Celtics Sunday (Week Four)

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

YIKES. Rough first week? Try gut-wrenching. As a diehard who has sat through each and every minute of these tear-jerkers thus far, all I can say is… well I can’t really say anything G-rated. If the whole season follows the model of this first week, then I guess we’ll find out who the true Celtics’ fans are! Who’s with me? Without further ado, here’s your good and bad from the first week of the regular season.

The Good:

ANDREW WIG…. wait, stop… too soon? The most positive thing I can pull away from these first three losses are that we are the worst team in the NBA and that means great lottery chances next offseason if these performances stay the same. The opening night loss showed great resiliency from the young C’s, as they rallied back from 16-down to tie it at 71. Jeff Green snapped out of his preseason funk with a solid 25 point performance on 16 shots. The second was terribly gut-wrenching as Boston blew a 22 point halftime lead and were outscore 34-15 in the fourth… no bueno. But positives coud certainly be found, specifically in rookie big man Vitor Faverani. Faverani had 12 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 blocks, a very impressive line. Tonight’s game was another difficult one to watch, as Boston couldn’t even crack eighty points. But the Celtics did have 15 steals…. one of the only positives I could find. Kelly Olynyk finally had a solid game, putting up 15 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Hopefully those numbers can keep up and the rookie big man can live up to his lottery pick standards.

The Bad:

Everything??? No, but really… ugly opening act for Brad Stevens. The rookie coach has yet to win a game, or come close for that matter. Gerald Wallace’s performance in all three games certainly belongs in this category. 22 points in 112 minutes while shooting… this is a guy that’s making ten million dollars! The team’s -6.5 points per game differential is among the worst in the league as well as their points per game. Their -14 turnover differential is worst in the NBA. Their 18 offensive rebounds allowed per game is worst in the NBA. Boston is in the bottom ten in just about every statistical category… the bad is abounding. The most glaring areas in need of improvement are from the backcourt and the big men, with the turnover and rebounding situations in dire need of improvement as soon as possible. The offensive end has been just as bad. As a team, the C’s are averaging 22% from downtown. The aforementioned turnover problem can be associated with the fact that there isn’t a solid ballhandler on the team outside of little-used Phil Pressey until Rajon Rondo returns… if he returns at all.

The Boston:

Hopefully we will see improved play in the weeks upcoming as this young squad continues to familiarize themselves with the system. Unless of course you’re in the tanking camp, in which case, great work team! Keep up the good work! With the 76ers somehow winning their first three games, it’s safe to say the Celtics have the inside track on the tanking movement. The first three games is certainly too small a sample size to make any big judgments, but this first week was tough to watch. Stay tuned for nightly updates at hardwoodhoudini.com!