1st half - 2nd half

[bmxgitch]

Is it just me or does it seem like they run & run in the 1st half and slow it down in the 2nd ? They need to keep running !

[Q_FBE]

That is easier said than done. We imposed our will on My Hammy the first half. They imposed their will on us the second half and it was butt ugly out there. You can flip the switch all you want but you have to play better than the other team to get your way in this business.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Is it just me or does it seem like they run & run in the 1st half and slow it down in the 2nd ? They need to keep running !

We need to play smart and play smart for 48 minutes. The jumpers in the 2nd half were not falling, then go back to attacking the rim in the paint. whatever it takes. ROndo, Bass, KG, PP, everybody attack the rim. we stopped doing what worked it seemed which allowed Miami top continue chipping away at our lead until it EVAPORATED! inexcusable. You cannot let that great team hang around when we have a huge lead like that. We have to finish these games strong. Now the other side is where did our defense go? Did it disappear like our offense did in the 2nd half? Some big guy has to step up and play some D when KG is out. SOMEBODY!

[bmxgitch]

You know Rondo pushed the ball up the 1st half but stopped doing it the 2nd. Seems to me that you keep doing what worked in the 1st half. Tired should not happen when you get this far in the playoffs ! It's now a 3 game series and they need to dig down deep and put these guys away ! They let game 2 get away and they should be up 3-1 !

[cman88]

Rondo mentioned he wasn't as aggressive because of the offensive fouls he picked up

[Snakehead]

You know Rondo pushed the ball up the 1st half but stopped doing it the 2nd. Seems to me that you keep doing what worked in the 1st half. Tired should not happen when you get this far in the playoffs ! It's now a 3 game series and they need to dig down deep and put these guys away ! They let game 2 get away and they should be up 3-1 !

I think the thing you are missing here though is that we pushed because we got stops.  We didn't in the second half, so we weren't in transition.

To me, it was mostly that our offense wasn't aggressive.  Where Rondo was driving and making plays and people were cutting off the ball in the 1st half, in the 2nd there was a lot of pass off to Pierce, KG, etc and everyone stands around.  That combined with defense that wasn't as strong led to the drop off.  Heat did play a lot better D too though and that let them get in transition.

Foul trouble also didn't help and I believe all of Rondo's fouls were on offense, so he had to back off there.

Every time this team plays well in the 1st half though I worry.  I don't think we've ever played a complete game that way.  I know that happens a lot in the NBA recently it seems but we are extremely guilty of it.

[bmxgitch]

Point taken ! I'm betting Tommy Heinsohn was yelling for them to run the ball up the court every time ?

[KGs Knee]

Part of the 2nd half offensive woes can be blamed on Rondo picking up offensive fouls.

Miami does deserve some credit though.  Spoelstra might have made his first good defensive adjustment of the entire series against Rondo.  Double-teaming him, and trapping him coming out of PnRs really seemed to throw a wrench in his attack.  It wasn't until Rondo decided to get Garnett more involved in the pick-n-pop, that things got a little back on track.

[angryguy77]

We need to do a better job breaking their d when it extends and doubles. I don't understand why we haven't figured out a solution to this.

Every game our offense struggles when Miami does this. Doc needs to figure out a way to break this quick so we don't go through these droughts.

[mctyson]

Is it just me or does it seem like they run & run in the 1st half and slow it down in the 2nd ? They need to keep running !

you know, Miami is a good team too, with smart coaches. they make adjustments.  and they are clearly doing a better job at that right now than we are.

[bmxgitch]

Sometimes I question Doc's player substitutions ! Games 2,3 & 4 when we had good leads and he waited way to long to bring back the starters when the Heat were making their run. Players can rest on the off season !

[jambr380]

Fine, I get that Miami is an excellent team with the ability to make adjustments, but I HATE the Celtics in the 2nd half this series [and these playoffs for that matter]. There simply have to be ways a team can hold on to 18+ point leads.

[LooseCannon]

Sometimes I question Doc's player substitutions ! Games 2,3 & 4 when we had good leads and he waited way to long to bring back the starters when the Heat were making their run. Players can rest on the off season !

I like the change from hearing posters complain that Doc is playing the starters too many minutes and running them into the ground.

[bmxgitch]

It's the playoff's - Time to suck it up !