When the four elite teams have lost...

[campybatman]

Obviously, the absence of Garnett affects the team's defense. Interestingly, Boston hadn't lost more than four games in a month this season until this month. They've lost five, thus far. Boston's longest losing streak was four games and they've lost back-to-back games three times. And their worst losses have come against Indiana (first meeting), Cleveland and New York on the road.

Two losses were by two points or less. Overall, out of the current eighteen losses, only five of them were by double digits

In general, when these teams lose, things go wrong on both ends of the floor. If it's not a good offensive night, that's going to affect the other end as well, because it's harder to get back to set up your defense. It works the other way, too. It's hard to get easy looks at the basket when you're opponent is scoring on his end and able to set up defensively.

The Celtics' numbers are similar to those of the Cavs, but are affected by Kevin Garnett's recent 13-game absence. During that stretch, Boston lost six games, and the Celtics' defense was downright awful in three of those.

In their 12 losses with KG in the lineup, it has been mostly the Celtics' offense that has failed them. In six of those losses, including their Christmas Day loss in L.A. and their only loss to the Cavs, they've had an offensive rating of less than 100 points per 100 possessions.

And the offensive issues are everywhere. In the Celtics' losses, they turn the ball over more, they don't get to the line or in the paint as much, and they don't move the ball enough.

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/j ... index.html