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[kNiCk_PriDe]

http://www.prosportspress.com/basketball_news/890.html

The Celtics’ 19 game winning streak? Seems like it was a different season.

They’ve gone from having the best record in the NBA at 27-2, and talks of breaking the Bulls’ 72 win record to third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-9.

Their record since the 19-game winning streak? A disappointing 2-7.

The Boston Celtics season is quickly unraveling. Yes, they’re still sitting pretty at 3rd in the conference, but it's not about making the playoffs for Boston. It’s about repeating as NBA champions, and the odds of that don’t look so bright.

They have started to show their age, and frustration is building while the LeBron James led Cavaliers, and the up and coming Orlando Magic are dominating the league. After losing to the Cavaliers on Friday night, the Celtics losing streak has hit 4 games.

The reasons for the sudden streak of ineptitude-

-An aging Big Three.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen clearly don’t have the same pep in their step. As the season progresses, this becomes more of a problem. The drop off is more visible in Kevin Garnett. His numbers are down across the board, especially in rebounding. Some of it has to do with a decrease in minutes, and having good rebounders like Perkins and Pierce with him, but with 13+ years in the league, that is normal. The more apparent drop is in his scoring and intensity on offense. His touches and shot attempts have both decreased which was expected in order to play winning and team basketball, but the touches have fell even further from last year. His ppg average has dropped to 16.2, his lowest since his rookie year. While Kevin Garnett has always been jump shot happy, he has taken to parking himself on the perimeter even more than usual. KG is most effective in the post, and that’s where he should be playing. He needs to be more involved in the offense, get more touches, and be the 20+ scorer he has been for his career if the Celtics want to win again. Paul Pierce is usually looked at as the go-to-guy on the Celtics, but this team will go as far as KG takes it.

-The lack of a bench.

Losing James Posey hurt the Celtics more than they thought it would. Tony Allen has done a decent job, but doesn’t provide the shooting and intangibles Posey did. Who else is on the Celtics’ bench? Leon Powe, Eddie House, and….wait for it….ta da! Brian Scalabrine. If I was running the Celtics, I would look to get in on Mike Miller. The Timberwolves have reportedly made him available, and he would provide the scoring punch, versatility, and shooting they need off the bench. He can also spell Ray Allen if necessary.

- The Boston Celtics’ attitude.

The Boston Celtics have developed the notorious reputation of being over-confident, cocky, dirty, and disrespectful to opposing teams and players. They are viewed as a team full of career losers that came together and won a championship. The main culprit in this being Kevin Garnett, a player that has always been respected around the league and fans for his level of intensity, hard work, and team-first attitude, but has now become public enemy no.1 around the league. For a player that has been out of the first round only once, before last year, Garnett does a lot of talking. His intensity used to be cool, but now it just seems mean(Big Baby Glen Davis incident). The Celtics’ sportsmanship, or the lack of it has put a target on them on a nightly basis. Weaker opponents step up their game to play them. The fact that they are the defending World Champs doesn’t hurt the cause, thus the recent losses to the lottery-bound New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, and Golden State Warriors.

[Dogen]

That you, LeBron?

[TorontoSF]

From my view point, the Lakers loss was a turning point for the Celtics. Something must of snapped inside some of them, maybe before they knew and believed they were the best team in the league, but after that loss to a legitimate contender they have lost some of their swagger and confidence.

[s1ickd]

they're playing scared, plain and simple. they need a 40 point blowout to get their confidence back up.

it was interesting to see garnett get on one knee in fron tof rondo, pp, and ray toward the end of the clevelend game and address them. i wonder what he said. either way, they need to regroup because they really have something to prove.

last but not least... paul pierce needs to realize he's the offensive mvp of this team. the scoring has been awful recently, though pierce has played efficiently.

[Banks2Pierce]

I believe it is a complicated chain of events.

1. Bench just not getting it done > leads to starters playing more minutes than they should > age starts to show in late game situations when they have played too many minutes

2. Teams playing Rondo a lot differently > Rondo not adjusting well to this new strategy > Doc doesn't let the offense run through Rondo > a team that has no clue what to do on offense when Rondo doesn't have the ball 80-90% of the time > stars carrying more of the scoring load by going one on one more often which makes them tired in end game situations ( I think this is a very important reason for the struggles)

3. Starters not getting early leads > more pressure on the bench to either keep the opposition's lead where it is or cut into that lead>Doc has to shorten the minutes of the bench when they don't get it done

4. Eddie House sucking > Banks2Pierce throws various household appliances around the house and questions whether or not to drink hard alcohol during the games anymore

[NEM]

they're playing scared, plain and simple. they need a 40 point blowout to get their confidence back up.

it was interesting to see garnett get on one knee in fron tof rondo, pp, and ray toward the end of the clevelend game and address them. i wonder what he said. either way, they need to regroup because they really have something to prove.

last but not least... paul pierce needs to realize he's the offensive mvp of this team. the scoring has been awful recently, though pierce has played efficiently.

you guys had a 45 point win against the kings after the warriors loss... seems like it didnt work

[Kefa461]

That you Donny????

[ParticleMan]

midseason slump.

it happens. combination of uninspired play, emotional letdowns, some injuries (perk, TA), and a lack of defensive intensity.

hey, we're 29-9. rumors of the Celtics' death are greatly exaggerated. i love how the Big 3 have suddenly aged 10 years in a matter of weeks. nobody was sayiing how old they were when we were winning 19 in a row.

frankly, we're about where i thought we would be. i didn't expect us to be the #1 seed in the EC this year. too much of a letdown waiting to happen. what matter is how we're playing in June, not January.

[Tenbomber]

midseason slump....it happens.

hey, we're 29-9.....Rumors of the Celtics' death are greatly exaggerated!!!

So very true!....

Last year they had a midseason slump too as I recall....It's tough to maintain that intensity night after night when everyone is gunning for you....every game is a big game for our opposition....to see how they matchup....so its tough...and the C's have to be tough too!

Lets not jump to conclusions about this group just yet... wait for the playoffs at least!

[TheOGJabroni]

Last year they had a midseason slump too as I recall

I thought I was the only one to remember this. It wasn't as bad last year, but we also never went on this big of a run either. It will all even out. We will pick up some FA's (just like last year). And we will be right there at the end, defending our championship.

[UnOrthoDox23]

What's wrong with your Knicks? Oh wait, never mind.