The Boston Celtics have had some bad offensive games this year that has certainly cost them wins. This time, they had many opportunities to close out the Detroit Pistons but a surge from Isaiah Thomas in the fourth was not enough to make up for everyone else going completely cold.
The Celtics had a solid defensive game. They forced 18 turnovers and were extremely active on the defensive end all night. On the offensive end, there really is nothing positive. Isaiah Thomas shot 6-20 on the game and Marcus Smart was 1-10. As a team they finished with a measly 37% and an embarrassing 21% from three.
Other than Thomas’ run in the fourth quarter and some early success in the paint by Evan Turner, the Celtics could not get their shots to fall. They were passing relatively well with 23 assists but they were never able to hit enough shots. There is no doubting how much the Celtics miss Avery Bradley now. Not only does it put another strong shooter in the second unit but Bradley has been the Celtics’ best all around shooter this year.
He leads them overall and from three and he has been the most reliable shot on offense by far this year. The Celtics have players that have done a much better job of distributing and getting into the paint but Bradley is having a phenomenal season shooting the ball.
That being said, the Celtics have plenty other options that can step up and nobody did that against the Pistons. The Celtics are used to getting strong contributions from their bench but with both Kelly Olynyk and Turner with the starting unit they were lacking a top threat. Smart took responsibility of running the offense at those points and he was the poorest shooter in the game. Smart is making great developments on the offensive end but he still lacks the consistency to be the top option.
The Celtics were left with 13 points from their bench on a torrid 5-23 for the game. All the starters finished in double digits but the Celtics rely too much on their second unit to have that kind of production and beat a solid team like the Pistons.
The Celtics have been playing much better offense than the beginning of the year so the hope is that these kinds of games are now the outliers. Especially for a team like the Celtics, you cannot expect to shoot well every night but the real issue is that despite their struggles, the Celtics were still in a position to win the game.
The Celtics were just a few plays away from securing this victory and that would have been with all their poor offense. Thomas started making plays in the fourth but other than that nobody stepped up. The Celtics had their moments on the defensive end but they simply did not find a way to close out the game.
The Celtics lead for most of the game and were within reach till the very final moments. These may be the most prevalent moments when the Celtics’ youth becomes a weakness. They still lack a certain degree of team chemistry and reliable shooters in those moments. Players have not yet evolved into the kind of players that can be trusted in those situations. The good news is that it is games like this that give them the experience. The Celtics have elevated expectations because of their unexpected success but these are the loses that will force the Celtics to address these issues.
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The Celtics are still waiting to be full strength and they still have a lot of growing to do. They continue to remain on the fringe of the playoff picture and they will have a fast turnaround against a tough team. The Celtics have had success on second of back to backs but they will have a big challenge awaiting them in the Chicago Bulls.