How do you explain the lack of intensity at the start of game 3?

[Drucci]

I came into this game thinking we would either win easily or have a close game, a la Bucks series, which would make for a long series.

I’ll admit I didn’t expect that type of game and disastrous first quarter. It’s one thing to lose because your shots aren’t falling and you make mistakes, but how can you come so unprepared/flat, with no intensity at all, for a decisive ECF game 3 at home after gaving stolen homecourt ? After losing their past ECF trips and with Udoka now as a coach telling it like it is ?

To me, that’s what’s the most disheartening and perplexing about this loss. It makes me doubt the mental toughness of the team and our chances going forward.

How do you explain it ? Overconfidence?

[Vermont Green]

I came into this game thinking we would either win easily or have a close game, a la Bucks series, which would make for a long series.

I’ll admit I didn’t expect that type of game and disastrous first quarter. It’s one thing to lose because your shots aren’t falling and you make mistakes, but how can you come so unprepared/flat, with no intensity at all, for a decisive ECF game 3 at home after gaving stolen homecourt ? After losing their past ECF trips and with Udoka now as a coach telling it like it is ?

To me, that’s what’s the most disheartening and perplexing about this loss. It makes me doubt the mental toughness of the team and our chances going forward.

How do you explain it ? Overconfidence?

The first quarter was a disheartening disaster, as you say but we continued to have bad turnovers and other really bad plays for the entire game, we just made more shots than we did in the first quarter.

I don't think it is lack of effort or lack of intensity.  To me, it is something less tangible than that.  This team simply may not be good enough, mentally and physically, this year, to be able to respond to these types of moments  We have young players and a young coach that we rely on to be our stars.

More specifically, they should have expected MIA to be the more desperate team.  That should not have been a surprise.  Then, I think the two last minute changes, Lowry in, RWill out, affected the Celtics.  They were not prepared for Lowry it seemed.  I think a more battle tested, veteran team could have dealt this these easily.  This would not have caused any problem for the 2008 team for example.  But for this team, it appeared to throw them off and they never recovered.

I am not looking to call out the Celtics individually or collectively.  The game speaks for itself.  It was bad.  I still really like the players and the coach.  Every team has limits though.

[mobilija]

Kind of just felt like one of those days...they just couldn't will themselves to victory. The effort got better but the execution remained sloppy, like they had brain fog and couldn't shake out of it. Couldnt take care of the details, no sharpness, led to sooooo many turnovers.

Home after a hard fought emotionally exhaustive couple road games. They clearly need a break, a few days off to recharge. Its a war of attrition right now and the Celtics are degrading, Bucks series was a huge toll. Miami is being super physical, they've gotta dig down and match that, hope that some Miami players wear down

[ozgod]

Apparently they all said to be ready, that Miami would come out firing, that they had to prepare for an onslaught. Not just Ime but all the senior players, the Jays, Al, Smartacus…but when it actually happened they just failed to deal with Miami’s intensity. Bam attacked Theis early, Miami got some quick buckets, they couldn’t miss from 3…I guess it’s hard when that happens. Just like when we couldn’t miss in Game 2.

Sometimes we can overreact to losses though. The Heat have won 2 of the 12 quarters played so far. But they won them convincingly enough to end up winning the games in question. The Cs are good enough to win the series. They just need to master their fundamentals each game, each quarter - defend well, take good shot options, move the ball, communicate effectively, don’t commit turnovers. Keith Smith mentioned on Twitter that of the 24 turnovers the team committed 5 were passes made to Heatplayers who didn’t have to move. That’s just carelessness. They just need to execute better, maintain a high level of intensity throughout the game and make sure their level of physicality is greater than Miamis. That’s really all it is.

