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...that's it boys and girls...whatever it is that is making Boston play COMPLETELY differently on the road in the playoffs will ultimately spell their doom...

...I give Boston very little chance of winning game 4...frankly I doubt they can keep it in single digits...not because I'm pessamistic, but simply because the team has not been able to execute their offense or defense ONCE IN FOUR ROAD GAMES...

I have never, ever seen anything like this in all my years of watching basketball...a team so fundementally dominant during the regular season, both home and road, and then completely inept come playoff time...

They are perfectly capable at home, yet can't duplicate EVEN ONE FACET of their game on the road, after setting one of the all-time road standards during the regular season...

As an analyst and professional I'm at a complete loss....this is ALL PLAYER related, so don't get on the Doc Rivers trip please...its up the the players to execute the offense and defense that they'd nearly perfected during the regular season...

What a terrible display of basketball...this team has major mental problems....and they aren't going to survive them if this keeps up...

No team in NBA history has won all its home games, so get that idea out of your heads...this team isn't going to win no damn title playing like this...I don't think they can win the series doing this, forget 2 more rounds...

...there are no "adjustments" for this folks...this is 100 PERCENT a problem of mentality, not schemes or ability...worst part is, the team is REGRESSING apparently...no incremental progress to be found...none of consequence or consistency...

...be afraid....be very afraid...

My question to you, sir, is do they even run an offense? It seems like the Celtics have about 3 plays:

1) Dribble the clock down and shoot a bad shot.
2) Pick and roll with two players who aren't good pick and roll players (IE Rondo and Perk instead of Pierce and KG)
3) Post KG and let him do something.

Seriously, are there any sets at all?

The reason we haven't played well on the road is the opponents play better when they're home and the C's role-players and young players don't do anything productive.

Look at tonight, with the exception of Ray Allen I can live with the point production off those # of shots for the Big 3. But they NEED more SHOTS.

The offensive production from Rondo and Cassell is unacceptable.

The DEFENSE is unacceptable....way too much penetration and open looks for the Cavs role players.

And frankly the C's played just one absolutely atrocious first quarter.

I think the Celtics will win game 4. I have nothing to support that, but I don't think the Cavs role players are that good and don't think they can play this well consistently. When was the last time Delonte had 2 great games in a row?

I agree, if we don't start playing better on the road we're not going anywhere. We might slip by Cleveland in 7 but there's no way we get past Detroit.

But I haven't given up on this team yet. They ARE capable of playing well on the road. They need to go back and watch film of their Texas triangle trip. That's the last time they really played well on the road. Just watch the intensity, and determination. That's what you need on the road. Instead, the C's go the other direction, becoming less focused and more passive. It's frustrating but the C's CAN do it, they just haven't. So far.

billfromBoston wrote:No team in NBA history has won all its home games, so get that idea out of your heads...this team isn't going to win no damn title playing like this...I don't think they can win the series doing this, forget 2 more rounds...

I offer a little optimism to counter. I predict the C's win the next game. Even though they lost this one, I actually didn't feel like they played helplessly like they did in Atlanta, and I also think they stayed more poised as well. I don't have much to back it up, but I have this feeling they're going to win game 4.

The same reason the C's play well at home are the same reason that Utah, Cleveland, SA, NO, LAL and Detroit are all perfect at home in the second round. It's hard to win on the road, and Cleveland will not win in Boston.

cisco wrote:I think the Celtics will win game 4. I have nothing to support that, but I don't think the Cavs role players are that good and don't think they can play this well consistently. When was the last time Delonte had 2 great games in a row?

Woah, spooky.

...there is no one area to point to with Boston's effort tonight...they didn't do anything right...you can't pin it on the 1st quarter or the bench, any of that...they collectively failed to execute...AFTER having over a week to "think things through" from the ATL series...

Of course we knew that the Cavs would come out with their best effort, that's to be expected...no, I don't expect the Cavs role players to be as prolific as they were tonight...but they have a ton of role players and I expect at least 3 of them to contribute something in game 4...

The truth of the matter is that much of that production was due to defensive lapses by the Celtics players, which led to high percentage looks...Cleveland didn't have to work too hard for a good deal of their points...simple ball-movement did them in...this is something the Celtics have effectively defended against at home- AND all throughout the regular season....

There is no logic embedded in this...I read the game thread where some are just assuming the Cavs role playes won't step up again...I say that if Boston doesn' t play effective defense the Cavs players will do whatever they damn well please...they aren't going to fail simply because they show up, Boston has to make them miss....

...they don't look capable of doing that...

Props to Perkins by the way...yet again the only player to show up in the road games....

Can a team this good at home with homecourt advantage win in the playoffs?

dwestside wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I offer a little optimism to counter. I predict the C's win the next game. Even though they lost this one, I actually didn't feel like they played helplessly like they did in Atlanta, and I also think they stayed more poised as well. I don't have much to back it up, but I have this feeling they're going to win game 4.

Bill made some great points in his post. Celtics have shown nothing in the last 4 road games even remotely indicates they can win on the road. I knew this game was over in the first 6 minutes.

I say there is no way in hell they can win game 4. People can be optimistic all they want but unless this team wins a road game no one can seriously call them a contender.

