The Boston Celtics suffered another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, losing by a final score of 99-97. They had multiple chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch, culminating in a missed layup by Jaylen Brown with under five seconds left.
After sleepwalking through the first eight minutes of the final period, the C’s found themselves for the final stretch but simply couldn’t hit the shot to get them over the hump.
They missed a variety of layups and makeable looks while the Spurs’ offense screeched to a halt due to Marcus Smart’s activity in the passing lanes.
In a season highlighted by so many frustrating, unthinkable losses, this one sits near the top. Losing to San Antonio in their current state is one thing, but having all the chances in the world in the final two minutes to take the lead, and letting it slip away, again and again is a true encapsulation of their season.
They show glimpses of greatness and competitive play but fall short far too often to be considered a true contender.
Between the blown fastbreak opportunity by Brown and Smart’s missed bunny on the final possession, the C’s had plenty of chances to win — they can only blame themselves.
Looking past the game’s speechless ending, there are lots to take away from their latest crushing defeat.
Let’s break down 3 takeaways from the 20th loss of the season for the Boston Celtics:
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) Another puzzling fourth quarter
Although the Boston Celtics outscored the Spurs by a point in the final period, their performance was all too familiar.
They were slow on both ends of the court, walking into their offensive sets, leading to poor possessions on one end, while getting outhustled and rebounded on the other.
This caused the Spurs to gain a substantial lead with four minutes remaining, as Boston couldn’t create any sort of sustainable offense besides a few isolation makes. In the most important possessions of the game, the Boston Celtics love to slow their pace down by forcing the ball to one of their primary scorers.
This is a good idea in concept, but in the C’s case, it has led to the ball-handler having to force up a shot with five or fewer seconds on the clock. This has been a problem throughout the year, as well as the past few seasons.
The Celtics need to find a way to maintain their energy through the final period, treating the possessions like any other.
Coach Ime Udoka decided to run a closing lineup of Dennis Schroder, Marcus Smart, Brown, Tatum, and Robert Williams against San Antonio. In these late-game possessions, the ball has been gravitating to either Tatum or Brown, therefore both Schroder and Smart are being forced to play off-ball — roles they have not thrived in this season.
Knowing this, Udoka should likely switch out Schroder, despite his late-game shotmaking on Wednesday, for a better spot-up shooter, such as Josh Richardson, and allow Smart to play-make.
Smart’s proven himself as a reputable playmaker and passer, even acting as the offensive engine at times. When he’s been acting as the primary ball-handler, the Celtics generate much better looks compared to any other offensive structure.
These fourth-quarter struggles have progressed to a point where fans are expecting the C’s to lose the game no matter how large their lead is, and deservingly so.
The Boston Celtics haven’t proved to anyone that they can be a consistently positive fourth-quarter team, and until they do that they aren’t going anywhere.
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Jaylen Brown’s hot streak
Jaylen Brown continued his stellar play from Sunday’s win over the Magic, finishing with 30 points and six rebounds on 12-of-25 shooting. When the offense was stagnant or when they were low on the shot clock, Brown repeatedly bailed them out, scoring in one-on-one situations.
Jaylen took advantage of the Spurs’ slower defenders both off the catch and in isolation situations, carrying their offense throughout the first half. He has not proven himself to be the main ball-handler in a productive offensive system but can score with almost anyone in the league, especially against San Antonio’s mismatches.
Although Brown excelled in recent games with Jayson Tatum in Health and Safety Protocols, he performs even better with him on the court. Without Tatum, Jaylen is viewed as the one guy on the Boston Celtics that can get his own bucket. When both are healthy, they are allowed to play off each other, creating more space and opportunity by simply being on the court together.
Throughout his tenure, Jaylen Brown has often taken a backseat to Tatum, especially in late-game situations. Now, with Tatum’s recent struggles and Brown’s surging All-Star campaign, coach Ime Udoka should look to give the California product more looks in must-score situations.
This negative trend continued into this contest, with the scorching hot Brown not having a shot attempt seven minutes into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, he had a disappointing last two minutes of the game, including a costly offensive foul and missed layup.
Where Jaylen Brown showcased his growth from being a prospect to a bonified star in 46 minutes, he reverted to his out-of-control driving nature in the final two minutes, greatly costing his team.
However, his performance was promising as a whole, as he looks to take the next step as an offensive playmaker this season.
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 3) A sluggish return for Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum had a return to forget in his first game back from Health and Safety Protocols, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 30 percent shooting from deep. He struggled out of the game, missing open looks from beyond the arc and in the paint, but the offense continued to move despite his miscues.
There were only a few negative Tatum isolation possessions, something that has been a criticism of his game throughout the past few years. Many of his attempts were wide open but simply didn’t fall — he didn’t force many shots up, especially considering it was his first game back after an extended absence.
He was successful at getting downhill against the smaller Spurs defenders, but couldn’t finish easy looks at the rim. The overall offensive process for Tatum’s game was fine, but it didn’t translate to a victory or an efficient shooting night.
In future games, the Boston Celtics should continue to try to get Tatum and Brown downhill off the catch more, as they have the athleticism to get to the rim with ease. Once they get there, even if they miss the layup, the double big lineup of Rob Williams and Al Horford comes into play, with the former thriving off of putback dunks.
Ultimately, it was a sluggish shooting performance for Tatum, but not a performance to get overly worried about considering his shot process.
The C’s take on the Knicks on Thursday.