Celtics (3-0) at Heat (0-3) Game 4 4/25

[slamtheking]

Frustrating game, just frustrating.

bad: no reason to go down 18 early
good: they fight back to take a good sized lead

Bad: defense allowed Wade to get hot in 3rd quarter.
Good: Doc finally figured out how to get it out of his hands

Good: C's fought back after Heat had momentum to get close in the end
bad: C's missed a layup and free throws as well as allowed Beasley to grab a last second airball for a layup.

Good: C's can take this as a learning experience that they need to focus all the time, every game to win.  No slacking or they will lose.
Bad: They had ample games this year to learn the same lesson but still don't seem to get it.

I expect them to play hard in game 5 and win.  going to a game 5 is something everyone here expected so this is not a horrible situation to be in, just disappointing based on how we were doing just before tipoff today

[Jon]

I would like to thank DOC RIVERS for wearing out his BIG 3 in the 3rd quarter---By playing them ALL the ENTIRE time----THUS leading to 5 MISSED free throws to LOSE this game for us....GOOD Coaching there.

Once again, you need to chill.  Yeah, we choked the last 4 minutes, but no defense in NBA history could have stopped Wade from having that 4th quarter.  If Wade didn't magically go into NBA Jam "HE'S ON FIRE!!!" mode, this series is over.  There wouldn't have been a chance to choke late in the 4th.

He was on FIRE---cause they decided to STOP playing defense after the 3rd---They let Miami just bring the ball up with NOBODY near them-!

Wade played great...in the first quarter when he was taking it to the rim.  

In the fourth, Wade played like Antoine Walker and got lucky.  If it was Antoine out there launching threes and hitting them (or in the present case Sheed), this board would be ripping him and saying how it wouldn't happen next game.  

[Kiorrik]

I would like to thank DOC RIVERS for wearing out his BIG 3 in the 3rd quarter---By playing them ALL the ENTIRE time----THUS leading to 5 MISSED free throws to LOSE this game for us....GOOD Coaching there.

You do realize Ray and Pierce didn't play much of the first half cuz of foul trouble, right? Kg and Paul play 37mins, Ray played 34. That's were you want them to be for a playoff game.

At some point, you have to stop blaming Doc and blame, oh I don't know, the players...

HEY, I remember KC Jones doing the EXACT same thing in 1987 vs. LA----Lead to Magic's Junior Sky hook and the CHAMPIONSHIP-!!

You tell me why Ray Allen misses 3 straight and KG 2....TIRED legs-!!

You cannot blame the coach on why players miss free-throws.  Tired or not they are professional basketball players and they should make their free-throws.

Especially not since Ray got benched after missing his two freebies. That's what you'd want, isn't it?

[houseonfire09]

I would like to thank DOC RIVERS for wearing out his BIG 3 in the 3rd quarter---By playing them ALL the ENTIRE time----THUS leading to 5 MISSED free throws to LOSE this game for us....GOOD Coaching there.

Once again, you need to chill.  Yeah, we choked the last 4 minutes, but no defense in NBA history could have stopped Wade from having that 4th quarter.  If Wade didn't magically go into NBA Jam "HE'S ON FIRE!!!" mode, this series is over.  There wouldn't have been a chance to choke late in the 4th.

He was on FIRE---cause they decided to STOP playing defense after the 3rd---They let Miami just bring the ball up with NOBODY near them-!

What game were you watching?  Wade wasn't left wide open, and he was double teamed far away from the basket.  No defense can stop what Wade just did.

[Mike-Dub]

So, what is the story of this game?

The officials, Wade´s performance or the missed free throws?

Wade. If he doesn't go off the C's lead climbs and they win by double digits.

Easily Wade.  It speaks to the C's toughness for having a chance to win that game with how Wade was playing.

[fairweatherfan]

Here ya go fellas - you know who you are:



Seriously, a lot broke against us early and late in that game.  I don't expect it to happen again.

[RJ87]

I would like to thank DOC RIVERS for wearing out his BIG 3 in the 3rd quarter---By playing them ALL the ENTIRE time----THUS leading to 5 MISSED free throws to LOSE this game for us....GOOD Coaching there.

You do realize Ray and Pierce didn't play much of the first half cuz of foul trouble, right? Kg and Paul play 37mins, Ray played 34. That's were you want them to be for a playoff game.

At some point, you have to stop blaming Doc and blame, oh I don't know, the players...