Look at what the pistons did today. No Billips yet the still won the game. Pistons will wrap up the series in game 4. Meanwhile the celtics will still be dicking around trying to beat the cavs.

billfromBoston wrote:...there is no one area to point to with Boston's effort tonight...they didn't do anything right...you can't pin it on the 1st quarter or the bench, any of that...they collectively failed to execute...AFTER having over a week to "think things through" from the ATL series...

Of course we knew that the Cavs would come out with their best effort, that's to be expected...no, I don't expect the Cavs role players to be as prolific as they were tonight...but they have a ton of role players and I expect at least 3 of them to contribute something in game 4...

The truth of the matter is that much of that production was due to defensive lapses by the Celtics players, which led to high percentage looks...Cleveland didn't have to work too hard for a good deal of their points...simple ball-movement did them in...this is something the Celtics have effectively defended against at home- AND all throughout the regular season....

There is no logic embedded in this...I read the game thread where some are just assuming the Cavs role playes won't step up again...I say that if Boston doesn' t play effective defense the Cavs players will do whatever they damn well please...they aren't going to fail simply because they show up, Boston has to make them miss....

...they don't look capable of doing that...

Props to Perkins by the way...yet again the only player to show up in the road games....

There are still some positives to take out of this game.

Still kept LeBron in check for the most part.

We didn't get blown out by 30.

We cut down a 26 point lead to around 12....just couldn't get any more stops or shots to drop to make another run.

KG is still solid and consistent offensively.

Big Baby, Tony Allen, and Eddie House got some minutes (yea this is a stretch but even these guys need to get some time or they will lose their confidence).

dwestside wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I offer a little optimism to counter. I predict the C's win the next game. Even though they lost this one, I actually didn't feel like they played helplessly like they did in Atlanta, and I also think they stayed more poised as well. I don't have much to back it up, but I have this feeling they're going to win game 4.

...i'd counter that by stating that its easier to show composure when you're already down by 26 points...at that point nothing to do but go up...its easier to rush when the game is frenetic...this was a snoozer until they got it to 12...then they fell apart again and fubbed 6 posessions in a row on both sides of the ball...

Look, this team CAN win game 4...because they SHOULD be much, much better on the road...certainly they are substantially better than Cleveland from a roster standpoint...

But the mental game is crushing them right now...Ray Allen is completely baffling me at this point...he smoked these fools in the regular season and now he suddenly doesn't get any quality touches and can't get a rhythm going at all...

This team lacks offensive comprehension and defensive focus in the road game thus far...they don't ID the mis-matches on the offensive end and they don't communicate or rotate effectively on D...

Again, i've never seen anything like this...its harder to play on the road, but certain things should carry over...this makes no sense to me as i've nothing to compare it to...

...I guess uncharted territory makes me nervous...but I honestly have nothing to latch onto to work through and feel good about things...this team has shown me nothing on the road thus far....and its freaking me out...

Bleeding Green wrote:Can a team this good at home with homecourt advantage win in the playoffs?

They were not that great in Game 1. Celtics could easily be down 2-1 right now. After the cavs win on Monday the celtics have to rely on home court yet again to win a series. Right now teams know that once they win a game in Boston the series is over. Do you really believe that the pistions will not steal a game in boston if they beat the cavs?

What is sad is that the 2001/2002 celtics were mentally tougher on the road than this team is.

I don't think it's mental toughness....it's more like diffusion of responsibility.

This C's team has so many weapons and is so unselfish that they tend to over pass and over play on defense.

They don't have a simple play like the old C's team used to go to when they need a basket.

The game-plan on the road is questionable.

Doc said something about the C's getting a 10 point lead before the game and pushing it up to 20....yea Doc that's it give them more empty confidence on the road.

The fact is the C's should have expected an uphill battle.....they should have realized the Cavs were going to come out swinging haymakers and clawing for their lives.

The C's should have slowed the game down and slowly chip away at a 10 pont lead.....not a 26 point lead.

The C's should have realized they needed their BEST DEFENSIVE effort in this game.

With the mentality of being up 10 and pushing it to 20 speaks volumes on the philosophy of the game before it even started.

And the rebounding was pretty awful too....it just gives the other team way more energy and sucks the life out of yourselves after getting a stop knowing you have to put more energy in getting another one right away.

Grab some damn boards for crying out loud!

Doc should have called a TO early in this game. I wonder why he waited?

I actually thought the Celts looked more helpless and unsure of themselves tonight than at any point against Atlanta.

I agree with that. I felt like the team had no chance all night.

two of the losses in ATL were bad games on the refs part.

Atleast thats what 33 and 47 FT say.

Boston wins game 4, im very confident in that. As long as they dont try to make 60 passes per possession or passes across the body, or jumping in mid air looking to pass after you have no idea where your going with it.

Here is a thought. It may take almost superhuman intenisty to play lock down defense for 48 minutes. So the team can only muster this intensity on occasions. Those occcasions come at home. I think back to the Pats win over the Rams in 2002. Superhuman defensive effort. But no team can play that defense for 16 games. The players wear out. On nights where the defensive intensity is not there, the C's have to push the pace making it a more up and down game.