How to ruin a perfectly good game!!!

[DesertDweller]

Throw in a couple of officials that should be fined and suspended for a lot of the asinine calls that killed Boston's momentum in this game. I generally take things with a grain of salt when Heinson starts babbling about fouls but when Brad Sevens comes unglued you know something is amiss.
Yes, Boston could still have won the game but those kind of blatant bad calls have to play with your head and then trying to give us make-up calls makes it even worse.
This would have been a huge win with the back to back Brooklyn games coming up.

[cb8883]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

[pearljammer10]

The officials were awful last night but they were terribly consistent for both teams. Can't blame the officials for the loss last night in anyway. The Celtics lost that game even when they were given extra chances at the end to come back.

[pearljammer10]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

How does Randle of Winslow help us win this game? Yes the Celtics blew this game, having eiter of those guys we might not have been in the game to begin with. And how is it just assumed we would have Winslow? What?

[celts55]

The Celtics lost because they took their collective foot off the gas after they went up big in the first. Easy as that. They are not good enough to play at 90 or even 95%. The only way this team wins is consistent effort. Hopefully they learn from this game that a lead in the first quarter isn't a win.

[fairweatherfan]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

Hmmm....this all makes perfect sense of course.  If I'm understanding things correctly, the only sane reaction would be to go full tank.

[slamtheking]

The Celtics lost because they took their collective foot off the gas after they went up big in the first. Easy as that. They are not good enough to play at 90 or even 95%. The only way this team wins is consistent effort. Hopefully they learn from this game that a lead in the first quarter isn't a win.

agreed.  role players don't have that cushion to play with. 

getting screwed by the refs the first half to keep Dallas in the game didn't help.  if that game had been more equitably called (not even equitable, just more equitable than actually occured) the C's would have been up 20 at halftime and been more likely to win this game.

When I mentioned during pre-season and early season that the C's were at risk of losing games like this because they didn't have that necessary stud player to go to at the end of games, this is the type of game I had in mind.  I've never gotten on the IT bandwagon because while he can be a terrific scorer, he's not bringing much else to the table.  As Carlisle showed last night, it's not that difficult to pick on IT on defense in the post rendering him a significant liability on the court.  I'm surprised other coaches haven't utilized that so far but I think after seeing the effectiveness of it, more smart coaches will follow suit.

[DesertDweller]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

How does Randle of Winslow help us win this game? Yes the Celtics blew this game, having eiter of those guys we might not have been in the game to begin with. And how is it just assumed we would have Winslow? What?

Nothing like someone with a man crush on Randle calling me a homer!!!  too funny

[DesertDweller]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

How does Randle of Winslow help us win this game? Yes the Celtics blew this game, having eiter of those guys we might not have been in the game to begin with. And how is it just assumed we would have Winslow? What?

Nothing like someone with a man crush on Randle calling me a homer!!!  too funny

[dreamgreen]

Throw in a couple of officials that should be fined and suspended for a lot of the asinine calls that killed Boston's momentum in this game. I generally take things with a grain of salt when Heinson starts babbling about fouls but when Brad Sevens comes unglued you know something is amiss.
Yes, Boston could still have won the game but those kind of blatant bad calls have to play with your head and then trying to give us make-up calls makes it even worse.
This would have been a huge win with the back to back Brooklyn games coming up.

Bolded part has to start happening, it was just awful!!

The one part you missed which drives me CRAZY!! When your jump shot isn't falling take the ball to the basket!!

[nickagneta]

I know this might be heretical given the Stevens love on this site but I really think his substitution patterns in the second half killed this team last night. When Dallas went big with Pachulia, Didk, Parsons and Williams at PG for long periods of time Stevens would have respond with an ultra small lineup of Thomas, Bradley, Turner/Smart, Crowder and Sully. This group got absolutely killed.

Every time Thomas was in the game in the second half they went right at him. Thomas gave up a lot and when the Celtics tried to double Felton, Williams, or Barea would just dish off the drive for open shots. That 10+ lead evaporated during this rotation and with Thomas in the game in the second half.

Also, the C's stopped being aggressive and stopped going inside in the second half. The outside jumpers commenced and they stopped hitting them. Dallas doesn't have an inside presence. The ball should have been goin inside to Sully and Johnson and been playing Kelly more often with Sully as their offensive chemistry is good against weak defending front courts.

I don blame the refs, though they were awful. I blame this one on Stevens

[DesertDweller]

The Celtics lost because they took their collective foot off the gas after they went up big in the first. Easy as that. They are not good enough to play at 90 or even 95%. The only way this team wins is consistent effort. Hopefully they learn from this game that a lead in the first quarter isn't a win.

You folks with your "The Celtics are not good enough" mentality should do what all good zombies do when confronted with a pick axe to the head....cease to exist!!!
Don't have a clue what you'll be saying when Boston wins 50+ this year.

[kozlodoev]

How to ruin a perfectly good game? Cough up the ball when you absolutely need a bucket not to lose. Or blow a 18-point lead. Actually, why not both?

[Chris22]

Can anyone cover Barea?

[Sketch5]

Please stop being a homer. The Celtics blew this game, plain and simple. Now if they had taken someone else in 2014...someone else like Randle then they probably win this game. Now I know that you'll tell me well the defensive backcourt is great. If they had taken Randle then you have him and Winslow thus adding more top end talent to the roster and thus being able to get through a game like this. Rather than having a player who drives the paint once a game!

They didn't blow the game. The C's were super aggressive on D that first quarter, then the refs started to call every little tick tacky foul which took them out of it. Even the Mavs couldn't get into a good groove, the game was ugly on both ends.

The difference was the Mavs are the vet team and have gone threw crap like that and waited it out. IT and Turner made some bad plays. Sully was the only guy playing well threw out, AB had spurts, but his lack of size keeps him from consistently going to the hoop when his shot stops dropping. 

I know you hate Smart, but Randle isn't really lighting the league on fire. Im more upset they didn't take a flyer on Lavine, but at 6 thats was reaching. Randle also blew off the second work out, probably is what made them go with Smart along with them having the huge log jam at Pf and Rondo on his way out.

Plus how would we get Winslow if we got Randle, not sure things would have played out much differently.  And Winslow is a nice prospect, but doesn't address the issue the C's have and thats scoring.  He would add to the strengths, and to the weakness as well.

And right now, I'd rather have Sully than Randle.He fits Stevens system better. I just hope Sully stays motivated to keep plying this way.