The Chicago Bulls scored 39 points in the fourth quarter, the Boston Celtics scored 11…
Well, here we go again — another grueling loss in a terrible start to the season.
Except, this one isn’t in overtime, or in double overtime, or was a blowout from the start. No no, this was a game the Boston Celtics had complete control of through three quarters and fell back into their old habits, blowing a 19 point lead.
The Cs fall to 2-5 on the season, and yes, it’s still early, but it’s hard not to go full panic mode after that performance. Boston certainly showed bright spots Monday night, winning the first three quarters handily, but it all fell apart in the fourth.
Then they got booed off the court, which they certainly deserved after those 12 minutes of misery.
Boston undoubtedly has enough talent to compete with some of the best teams in the league.
Yet… they look extremely far off from making any noise in the Eastern Conference even though they have moments of greatness, akin to their bubble playoff days.
Let’s look at 3 takeaways from this monstrosity:
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) Taking the fourth quarter off
After three-quarters of actual Boston Celtics basketball, perhaps the best they’ve looked all year, it seems as though Ime Udoka’s squad took the foot off the gas.
With effort being emphasized as a big reason for Boston’s early struggles so far this season, the Cs fell back into their old habits, allowing Chicago to get back into the game.
From there, the Bulls rallied back to tie the contest, as the Celtics went cold from all around, failing to take back any momentum. Chicago managed to shoot 81% in the final period.
No matter what the Celtics did on offense, the Bulls were going to get back into this game. However, the Cs didn’t make much noise at all, shooting 5-of-23 from the field, good for 21.7%.
They didn’t generate many good looks either.
After they missed the first few shots to both end the third and start the fourth, Boston got into panic mode, dribbling around and hoping for stuff to happen. The team needs to settle down in these situations instead of forcing plays to happen.
The Bulls hit 13-of-16 attempts while outrebounding the Cs 16 to three in the fourth. Boston had zero defensive rebounds.
Sure, you can say some of that is just the Celtics getting cold at the wrong time, but by that big of a margin, the C’s effort level dropped off drastically compared to the first three quarters, practically giving the Bulls the game.
Jayson Tatum, as much as he has carried the team over the years, had another terrible fourth quarter, only hitting one of his eight attempts. He also complained to the officials once things were getting out of hand, allowing an easy basket for the Bulls in transition.
Overall, the most pathetic game in a young season filled with questionable performances. If the Boston Celtics don’t go out and respond with a statement victory in Orlando, all hope for this season might be lost — and it’s only November.