Were we any good vs the bucks or did they just simply suck?

[Marcus13]

A game can't get that ugly without it being a combination of both.

Let's just pray that game was what Murphy needed to get out of his shell

[European NBA fan]

One thing comes to my mind: The starters needed this game, both for themselves and to set the tone on defense for the new guys. Like "look-this-is-how-we-play-defense-when-we-really-put-our-hearts-in-it".

I think this post-game quote from Scott Skiles says it all:

That's about as humiliating a defeat as you'll ever see. Right at the jump ball [Rajon] Rondo got right up into Brandon [Jennings], and they got us on our heels and took our competitive fight away from us. We pretty much just gave into it.

[toinewalka]

A game can't get that ugly without it being a combination of both.

I agree.  They couldn't make a shot and we were making them work for tough ones.  That was def a combo of both.  Our offense could have been better, but that's what happens when you play the back-ups that long.  I think that was really smart to try to work them into a rhythm, and when you only need 60 to win, it was the perfect game to do it.

[LooseCannon]

In fairness to them, however, they 1. just played the night before, 2. in a different time zone, 3. had to travel,4. lost an hour with the clocks moving ahead and 5. played a game with an early start.

Let's not give them too much excuses.  That other time zone was Central because it was a home game and they were coming off of a blowout 102-74 win at home against the 76ers which gave some of their starters additional rest.

[Bahku]

Minimum minutes for the starters, and great defense ... please let's not downplay our wins. People complain about the losses, and then try to rob us of the credit for our wins. I think we've had enough negative to last the rest of the season.

Darnit Bahku, don't you know people that are optimistic about this team arent being realists?  Only those that are negative are looking at things the way that they really are.  You need to start being real.  Didn't we learn anything last year?  Losing games during the middle of the regular season doesnt help this team in the playoffs, they CANNOT flip a switch

Thanks for the reality check, Buddy, (TP) ... I don't know what I was thinking! Must be the long hours and lack of food).

[Greenbean]

So when we lose, it is because we suck. When we win (even in a dominant fashion) it is because the other team sucks?

No. The Celtics are a great team and their record speaks to how good they are. Stepping back from the game to game mentality, they are on pace to win 60 games.

They have a great record against the top teams and have a core of super talented, playoff tested veterans who have played with each other for years. They now have a bench with a mix of youth, shooting, rebounding(hopefully) and hustle.

We won last night because the Celtics are a great team and the Bucks really had no business being in either of the close wins earlier in the year.

[Chris]

So when we lose, it is because we suck. When we win (even in a dominant fashion) it is because the other team sucks?

I don't think anyone is claiming we won because the Bucks suck.  I think they are saying we completely blew them out in a historic fashion because they suck/gave up.

[LooseCannon]

The Bucks have a top defense and the worst offense.  They allow the third-fewest points per game but still get outscored by opponents.  It's like having an entire team that plays like Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen.  They're probably a few wins better than their record suggests and they are a borderline playoff team who can beat anyone on the rare nights their offense actually works because of their defense, but they are starting three players (Salmons, Jennings, Delfino) with shooting percentages under 40%.

[Redz]

The Bucks have a top defense and the worst offense.  They allow the third-fewest points per game but still get outscored by opponents.  It's like having an entire team that plays like Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen.  They're probably a few wins better than their record suggests and they are a borderline playoff team who can beat anyone on the rare nights their offense actually works because of their defense, but they are starting three players (Salmons, Jennings, Delfino) with shooting percentages under 40%.

Yup, the Celts only scored 87 themselves last night (11 under their average)

[European NBA fan]

The Bucks have a top defense and the worst offense.  They allow the third-fewest points per game but still get outscored by opponents.  It's like having an entire team that plays like Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen.  They're probably a few wins better than their record suggests and they are a borderline playoff team who can beat anyone on the rare nights their offense actually works because of their defense, but they are starting three players (Salmons, Jennings, Delfino) with shooting percentages under 40%.

Yup, the Celts only scored 87 themselves last night (11 under their average)

With Bogut on the floor, the Bucks are probably the slowest paced team in the league. And when teams like the Celtics play tough defense on them, their shots often come very late in their posessions, since they don't have anyone who can create his own shot with a solid percentage (except from when Boykins can outrun his defender).

[BballTim]

  We're over 3/4 of the way through the season and our defensive rating went down by about a half a point just based on that one game.

[Greenbean]

So when we lose, it is because we suck. When we win (even in a dominant fashion) it is because the other team sucks?

I don't think anyone is claiming we won because the Bucks suck.  I think they are saying we completely blew them out in a historic fashion because they suck/gave up.

You know you are probably right. I fell into a classic CelticsBlog trap.

I saw one thread title and made some generalizations.

I do think this team is great though and I try not to make snap judgments in either direction after a win or a loss. It sure is difficult when we are all so passionate about a team though.

[KungPoweChicken]

I thought the C's played a very solid defensive first quarter, but on offense they were very sloppy. After the first quarter, the Bucks basically gave up.