Just saw the game. Pathetic. Awful. Shameful. You name it.
This team is seriously disgusting, I was hoping for the best everytime and thought they could get their heads up but it looks like they will never "get it". They always talk about the need to be dominant at home, the need to play better, the need to start games better, etc, but they just talk and don't follow their words.
This loss was an humiliation and yet they started to show some energy in the third when they get as "close" as 14. This team always seems to get really focused when they are down big but comebacks are an exception, not the norm.
I blame the starters for coming without any kind of energy. Ray was the only player aggressive out there, KG looked scared of going into the paint (he passed a shot against the rookie Thabeet!!), Pierce went one on one once again, making passes when he was forced to, Perk was average, and Rondo always gambled on his man, leading to easy penetrations, buckets or drive and dish.
I liked what I saw from the 2nd unit, they all played with energy (even Sheed, good game), and they played with heart.
But of course Doc is still coaching this team so you can be sure his substitutions patterns will kill any kind of momentum there could be for the C's.
In the first quarter, the starters are not getting any stop and most importantly, not making any shots, although everyone has touched the ball. So, when you have instant offense on your bench with Nate, Marquis and Sheed, what do you do when you team badly need to score in order to prevent going down from a big deficit for the rest of the game? If you're a normal coach, you immediately put your instanf offense off the bench in the game. But if you're Doc Rivers, you patiently wait until the 5 minute mark or around in the first to make your substitutions because, hey, that's what you planned before the game and done all year!!!
And when Dickerson said at the start of the 3rd that Doc stated that he would "quickly" bring the 2nd unit in the game if the starters were not getting it done, I laughed hard because I knew he wouldn't do it. Of course, the starters went on mini-runs, getting to 14 points deficit but just to give up back to 20 minutes after. And of course, Doc didn't put the 2nd unit in the game before the 5 mark or around in the third.
The blame is mostly on the starters but Doc is a big culprit too. He can't (or doesn't want to) adjust and his substitution patterns have been killing this team for months.
By the way, the team just blew up the mini break they got on Atlanta for the third by losing two very winnable games and now they've regressed once again after a mini- "ray of hope" streak of 4 wins.
Last night, the C's got dismantled by a young, hungry and focused team that came here to take care of business. This was the 54040 "wake-up call" of the season, but I think it's now too late.
I'm so sick of this team, seriously, I never thought I would say this again but these players are really starting to rub me off the wrong way by talking about what they should do and never do it, or just do it for some games to get back to their pathetic ways shortly after.
Topic: Grizzlies (33-31) at Celtics (40-22) 3/10 (Read 45593 times)