Boston Celtics Haunted by Turnovers Against Pistons

The Boston Celtics have established a defensive idendity this year and at the core of it is wining the turnover battle. The Celtics generate the most turnovers in the league and their offense depends entirely on ball movement, making it impossible for them to have a great offensive game while turning the ball over.

The Boston Celtics, helped by Jonas Jerebko finally breaking out of his slump, fell just short of a dramatic fourth quarter comeback but there is no doubting that they will have regrets about this one. The Celtics had 18 turnovers to just 17 assists and the Detroit Pistons only had 11 turnovers. The Celtics had a lowly 5 steals and then they threw away any chance allowing the Pistons to shoot over 50% from three point range.

Against the Cavaliers, offense let the Celtics down in a game they could have won. Against the Pistons, defense let the Celtics down in a game they should have one. Once again, the key for the Celtics  continues to be balance and consistency. The Celtics gave away a tremendous game from Isaiah Thomas who scored 38 points and had 7 assists.

Dec 16, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) looks to drive the ball to the basket as Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) defends at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics shot above 40% from three point range, were just under 50% overall and had 52 points in the paint. The Celtics got the kind of offensive game that almost always leads to wins because it normally goes along with strong defense. For perhaps the first time this season, the Celtics had success despite their defense and because of their offense.

The Pistons as a team were simply superb. Every starter was in double digits and three bench players had at least 8 points. Reggie Jackson came in clutch with 23 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that lead the way with 31 points.

The Celtics went up against the best rebounder in the league and they won the rebounding battle by 8. The Celtics did all the things that nobody expects of them at this point and failed to do the things that are expected of them. The frustration of these last two loses are amplified by the fact that if they combined the defense form the Cavaliers game and the offense from the Pistons game then they probably win these two easily.

Again and again it comes back to consistency and balance for the Celtics who will need all of it in their next game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics are once again teetering around .500 and a loss to the Hawks would put them just one game above .500. The good news is that things get easier after the Hawks game but the Celtics cannot afford to have three game losing streaks in a much more difficult eastern conference.

As frustarting as these two losses have been for the Celtics there is a silver lining. The Celtics, on separate occasions, have proven that they can play elite defense and they can play elite offense. The Celtics continue to get strong contributions from multiple players. Both Jerebko and Tyler Zeller had their most impactful games of the season but they need to find a way to bring everything together.

Consistency will remain an issue as long as chemistry remains an issue and while the Celtics are much improved in that area, they still have plenty of room to improve. The Celtics are still looking to define the roles of Jerebko, Zeller, James Young and the rookies. Things will only get better when Marcus Smart comes back but they need to continue to improve while they wait for his return.

The Celtics have reached a point where these kinds of loses are simply unacceptable. The Celtics know what they are capable of doing on defense and any time they lose because of their defense they will leave knowing that it is a game they should have won.

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The Celtics can leave this game feeling like the Cavaliers game was the offensive outlier. That is now 7 of the last 9 games where the Celtics have shot above their average from three point range and there is no denying their offensive improvement. Once the Celtics find a way to consistently play a balanced game, they will be ready to climb up the eastern conference rankings.