[slamtheking]

I think it's part complacency and part stupidity/low BBIQ.

all too often this team comes out lackadaisical in their effort, especially on offense, and let the other team get off to a good start while they dig a hole for themselves.  poor or no communication on defense leading to open shots or layups for the other team. 

usually, they address these issues during the game and get back into it but in the 2 losses this series, the holes they dug for themselves were too deep to get out of. 

the 3 biggest offenders are Smart, Tatum and Brown.
- Smart - tries to be too flashy with his passes when a basic, simple pass is all that's needed and wouldn't result in a TO.  taking shots early in the shot clock that aren't good shots as well
- Tatum - seems to need to get a quarter of the game under his belt before waking up.  ball handling is mediocre at best.  passing has improved but needs to still get better.  drives into traffic trying to get a foul but results in a TO and not getting back on D while he whines to the refs.
- Jaylen - usually starts well but his handle is a mess.  drives into traffic too often resulting in either a TO or broken play that requires the C's to scramble to recover the ball and get a desperation shot up.  has 2-3 plays a game where he's sleeping on off-ball D and his man works for an open shot after a cut.

these are fixable things - even in this series -- but there has to be a real smartening up of this crew ASAP.

Also doesn't help when we can't get reliable points off the bench either.  Grant is having hit or miss nights.  PP as well and nights he just doesn't shoot.  Theis is sometimes just unplayable.  White is a major disappointment on offense.  tired of hearing how he's got a better career shooting percentage than he had this year so he's bound to bounce back -- well, still waiting for that to happen in these playoffs.  next year is too late to help us get a title this year. 

[celticinorlando]

I noticed on Tatum’s first drive to the hoop he was already complaining to the ref he was fouled and didn’t get back on defense.

That’s not being ready. Really inexcusable how they start games and second half’s.

[Who]

They weren't ready for how hard Miami came out to play. Miami raised their intensity, their effort. They raised the bar. They responded to the last game and raised the bar.

Celtics weren't ready for that response and stumbled against MIA's aggression and intensity. That dug them too large a hole and their comeback wasn't enough to overcome it.

They just need to learn from this. The other team didn't die because you gave them a smack-down. They didn't roll over. They came back with fury and fought for their playoff lives.

Credit should go to MIA more than blame for BOS. In situations like that you gotta be able to take the punch and ride the wave until the game calms down. BOS failed to do that. They were overcome by the wave and too much damage was done by the time they calmed down. They haven't learned how to ride that emotional wave of an opponent yet.

Phil Jackson was always great at getting his teams prepared for those types of early emotional battles (that psychological battle between two teams, understanding personalities of individuals & groups). His teams would regularly go down early in those games as most teams do but they were prepared for the idea that they would be out-worked out-intensitied (not a word) early. That they would just try to stay close, then claw back and beat their opponent when their opponent was unable to maintain that effort for a full 48 minutes.

You gotta learn how to manage the game. How to expect & respect the emotional reaction (and talent) of your opponent. BOS underestimated MIA and was not prepared for that emotional response; that aggressiveness & intensity.

They just need to learn from it and use that lesson to handle future similar situations better.

[Roy H.]

I can't explain it.

I guess I can somewhat understand Game 1 against Milwaukee.  The level of playoff basketball suddenly increased and they weren't ready.

But the third quarter of Game 1 this series?  The first quarter last night?  That's just completely inexcusable.  And even beyond those two quarters, the team has been lazy and downright stupid at times.

[Neurotic Guy]

I do think the Celtics can get overconfident and lose their edge, become cocky, fancy, sloppy.  I am surprised that Ime can't get this team in the right frame of mind to deal with the circumstances at hand.  Should never have been thoroughly out-energized at the outset of Game 3.   I think this team is better characterized as immature than not mentally tough (an immature team can develop maturity).  The cost of their still being a young team mentally is that they have lapses like the 1st quarter in G3 and 3rd in G1 and with double-digit leads.  It also plays out at the end of close game as with Milwaukee in Games 3 and 5.

There were 2 big concern for me in G3: First was the obviously horrendous first quarter creating a completely unnecessary hole (note that they fell behind early in G2 as well, but fought to keep it close before they turned on the jets).   The next, and to me more disconcerting concern, was that they ONCE AGAIN could not finish a close game.  I realize the energy it takes to come back from a big deficit, but they actually did it -- and just as suddenly as they brought the deficit to 1 they gave the game back to Miami.   The Strus 3 was huge and not poorly defended, but after that it was just an embarrassment.  The C's have not shown the ability to win a tight game in the playoffs (except G1 v. Nets) and they certainly are not champions if they can't do so.

