Boston Celtics Finally Fold in the Clutch Against Miami
The Boston Celtics had their streak snapped after another comeback fell short against the Miami Heat
The magic streak to start the season for the Boston Celtics finally stopped against the Miami Heat. Once again the Celtics fell down big, and once again they mounted a fourth quarter comeback. This time, it was Dion Waiters who took over in the final minutes, and put an end to one of the more remarkable regular season streaks you will ever see.
The Celtics have been more than comfortable in those situations, and it once again felt like the Celtics were going to pull out another win despite playing poorly for the majority of the game. For the first time, the Celtics did not execute down the stretch, allowing the Heat to effectively close them out.
The Celtics had missed free throws, bad turnovers, and a crazy bounce for Waiters made sure that they would not capture their seventeenth straight win in unexpected spectacular fashion. It really was only going to be a matter of time playing this way, because it is impossible to expect one team to be better than their opponent in the clutch each and every game.
The Celtics still have the best record in the league, and will still feel phenomenal about the position they are in to get home court advantage, but perhaps this will put a bit more emphasis on fixing the problems that have led to so many double digit deficits.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
The offense goes into far too many lulls, and even the defense was not what we are used to against the Heat. They did not have the same kind of energy, and allowed the Heat to get way too many open threes and all the room they needed in the paint. The Celtics have struggled in a lot of different ways during this stretch, but we know that bad defense is not something they are built to overcome right now.
The Heat broke 100 points, and were consistently above 50 percent shooting all game long. The Celtics have set a standard on defense that is much better than that, and they did not get 47 points from Kyrie Irving to make up for it.
The Celtics know they needed to do a better job on offense if they are going to avoid so many close games like this, but defense is going to be their strength all year long, and they will be in trouble any time the offense needs to make up for the defense, especially on a night when Al Horford struggles as much a she did.
The Celtics played poorly and it finally caught up with them, but it should not do much to change the approach of this team. We have already heard Brad Stevens talk about how invalid the streak was, because everyone could tell that there were some major problems that need to be addressed.
The Celtics can also still have all the confidence they need in their clutch play. It is rare to see any team have as many close games as the Celtics to start out the season, and it is remarkable that it took this long for them to finally struggle and make mistakes in the clutch.
Next: Celtics Need Horford to Bounce Back
The Celtics should have no problem moving on from here, and work on the problems that lead to so many double digit deficits, rather than focus on why they could not overcome it on this particular occasion.