Injury and fatigue down the stretch of the regular season and in the playoffs played a role in the Eastern Conference finals loss to Cleveland previous year. And that, at least so far, has spelled trouble for the Celtics. Friday’s game (8 p.m., CSNNE, ESPN2) will be the first home postseason contest in the Brad Stevens era in which the Celtics actually have a legitimate chance of winning a series, so expect C’s fans to bring it vocally (they’ll have plenty of time to get lubricated with the later-than-usual tip time of 8 p.m.). Thomas is averaging 21.5 points through two games, but he has done it very inefficiently, as he is shooting just 33 percent from the floor. They ranked 28th among the league’s 30 teams in 3-point percentage. The 6-foot-10 inch Horford hit three of his four shots from deep in Atlanta’s one-point win.
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The results were predictable.
The Celtics’ first quarter was a mirror image of their brutal opening quarter in Game 2. That lack of outside shooting led to Atlanta jamming the paint with defenders, making it impossible for Boston’s guards to attack the paint with any kind of success.
Asked if Bradley might be able to return in the next round should the Celts stage a comeback against the Hawks, he said, “They talk about toward the end of this series he should be to the point where he’s able to do a little bit more from a practice standpoint and those type of things”.
Sullinger believes that his team can benefit from throwing the ball into the post more often during Game 3. For Boston, a win in Game 3 would make them 1-2, and a loss, would put the Hawks up 3-0.
The Celtics? They couldn’t make anything. With a raucous crowd sure to show up and the Beantown faithful chomping at the bit for a playoff victory after the Celtics were swept by the Cavaliers past year, there’s a sense of urgency to start fast. It should have been worse.
Celtics: Got as close as 10 points in the second quarter, but never got the deficit into single digits.
Boston is in dire need for their core group to finally step up in this series, and under these circumstances, it’s likely they answer the call. Stevens was willing to try anything in Game 2, including throwing rookies R.J. Hunter and Terry Rozier onto the court for extended periods in both halves. Things got trickier later in the quarter as Smart had to come back quick to sub for Isaiah Thomas with 1:15 to play in the frame.
It’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Olynyk is questionable because of a sore right shoulder, though starting guard Marcus Smart is expected to play despite suffering bruised ribs in Game 2.
But even if he does, will that be enough to rectify Boston’s issues? A lot is made about the depth of the Celtics, but when your team is made up of a lot of complimentary parts, it still shows – a lot in Bradley’s case – when one of the parts is missing.
The first game of the series, which took place last April 16th went down the wire, with the fourth-seeded Hawks winning by a narrow margin, as the game’s final score ended at 102-101. 16 and 28, respectively, played only sparingly this season due to Boston’s well-stocked backcourt.
It was like real playoff basketball that probably would have impressed even sometimes old and bitter players from the 1980s who can be dismissive of today’s game. 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.
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Hello from Boston, where the Hawks are two wins away from exorcising the Celtics’ demon from their playoff history.