I keep reminding myself of context -- a team that 4 months ago I would have never believed could be in the ECF is 3 wins from the Finals v. a team that is certainly beatable.  Some here think the C's will have blown a gifted opportunity if they don't grab #18 this season, but I see this as a step in their development regardless.  If they lose to the Heat, it will be because of an immaturity that they'll need to address.  They have the talent to contend for years if they can learn from their experience this season.   

Hope they crush the Heat tomorrow, though I can't see how Marcus plays -- that was a classic sprain, able to play right after isn't shocking... playing after the swelling manifests, I think is pretty doubtful.

[celticinorlando]

I don’t think I’ve seen the Celtics lose in this playoffs and say that the other team was just better that game. Gave away games 3 and 5 vs the bucks. Gave away games 1 and 3 vs Miami with lazy stretches and boneheaded decisions on offense.

23 turnovers? JFC.

[SparzWizard]

It's the kids. Just not mentally prepared or out of it. It has happened in 2020 with their leaders on the floor. I don't know if you wanna blame the kids in 2018 but I think that was more on CBS even though we had that series. 2017 we were just outmatched in talent.

[Big333223]

I was more disheartened by the rest of the game, actually. Turnovers were 23-8 in a 6 points game. 11 turnovers in the first half and 12 in the second (per basketball-reference) and it felt like more than that. Somehow, deep into the 4th quarter of the third game they still thought they could get away with lazy, sloppy passes and blind dribbles into traffic. How have they not learned that this Heat team plays on its toes all 48?

I noticed on Tatum’s first drive to the hoop he was already complaining to the ref he was fouled and didn’t get back on defense.

That’s not being ready. Really inexcusable how they start games and second half’s.

This is the other problem. Tatum is attacking the basket looking to get fouled, not to score. And when his shot isn't falling he still hasn't figured out how to respond. For a guy who was drafted with great footwork, I wish we could see some Tatum post-ups. Especially when there are 4 other 3-point shooters out there.

[Phantom255x]

There are some parallels I feel to the Bucks series.

When the Bucks went ahead 2-1 in the series, you looked at it as Boston blew them out one game, Milwaukee blew them out another, and then the C's lost a close contest. Sort of similar so far. Each team has had a big win and then a close game like yesterday.

C's really need to buckle down though. Literally if they just don't hand Miami the ball 20+ times each game they can win even if they aren't shooting as well. Miami got so many easy buckets that killed any C's momentum or shifted momentum back to MIA after dumb turnovers.

Tomorrow's a must-win, but the C's still have to treat it as one game at a time. I still think this is a series that goes 6 or 7 games.

[jambr380]

It's the kids. Just not mentally prepared or out of it. It has happened in 2020 with their leaders on the floor. I don't know if you wanna blame the kids in 2018 but I think that was more on CBS even though we had that series. 2017 we were just outmatched in talent.

That's just the thing, though. A lot of these guys are on their 3rd and 4th ECF. They are still young, but this shouldn't be a matter of immaturity anymore. Maybe in 2018, even in 2020, but not now.

And these quarters where they are being outscored by 20+ are just inexcusable. That can't happen in a playoff game and neither [obviously] can a TO disparity like last night. Game 1 was worse in regards to how they were playing up to that point (8 point half time lead). Last night, the Cs were just completely outclassed to start the game and were actually able to mount a come back.

But I agree with the OP, it sure would be nice to play well out of the gates rather than having to immediately make up a 10 (or 20) point deficit. Even in game 2 with our death lineup, we still fell behind 18-8.

[GreenlyGreeny]

They were probably overconfident after embarrassing the Heat in Miami. I thought for sure we would be going to Miami up 3-1 and I bet the guys did, too. They do not fully appreciate how badly the Heat want this. We need to want it more if we want to win it.

If you had told me a month ago we would be going into game 4 of the ECF 2-1 against Miami, I’d feel real good about that knowing Miami is the one seed. I still do. Yeah, they stole back the one we stole in Miami, but at least we know we can beat them in Miami. We just have to win our two in Boston and one of two in Miami. We can do this.