Key factors to losing vs the Knicks down the stretch:

[Carhole]

Yeah lets blame Rondo "the none shooter on the team" for not shooting enough in the 4th... He only kept the teams head above water the entire game.

Remember he played a lot of minutes, in the shorten preseason he dosen't have legs at the end of the game, even a shooter would have a hard time with shots. KG's shots started to hit the front of the rim.

 He also got hit pretty good by Melo. I actually thought he wasn't going to stay in the game at first.

 And he was setting the RIGHT people for the job up at the end of the game. KG was hitting shots. He was trying to get it to Ray as well. The D was closing the lanes so he couldn't get there as well as he did in the first few quarters, so it was smart basketball not forcing it and trying to get it to the guys who could knock down shots.

You know what the biggest issue was? Melo went off and the C's played bad D on him at the end. When one guy gets as much as your team does in the quarter, rarely you will win the game. Doc even said that was the problem.

Honest questions for you, do you think rondo is the best player on the team? How do you view him in the NBA top 3 point guard? top 20 player?

[chambers]

Rondo carried them and kept them in the game pushing them all the way to a 10 point lead. My question and concern is still the same however. Where did he go in the last 6 minutes when we needed to finish the game out?

The celtics have had the same problem for the past two years, icing leads, we have blown an inordinate amount of leads bc our offense goes into witness protection the last half of the 4th quarter. That is when he needs to shoot or get to the line.

one 24 footer and no fts as the lead slips away in unacceptable from the guy who was the best player on the court for the first 40+ minutes.

That was the biggest thing to me. I'm not down on Rondo here. In fact, he was perhaps the biggest shock of the game to me. (Him and Bass) I thought Rondo played lights out most of the game. The problem was he looked like he did at the end of last season as we saw games slipping away late in the 4th quarter. Instead of pushing the ball forward and creating plays or taking quick shots or going to the basket himself like he had the 1st 3 and 1/2 quarters, he basically just started bringing the ball up the court slowly and setting a half quart offense that wasn't nearly as effective as it was when he was just balls out pushing it up the floor and mowing them down in transition. The game felt too eerily like the end of last season.

Look at the point totals by quarter and you'll see what I mean. The 4th was our lowest output and we stopped pushing the ball up the floor and just set half courts that looked disoriented. I think Pierce would have helped a ton no doubt but once they started slowing down late in the 4th it never felt like the Knicks weren't on their heels anymore. Instead it felt like we were and just like the end of last season, those were the moments that robbed us of victories we should have had.

D'antoni realised that the only way they would win was by completely clogging up the middle, particularly when Bass was resting. This hindered Rondo's ability to drive and dish and they kept forcing us to go to Rondo/KG with the pick n roll-hoping that if they couldn't get a hand up in front of KG that Rondo would be forced into shooting a J.
They baited us into over and over in the last few minutes.

[Kiorrik]

Yeah lets blame Rondo "the none shooter on the team" for not shooting enough in the 4th... He only kept the teams head above water the entire game.

Remember he played a lot of minutes, in the shorten preseason he dosen't have legs at the end of the game, even a shooter would have a hard time with shots. KG's shots started to hit the front of the rim.

 He also got hit pretty good by Melo. I actually thought he wasn't going to stay in the game at first.

 And he was setting the RIGHT people for the job up at the end of the game. KG was hitting shots. He was trying to get it to Ray as well. The D was closing the lanes so he couldn't get there as well as he did in the first few quarters, so it was smart basketball not forcing it and trying to get it to the guys who could knock down shots.

You know what the biggest issue was? Melo went off and the C's played bad D on him at the end. When one guy gets as much as your team does in the quarter, rarely you will win the game. Doc even said that was the problem.

Honest questions for you, do you think rondo is the best player on the team? How do you view him in the NBA top 3 point guard? top 20 player?

I know it wasn't directed at me, but fwiw:

Best on the team, at this point in time, yes. He's in the top tier of point guards, top 5. Top 20 player? Hmmm ... I'd say so. Yes.

[Celtics18]

Rondo was great but I wouldnt bank on his shooting wows being solved it was one game and he had at least 5 layups off of lazy transition d by the knicks.

Rondo carried them and kept them in the game pushing them all the way to a 10 point lead. My question and concern is still the same however. Where did he go in the last 6 minutes when we needed to finish the game out?

The celtics have had the same problem for the past two years, icing leads, we have blown an inordinate amount of leads bc our offense goes into witness protection the last half of the 4th quarter. That is when he needs to shoot or get to the line.

one 24 footer and no fts as the lead slips away in unacceptable from the guy who was the best player on the court for the first 40+ minutes.

A player can pile up all the stats they want while the game is free and open but it is what you do with the game in the balance that makes you great/cornerstone type of player. 

I guess the assists and the offensive rebounds don't count.  Rondo was making more winning plays than anyone on the team down the stretch.

[looseball]

Doc having to put KG and Ray back in at the 10 minute mark of the 4th was big too.  Those two played the rest of the way and were clearly not at their peak for the last couple of minutes.  It's going to be hard to do, but they need their rest and can't be relied on at the end of games if they're logging 37-38 minutes.

A healthy Pierce will go a long way towards this though.

A healthy Pierce would have played 37-38 minutes, too, and probably tired down the stretch, too.

[Jon]

There were lots of things that could've helped us win, but I'm still encouraged. 

I was went into yesterday's game (and even the first half) wondering if the C's could take the Knicks in a playoff series and I left the game (despite the loss), knowing that a healthy C's team absolutely can. 

[celtics2]

Yeah lets blame Rondo "the none shooter on the team" for not shooting enough in the 4th... He only kept the teams head above water the entire game.

Remember he played a lot of minutes, in the shorten preseason he dosen't have legs at the end of the game, even a shooter would have a hard time with shots. KG's shots started to hit the front of the rim.

I do realize this game is huge for morale among other things but I'm still questioning Doc's lineup management. Even for one game having our vets and Rondo play for too long will come back and bite you. Look at the Knicks, who apparently have less depth than us, have all their stars play less than 37. KG, Ray and Rondo all played 37+ with Rondo playing 41. Even for an uphill battle that is worrying. Is our 4th quarter woes that much of a mystery?  

Wat
Doc will run these guys out of gas assuming we make the playoffs. Last season, same story. Doc was at best a 500 coach before KG and Allen helped his career. Watch and see him panic as their brilliance fades. The Celts are a fading star with maybe a long shot chance of another banner. This will require a wise coach. Basketball is a 5 minute game.  A coach will get very active in the last 5. Doc is 0/1 with at least several chances to win or tie the game. A 500 team can make the playoffs. That's all we need and will have enough energy left the the 4 for a possible upset.

[twinbree]

Not having Paul really hurt us on both ends. On defense he’s just physically a better match up for Melo. The refs may have given him more respect although that is doubtful since Crawford was in vintage everyone needs to remember I’m here form. And if he’d been there in place of Marquis for our last two possessions we’d have had a very good chance of scoring. And Doc would have had more options with the play calling too.

[Q_FBE]

It came down to shot making  - and of course FT opportunities awarded by Santa Joey. Santa Joey gave Marquis Daniels and KG a lump of coal in the last 20 seconds.

Amare and Carmelo hit their shots and KG, Ray, and Rondo missed theirs. Bass for Glen Davis paid immediate dividends for us.

About the stop running in the 4th qtr, it was because the Bricks quit turning the ball over with Mr Melo and Mr Amare back in the game so Rondo can't run off the turnovers like he did from Mid 2nd Qtr to the end of the 3rd qtr.

With out the Bricks sloppiness, the Celtics probably do not get back in this game let alone have a good chance to win.