Lakers (5-27) at Celtics (18-13) Game #32 12/30/15

[SHAQATTACK]

can someone tell me how we lost to the Lakers???

Doc Rivers wore a Brad Stevens mask and coached the Celtics tonight. There's no other way of explaining it. I mean, Brad Stevens surely isn't that stupid to play James Young over Marcus Smart of even RJ Hunter. There's no way he is that dumb.

Bad coaching and Lakers hot shooting was what did it tonight.

Apparently, Smart missed the shootaround with a flat tire, which is why Stevens restricted his minutes. It doesn't make sense to me to restrict minutes based on something he can't control, so I think he probably just slept in on accident or something.

He still should've put RJ in there over Young, though. It was almost as soon as Young came in that they went on a run.

If I remember right when Young came out they only had a 4 point lead. I still agree with you though, the feel of the game at the point LA was just oozing with confidence. Who was that unit anyway of ours? Lee, Kelly, Young I think?!

It felt like from that timeout and on we were done. They started doing whatever they wanted. Weird coaching tonight.

Pretty much summed it up for me ......I saw it the same way.  I just refused to be maddened and continuing to watch a D League affair.
I felt too the game was over about the time Young came out.   The Celtics were not even in the building .  It was obvious they were going to loose this game .   We watched a movie instead of wasting time on this game.  It was a pathetic effort by the team as well as the coach.

[mctyson]

Man, Stevens dropped the ball in this one big time.

The one time they should've went small with Crowder on Randle and Turner or Smart on Kobe, and it takes Brad until the fourth quarter to do it.

I was thinking the same thing. I've been on Stevens' ass about going small and the one time I would've applauded it, he didn't go for it.

Whatever.

Then instead of surrounding Turner, who was a one man offensive army, with our best defenders he kept him surrounded with some of our weakest defenders. So for all the good Turner did, we couldn't get stops regardless.

I just don't know how this dude's mind works.

Unfortunately, even with all of Stevens' good aspects I think this is just one of his downfalls that we're going to have to live with. He likes to be dynamic in his rotations, but I just don't agree and think that chemistry is more important that playing each matchup with differing lineups and rotations. I know many of us have been screaming this same thing ever since the start of last year.

And there is a need to be dynamic...

I was watching last night but not as intently as usual.  The Lakers seemed to play fast and small the whole night, but of particular note is towards the end of the game they had Randle at the 5, with I think Kobe as the 4.  That lineup allowed Clarkson to dominate and kept the Cs scrambling.

I thought it was a poorly coached game though.  Why did Zeller and Hunter get DNPs when Zeller had been playing so well?  Amir Johnson was a -17 last night and Zeller doesn't see the floor?

Having said that - it really came down to shooting.  Lakers were almost 50% from 3 while the Celtics where 25%.  Not gonna win many games like that.

[dreamgreen]

Brutal game this team seems to play down to the lesser teams of the league. Looked like a lot of hero ball to me along with CBS sticking with guys that were not playing defense and shooting poorly.

[Kane3387]

Tough to know that two of our losses were to the lakers and nets

[libermaniac]

The good news is that this loss hopefully gets the C's from reading their press clippings, and leads to a couple of convincing wins against the Nets.

Agreed.  Also, it will boost the Lakers confidence for their next 2 games (home vs. Sixers and Suns).  Catch those Nets!

I'm more worried about the nets catching the Suns than I'm optimistic about the lakers catching the nets

Yes, I think that's a valid concern, but perhaps the Lakers and Nets BOTH pass the Suns, keeping the Nets in 3rd.  You never know.  7 of the Lakers next 11 games are against very bad teams - so that stretch should tell us a lot.