This year’s team is healthier and looked better later in the year.
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (+4.5, 200.5)Cavaliers lead series 2-0The Cleveland Cavaliers put on a spectacular shooting exhibition in Game 2 and attempt to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round series when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
It’s been a brutal matchup, particularly for Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is 12-for-36 in the series and has been plagued by soreness in his left (shooting) wrist.
But the difference between the regular season and the crucible of the playoffs is that teams get the opportunity to focus on the same team for two weeks. “I was just trying to do what I could to win the game”. And that, at least so far, has spelled trouble for the Celtics. Defensively, the Hawks yield 99.2 points against the opposing teams. Atlanta was just 2 for 17 from the 3-point line in the first half.
The results were predictable.
Atlanta’s players got a glimpse of what the environment will look like during their shootaround this morning as they were engulfed by a sea of green T-shirts that had been draped over the arena’s 18,624 seats ahead of tonight’s game. Marcus Smart, starting for Bradley, shot 1-for-11, and Jae Crowder, clearly hampered by a balky right ankle, was 1-for-9.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Celtics to create enough spacing to make this series competitive after Bradley went down. However, as a team the Pistons are -10.7 per 100 for the series – once the bench players come in, the Pistons struggle.
The core four of Horford, Millsap, sharpshooter Kyle Korver and point guard Jeff Teague have started together for three seasons.
It was unclear whether Olynyk would be able to return in time for Game 4 on Sunday.
The scary thing for Boston? The Celtics know that they are capable of taking down the Hawks. They are 0-7 in postseason series against Boston since moving to Atlanta and 1-10 all-time going back to St. Louis days (the only win coming in the 1958 finals).
Boston will not only need production from him, but also from rookies Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter, who logged 24 and 15 minutes in Game 2. “I thought that was one team playing at an elite level, and one team not, to be quite candid”.
It’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Atlanta led by as many as 21 in the first half Tuesday.
Boston needs to break free of the disturbing trend that took place early on in the first two games.
The Hawks won Tuesday night’s Game 2 in Atlanta, 89-72. And, given how the first two games played out, it’s unclear if Boston possesses the capability to do anything about it. Prior to the playoffs, he had started the last four games that guard Avery Bradley missed. As each team diagnoses a weakness, it’s up to their opponent to find a way to overcome it, and counter back with an adjustment of their own.
Before we dive into the problems with the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, of which there were many, it’s important to stress the fact that the Atlanta Hawks are very good.
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If that doesn’t start to change Friday night, their season will end soon after.
