and simply sort of surrender on it.
The clips received’t paint the entire image, however there have been a number of possessions the place the ball didn’t transfer, the off-ball gamers didn’t transfer, and the ball-handler didn’t transfer. When there isn’t any motion of any variety in basketball, the protection doesn’t fairly should earn their stops, now do they?
The photographs beneath, like many others, have been simply manner too tough with none type of offense being run.
After I let you know that these have been each possessions with one man dribbling and 4 watching, I’m not exaggerating.
In the meantime, because the Celtics have been working the Medusa offense, the Magic have been additionally having to struggle for each bucket, however they have been really seeking to struggle.
Up till the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter, Orlando missed 15 of their 28 makes an attempt from the sphere. They managed to rebound eight of them. Over HALF of their misses resulted in one other possession.
I can sit right here and complain about plenty of issues with regard to Boston’s second half, however protection isn’t one among them. That makes the added probabilities for Orlando all of the extra irritating, as a result of the Cs would spend 24 seconds working their tails off to get a cease after which fail to complete the job.
That’s actually what this entire rant-piece boils right down to. The Celtics did not step by the door that the Magic have been holding extensive open for them within the second half. If they only performed a nasty quarter and a half, then they’d’ve received this sport.
As a substitute, they performed absolutely the worst half, misplaced by two, and left followers feeling wronged by the officers.
There actually have been/are individuals on-line complaining that the referees didn’t add any time to the 0.3 seconds remaining on the ultimate possession to deliver Boston’s probabilities of profitable from 1% to five%.
They did it to themselves, and it’s unhappy.
Now, does this imply that you need to take shelter as a result of the sky is falling?
No.
The truth that THIS is what it took for the Celtics to drop a sport on the street to the Magic ought to really have you ever feeling fairly good. Possibly sit again, calm down, watch some TV, play some video video games, or spend time with mates/household till Sunday.
