Stevens deserves some of the blame for how we've started in the first two games

[the TRUTH]

Anyone who has ever coached at a high level has likely heard the saying that no matter what happens, you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. Are the Hawks a better team than us right now considering the injuries we're dealing with? Yes. But to start out both games as horribly as we have, Brad Stevens deserves a lot of the blame for that. Whether it's our game plan entering each game, or not motivating the players sufficiently, I'm not sure. But the Hawks should never be ahead 24-3 against this Celtics team, no matter who we have on the court.

I'm not at all saying that Stevens should be on the hot seat, as I'm glad he's the coach of this team now and moving forward. That being said, as much as he's impressed me with what he's done in the regular season, he's yet to prove he can perform at that level in the playoffs as well.

As Jeff mentioned in the front page article, this team definitely has a ceiling to what it can accomplish this postseason. However, I don't think we've come anywhere close to reaching that ceiling in these first two games. Stevens' job is to make sure we do at least approach that ceiling. Friday night is a huge game in that regard, as that'll determine whether or not we have a realistic shot of winning the series.

[Tr1boy]

I agree with some pts. But also his hands are tied.  We actually really need young and Mickey right about now. Even if they are not 100 percent ready

Throw off atl game plan.

Atl right now is just daring the Celts to shoot.  Defensively , without AB they are running circles around IT.  Smart should really be on their pgs bit then IT will be toast against Thebo

[Tr1boy]

If we had a healthy KO, IT has more room to drive in. 

Ab also would open up the floor

[Eja117]

Take away two critical players from any team and see what happens.

If the Celts were totally healthy right now and ATL lost D Schroeder and Kyle Korver what do you suppose would happen?

[the TRUTH]

I agree with some pts. But also his hands are tied.  We actually really need young and Mickey right about now. Even if they are not 100 percent ready

Throw off atl game plan.

Atl right now is just daring the Celts to shoot.  Defensively , without AB they are running circles around IT.  Smart should really be on their pgs bit then IT will be toast against Thebo

I agree that his hands are tied to a certain extent. As a coach, his job is to put his best players in position to get good looks at the basket on the offensive end. When we don't have anyone that can consistently hit an outside shot, there isn't much he can do when that's all Atlanta is giving us. As long as we're getting a decent look every time down, I don't have much of a problem with what's happening, as those shots will eventually start going down. But early in both games, we've gone long stretches where we couldn't even get a decent look. In those situations, our team looks unprepared, which is on Stevens. Atlanta is good defensively, but they aren't the '04 Pistons or the '08 Celtics.

Defensively, my issue early in these two games is that the Hawks are scoring at will, and many of those buckets are wide open dunks. No way that should be happening, especially early in a game when our players are prepared, focused and fresh. To me, that's an example of the Hawks outcoaching us.

[the TRUTH]

Take away two critical players from any team and see what happens.

If the Celts were totally healthy right now and ATL lost D Schroeder and Kyle Korver what do you suppose would happen?

The injuries have clearly hurt us - no doubt about it. It's one thing to just lose to a better team. But it's another thing to get absolutely destroyed, which is what has been happening early in both games. Even with the injuries, I think we can still beat the Hawks as long as we eliminate those 5-10 minute stretches where we look like a high school team playing against the Warriors. 

[hwangjini_1]

I agree with some pts. But also his hands are tied.  We actually really need young and Mickey right about now. Even if they are not 100 percent ready

Throw off atl game plan.

Atl right now is just daring the Celts to shoot.  Defensively , without AB they are running circles around IT.  Smart should really be on their pgs bit then IT will be toast against Thebo

so, in what way would mickey have altered the current situation for the celtics in the playoffs? i mean i cant imagine even your mickey-crush arguing he would have changed the outcome in either game.

[ssspence]

Stevens has done a lot during the regular season with a flawed roster of role guys, cast offs, and marginal draft picks. This team is not built for the playoffs. And they're definitely not when beaten up (or in Sully's case -- fat).

Brad can't shoot for his players, pass for his players, defend for his players. He can't go back in time and put better genes into his players. He can't make them taller, faster, or better shooters. And he can't heal them, even though I guess you could say he's responsible for the all-out style that's portal contributed to gritty guys like Crowder and Bradley being worn down.

