After 2 games v. Toronto, Boston looked like the better team - which I felt throughout the series. To have lost that series would have been painful.
But... Miami looks like the better team in this series. Not just because they are up 2-0. But there has been a present expectation at every point during the first 2 games that Miami will answer. The only point at which I had a moment of hope was yesterday when up 17 in the 2nd. Kemba missed an open 3 from the corner that would have put C’s up 20. Instead, Miami brought it to 13 at the half.
They seem to have too many weapons. I’m not expecting C’s to win Game 3, but of course still hoping.
I think this is a bit of sad commentary on Ainge's drafting ability, IMO.
No, he's not a terrible drafter; yes, he's made some great draft picks, especially Tatum and Brown and Smart.
But he's had a lot of draft picks in the last few seasons, a lot of chances to hit on a sleeper shooter, and hasn't. Edwards was supposed to be that guy, but he's clearly not (at least at this point). Neither is waters.
Meanwhile, the Heat got Herro, and Duncan Robinson has panned out really well too, and even Crowder has come alive in Miami as a 3pt shooter.
I mean, Ainge could still totally be playing the long game, and maybe viewed this season as a true "bridge year" and consider making the East finals pure gravy. But for us fans who are seeing this core group make the East finals for the third time in four years, and go down 0-2 with some super sloppy play, it's very disappointing. Maybe that's the downside of a young team being "ahead of schedule," but that doesn't really take the sting out of it for many of us.
I've used this illustration before, so forgive me if you've heard it, but in each of the first two games, Boston has made a thousand mistakes, yet would've won each of those games if they'd made only 998 mistakes. Why couldn't they have made just a couple of mistakes fewer each game?
In other words, even with all of their mistakes, they almost won; how hard is it to tighten things up
just a little bit in order to secure a win? Why haven't they been able to do that? That's what's so frustrating to me.