I'm really just at a loss right now.
The Celtics played small in the second half of last season and won the vast majority of their games.
Sure, they miss Avery Bradley. But Courtney Lee and Jason Terry should have been able to fill in more than adequately.
So why isn't it working this year? Like, at all?
The Celtics are bad at a lot of things that a good basketball team needs to be able to do:
- Rebounding
- Preventing dribble penetration
- Protecting the rim
- Hitting high value shots (threes and looks in the paint) at a high rate
- Getting consistent production from the bench
I look at a team like the Atlanta Hawks, and they are far less talented overall than the Celtics. But they have been much more successful. They rebound, they get looks inside, they have a lot of good outside shooters, and they defend the perimeter and the paint effectively. They're a better team even though they lack a star on the same level as Rondo, Pierce, or Garnett. In short, the Hawks are just built in a much more traditional way than the Celtics, and it works. What the Celtics have right now isn't working.