Boston Celtics News: Tough Love Edition

Happy Humpday, Celtics Nation!

I sincerely hope your day is helping to wash the taste of last night’s game out of your mouths:

It’s tough to come into work here at Hardwood Houdini feeling anything less than bummed – how is it possible for the Boston Celtics to play so well for 24 minutes, and then completely forget everything it knows about basketball in the second half? Head coach Brad Stevens has a theory, and following last night’s loss he issued a challenge to his team:

"I’ve said this line before and I believe it to be true: the game honors the more physical team, night in and night out.   We’ve just got to improve in that area. We’ve got to improve in that area… Until we become tougher and more physical when things get tough, then it’s going to be the same old story. We have to change it.  We have to do it. You have to do it. You can’t wait for it to be handed to you. You have to take it. You have to grab it."

Strong words – but the right words., unless the Celtics want to make this season feel like the movie Groundhog Day for its fans:  

 Let’s flip the script a little bit: if you look at this season as a chance for some veteran players to increase their trade value, or to make themselves look more attractive as free agents, then you should read Bleacher Report’s player power rankings.   Viewed through this lens, some of the Celtics are having a successful season!  See: glass half full.

 So far, the Evan Turner experiment has worked for the Celtics.  However, I question a player who rips an opposing player following a loss, as Turner did last night:

"They started pressuring and it’s tough to score when you have two hands inside your jersey as well.  At the same time, I got a foul call on Korver and they said I pushed him and tripped him and he just fell. He can’t guard to save his life and he’s grabbing Marcus Thornton and he’s grabbing me and he has no business being in the game on the defensive end but what can you possibly do if they’re allowed to have their hands on you?"

You lost, Evan.  I know it’s frustrating, but Kyle Korver shredded you to the tune of 24 points.  Attacking his defense kind of misses the point.

Finally, the more the Celtics lose, the more you will see Brad Stevens tinker with his rotations.  Here are some lineups he should consider, courtesy of Geoffrey over at Reds Army.

Enjoy!