Three players shot well last night, 5 players played well, and in the 3rd and 4th 0 players played smart, mature, experienced NBA basketball. None. Nunca. Zero.
When you have the opposition in the penalty and are up double digits, you take the ball to the basket and create contact. The Celtics instead tried too hard to make passes that weren't there causing turnovers and took outside shots.
When you have to be going to the hole you run high pick and roll, send the ball inside to the post and push the pace to get something going before the opposition sets up their defense. The Celtics ran double screens for Allen to open up on outside shots and pick and pops for outside shots and walked the ball up the court.
And the Celtics allowed the refs to get under their skin and effect their play throughout the game. And it caught up to them in the 4th.
Doc had limited options as Pietrus, Ray, Hollins, and Dooling, his 9 man bench rotation were giving him less than nothing and 3 of his starters were in foul trouble. Doc didn't have his best coaching game but much more of the blame for this loss rests squarely on the shoulders of the players that played dumb and played poorly and shot poorly.