The Boston Celtics could not get anything going on offense against the Toronto Raptors
The Boston Celtics have officially lost their last chance at the number one seed, after a deflating loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics have been on one of the most remarkable runs of the season with the injuries piling up, but it was probably just a matter of time before they came back down to earth.
The Celtics had bench players and G Leaguers out there playing elite offense, and taking down top teams. They had balance on both ends, and were as clutch as anyone. Against the Raptors, the Celtics looked a lot more like you would expect with the injuries.
The three point shot was not falling to start the game, so they went away from it. Unfortunately, forcing it on the inside did not have much more success, and the Celtics did not have a single player that really got going in a special way.
It sucks that it was against the Raptors, but very few saw the Celtics maintaining their level of play for the remainder of the regular season, and just one more loss really meant that they would not catch the Raptors.
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It was phenomenal that they were able to make this game relevant, but now the Celtics can focus on making sure they have a way to win when the offense plays this poor come playoffs time. The Celtics realize that they still have potential as a three point shooting team, that can generate a lot of open looks.
What we have also seen is that they will not be able to do that every game, especially in the playoffs. The Celtics will not have Kyrie Irving to bail them out on offense, or Marcus Smart to bail them out on defense, so the entire unit will have to know what they can do when the shots are not falling.
The Raptors were locked in on defense, and did not let anything come easy for the Celtics. In previous games during their winning streak, some teams may have been caught off guard by how well they functioned. The Raptors did no such thing, and made sure that everything was difficult and contested.
With Irving out of the lineup, the Celtics cannot win hitting difficult shots. They need to generate their open looks, and they need to win the turnover battle, so they can get more easy buckets in transition.
Against the Raptors, they had no answer for the pressure the defense put on them, and they were not able to get the help they needed from their defense. The Celtics always want to see their best against the best teams, but they were no where near that against the Raptors, and both teams are responsible for that result.
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The Celtics do not have much time, but they should now realize how nothing on offense can be taken for granted, and the key to getting out of the first round could be whether or not they find a way to win when the offense is not clicking, and they are not getting or hitting the open looks they need.