Game 2 Loss Raises Important Questions for Celtics
By John Goggin
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Celtics following their terrible Game 2 loss
The Boston Celtics played a record-setting playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2. Not in a good way though; they set the record for the fewest first quarter points with a measly seven.
Nothing seemed to work, as Coach Brad Stevens rifled through his bench during a 12 minute stretch that can only be described as “The First Quarter From Hell”. Faced with a squad utilizing the defensive savvy only teams like the Celtics possess, paired with an offense Celtics’ fans dream of, Stevens frantically searched for answers, even taking rookie R.J. Hunter off the bench around the second minute of the game.
It was that bad, and worse. Almost every combination was tried, but the Celtics just couldn’t find something that replicates the presence of Avery Bradley roaming the perimeter on defense. Even when the Hawks faltered, the Celtics couldn’t gain the upper hand, with all of their usual suspects on offense limited by health, ability, or Al Horford.
Whether it was the Hawks defense, or just a bad night, it seemed like no one could find the rim for the Celtics. In fact, Amir Johnson and Terry Rozier were the only Celtics to make more than half of their field goal attempts, with Johnson going 6-for-11, and Rozier going 4-for-7.
An already shaky offense missing two of its versatile players – Kelly Olynyk and Bradley – was stagnant for most of the game, as everyone else who logged minutes missed all or most of their shots, headlined by a 1-for-11 three-point performance from Marcus Smart.
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What’s worse than the inability to compete for the Celtics was the inability to adapt. They bounced back from a seven-point performance in the first, but not well. Brad Stevens is one of the most intelligent and crafty coaches in the NBA, but didn’t seem to have any catalyst to what occurred in Game 2. It could be small differences like going deeper on the bench, or benching a player who doesn’t hit a shot until the third quarter. They aren’t exactly impact players, but giving someone such as James Young some minutes outside of garbage time probably would’ve swayed a few possessions, or uncovered an advantage.
One of the largest issues is that teams are starting to adapt to the explosive offense of Isaiah Thomas, especially on Tuesday. Instead of his open routes or daring drives that generate points by any means necessary, Thomas was stopped dead in his tracks by Paul Millsap and Al Horford at the rim.
Next: Boston Celtics: Three Takeaways From Game 2
Shooting 17 percent from beyond the arc, and being blocked 15 times – a Hawks record – on the same night, gave the Hawks the means to an easy win, even with an offense that came close to collapsing in the late stages. Friday, the Celtics will take on the Hawks and look to avoid a 3-0 series deficit on their home floor in a pivotal Game 3.