HEY, I remember KC Jones doing the EXACT same thing in 1987 vs. LA----Lead to Magic's Junior Sky hook and the CHAMPIONSHIP-!!

You tell me why Ray Allen misses 3 straight and KG 2....TIRED legs-!!

You cannot blame the coach on why players miss free-throws.  Tired or not they are professional basketball players and they should make their free-throws.

Exactly.
Free throws are all about fundamentals. I don't think tired legs played a factor there... But I guess its easy for Doc haters to cry "TOO MANY MINUTES!"

[crownsy]

the over the top hysterics here are getting ridiculous.

agreed, a great player helps his team win one game at home in a series and suddenly where about to become the first NBA team in history to lose 4 straight  

Wade's great and didn't want to go home on his home floor and turned in an absolutely stunning 4th quarter. Hat tip to him. They are still going home game 5.

I think the funniest thing to me about the hysterics posts are that i would wager alot of them though going into this series that it was going to be a fairly even one (I was in this camp) and they would have been ecstatic at that time if you told them we'd be going home with a 3-1 series lead.

But now that it's happened, suddenly it's the worst outcome imaginable

[Jon]

Miami  played hard and with desperation to avoid elimination at home.  They deserved this one....much as it pains me to say it.

I don't think they deserved it.  I think they got lucky.  

Dwayne Wade = Antoine Walker

Really? That comparison coupled with you claiming this to be the worst choke you have EVER seen has left me simply shaking my head. I am mystified by both of those pronouncements.

I didn't say it was a choke, the other post did.  I think Wade played horrible team basketball in the 4th and got lucky.  Not only won't it happen next game, it wouldn't happen the next 100 games they played.  

[celticinorlando]

RELAX FOLKS!! remember..miami BLEW an 18 point lead...AT HOME...and it took 45 points and shots that he doesn't make on a normal basis for them to win....in addition ray allen missed 3 FTS and KG missed 2 in a row for the heat to win....plus a blown layup by rondo and a look what i found airball put back by beasley...

[MaxwellSmart86]

Make up all the excuses you want to---BUT, when Game 7 rolls around and we are too worn out to give Cleveland a series, you'll look back to THIS disgraceful 4th quarter effort.

[MaxwellSmart86]

...

[tenn_smoothie]

Between Ray's and KG's misses, and Rondo's missed layup, we've given away seven points down the stretch.  We should be winning this game.

i was just adding up those same shots mr. hobbs - that long layup miss by rondo was key, it's a tough little shot to make, but it's one that should have been buried, followed by ray allen free throw makes and then KG free throw makes and the Celts would have wrapped this baby up.

type of game that has made this group frustrating to watch, but as long as we wrap it up 4-1, i'll be ok - just not sure i have a good feeling about game 5 right now.

the bench kicked in 20 points, but sheed was again useless. we need one of those bench guys to have a big game and take some pressure off the first five once in awhile.

[Jon]

Make up all the excuses you want to---BUT, when Game 7 rolls around and we are too worn out to give Cleveland a series, you'll look back to THIS disgraceful 4th quarter effort.

Do you honestly think that Dwayne Wade will EVER shoot like that again?  He literally just had the game of his life (a career high in the playoffs).  And Ray missed three free throws in a row.  It'll never, ever play out like this again.  

[Mike-Dub]

I would like to thank DOC RIVERS for wearing out his BIG 3 in the 3rd quarter---By playing them ALL the ENTIRE time----THUS leading to 5 MISSED free throws to LOSE this game for us....GOOD Coaching there.

You do realize Ray and Pierce didn't play much of the first half cuz of foul trouble, right? Kg and Paul play 37mins, Ray played 34. That's were you want them to be for a playoff game.

At some point, you have to stop blaming Doc and blame, oh I don't know, the players...

HEY, I remember KC Jones doing the EXACT same thing in 1987 vs. LA----Lead to Magic's Junior Sky hook and the CHAMPIONSHIP-!!

You tell me why Ray Allen misses 3 straight and KG 2....TIRED legs-!!

You cannot blame the coach on why players miss free-throws.  Tired or not they are professional basketball players and they should make their free-throws.

Especially not since Ray got benched after missing his two freebies. That's what you'd want, isn't it?

Idk what you mean by this?  Wanting Ray benched after missing free-throws?  No, way in hell I would want our best three-point shooter and free-throw shooter benched when we are trying to get back in the game down by 6.

 I'm just saying you can't blame Doc for players missing free-throws, it's not like he can take them for them.