Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from C’s depleting Game 6 loss to Heat

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) C’s came out flat to start the game

If I was a first-time viewer, then you would have a tough time convincing me that the Boston Celtics were on the verge of reaching the NBA Finals heading into Friday night. They came out lifeless, uninspired, and not hungry whatsoever to get this one.

Hopefully, it’s a quick lesson this C’s team can grasp in starting games well in series-clinching scenarios. To let, Jimmy Butler get off to a scorched earth hot start offensively with little defensive resistance was jarring, as he made the Celts pay by netting his first five shots.

This was just the beginning of his 47-point Boston massacre. Another glaring issue was early foul trouble from both Grant Williams and Al Horford. This had the effect of making an already short rotation seemingly shorter.

Careless turnovers led to easy transition points from a Heat offense that thrives in the open court.

The C’s are at their best when their team defense forces the opposition to play at a certain pace, one ideally with more half-court sets where Miami is dramatically easier to guard. However, even in the halfcourt, it seemed like nets were blazing for the Heat, as they recorded 15 made triples on 43 percent shooting.

I know the saying is it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. Well, playing from behind for a majority of the game has disaster written all over it.

This was Game 6 in TD Garden and the hunger of a collective core that has yet to sniff the NBA Finals was not present.