He can be a motivator, but he can't make his players less intimidated (and they are).

Keep building the talent level on the team. Give Stevens more to work with. But realistically, Celtics fans should take a step back, look at this motley crew of players, and recognized that they've largely overachieved over the past 18 months.

[jpotter33]

No, Stevens definitely does deserve some of the blame in game 2 for starting big again. I know that Bradley and KO being out complicates things, but he even admitted it himself that he shouldn't have went big to start the game. Many of us here were saying you must go small to matchup with them, and you have to start off the game that way. After the first six minutes or so once we went small and matched up with them, we played them even the rest of the way, even with as horrible as our offense was.

Amir and Sully are also probably our worst pairing against these guys offensively, because neither of them can spread the floor. So when you subtract Avery from the lineup, add Smart, and figure in the fact that Crowder is a shell of himself due to his injury, you really only have one true outside threat in IT. Thus, they just packed the paint against us. You have to start someone like JJ or go super small with IT, Smart, Crowder, Turner, and Amir to matchup with them, and I guarantee we'll see one of those changes in game 3.

But it absolutely was a mistake on Brad's part to go big to start game 2 again. It cost us another bad start, and though the way our offense was going we would've probably lost anyways, it ultimately kept us from ever being close with the Hawks again in the game.

[saltlover]

I do think we need to either start Jerebko or Turner -- preferably JJ.  That said, as long as Crowder has lost his shot, it's going to be very difficult to create any kind of space on offense anyway, since the defense can sag off both him and Smart.

Also, I don't know who's fault it was (multiple players, I guess) that Korver got 6 open looks from 3 in the first quarter, but that pretty much decided the game.  You can't help off of Korver, and yet they did the entire first quarter.  (I know one was on Hunter, who got yanked 6 seconds after being put in the game, so it certainly wasn't the game plan to sag off Korver.)

[MBunge]

Stevens deserves less blame for the start of game 2 than he does for the start of game 1 and several other times the team has come out and not seemed ready to play. 

Mike

[droopdog7]

I've yet to read anyone blame the other team.

[SHAQATTACK]

The Celtics walk a fine line on being able to compete with the top 10 teams night in and out.

CBS has mentioned dozens of times this season.  It doesn't take much to up set the apple cart .

Celtics play the hustle game to the nth degree .  When a piece is missing any good correct pressure and team oriented effort is not there , there is no one but IT to turn to.  A 5 ' 8" dude they gang up on .

CBS FOUND a way ago win with very little top level talent.   He knew this , admitted , th Celtics have to play dang near perfect to win. ......when you have no Kobe , Pierce , Harden player who can go off on anybody anytime. The play off series is more of a one on one deal......not good for Celtics.

We just don't have a good starting level talent in to front court to match .

[jpotter33]

I do think we need to either start Jerebko or Turner -- preferably JJ.  That said, as long as Crowder has lost his shot, it's going to be very difficult to create any kind of space on offense anyway, since the defense can sag off both him and Smart.

Also, I don't know who's fault it was (multiple players, I guess) that Korver got 6 open looks from 3 in the first quarter, but that pretty much decided the game.  You can't help off of Korver, and yet they did the entire first quarter.  (I know one was on Hunter, who got yanked 6 seconds after being put in the game, so it certainly wasn't the game plan to sag off Korver.)

Part of the Korver fiasco was Smart getting the bruised rib literally seconds before Korver went off. Smart went out, and that's when Hunter got owned by him. Then when Smart came back in you could tell he wasn't right the entire first quarter after that shot he took. He's done an absolutely phenomenal job on Korver every other time he's guarded him.

[loco_91]

Stevens is a great coach, but he gets so hyped up that people expect miracles. If we'd won that game, what with all of our injuries and the way the Hawks were playing D, it would have been a miracle. I have some minor quarrels with some of the adjustments Brad made, but I'm also modest enough to know that he probably knows better than I do, and I'm realistic enough to know that no coach is going to win playoff games without help from their players.