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Boston Celtics Need to Play with Consistency at Home

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 21: a general view of the arena before the game between the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics on January 21, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 21: a general view of the arena before the game between the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics on January 21, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics need to be playing consistently well at home

The Boston Celtics are returning home after a difficult road trip and a stretch of losing five of the last seven games. The Raptors are right on their tail and they need to find a way to start playing consistently at home.

The Celtics have struggled to put together complete games all year, giving up and having to go on some of the most ridiculous runs. They have this awful tendency to play down to their competition, and it is only a matter of time before that costs them the number one seed.

Good news is that the Celtics will not be challenged too much in the first two games back home, and they are in a great position to get commanding victories and begin another winning streak.

First they get the New York Knicks, who have at least one individual that can cause a lot of problems, and then they get the Atlanta Hawks, who should not put up much resistance at all. These are games the Celtics know they have to win, although they should not take anything for granted.

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Just winning, however, is not everything they want to do in these next two games. The Celtics need to be reminded of what it is like to play a full game well, and doing that against these opponents should mean big victories in both games. The Celtics have been able to pull through a lot of games, but they are still not imposing their will the way true contenders do against lesser teams.

The Celtics have shown these flashes, where their best looks like it could keep up with and even contain the best any team in the NBA has to offer. The problem continues to be how infrequently they play that well for a full game.

Part of the problem is how much they rely on the three pointer. The Celtics have the threats to do as much damage as anyone when everyone is hitting, but that is far too unsustainable for a team with so many unreliable shooters. The potential is certainly there for the three point shooting, but we are still waiting to see it come together for a full victory on a regular basis.

With Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart both out, the Celtics will be crushed if they think their individual shooting talent is going to be enough. They need to step up all the little things, and have the mentality that defense is the only way they can get a comfortable win here.

No matter who is in the lineup, the Celtics are always at their best  when playing balanced, and the less they rely on an individual the better they are. With these injuries, the Celtics barely have any reliable options in terms of individual talent, so that could force them to play in a way that makes winning a lot more sustainable, and will provide consistency on the court.

The Celtics will not get consistency with their shooting, certainly not with Irving out. That means they always need to establish ball movement, and they need every player on the court to be on point on the defensive end.

The Celtics know how good they can be when they do those small things that make easier winning, but now that the injuries are piling up the issue is hw bad they will be if they do not do it. The Celtics do not have that option that can bail them out of a lot of problems, making it more important to be consistent in the areas they can still control.

The Celtics know they can win these games, but they have to change their approach missing this kind of talent. The good news is that they can use this time to build the habits that allow them to win consistently, then getting their point guards back can push them on a great run.

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No mater what the injuries are, the Celtics know they can still win these next two games. They really do not want this stretch to get worse, so if they play consistently well in the areas they can control, that will be enough against these next two opponents.

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