Instead, what we got was one of their worst overall performances of the season.
I’d say they were good for about a half in certain spots, but that was about it.
Having said that, the Bulls do fascinate me.
But of those 13 wins?
8 have come against teams .500 or better.
They’re only 2 games out of a top 6 seed and 3.5 out of a top 4 seed.
Yet, they’re sellers at the deadline?
They deserved everything that happened to them down the stretch.
Lets be VERY clear about that before we dive in.
That was their own doing, so let’s talk about it.
Should he know by now not to even react when Tony Brothers does anything?
Notice how there was a no-call here on very obvious contact?
Look at how Tatum reacts.
The same frustrated clap because the refs missed an obvious foul.
You’ll notice, Tony Brothers wasn’t involved here, so there was no tech.
This was that play
It’s laughable at this point.
I’d like to begin with what we saw defensively if that’s OK with everyone.
What needs to remain constant is your defensive execution.
The Bulls got up 52 3PA, which is an insane number against this Celtics defense.
For comparison, the Hawks are 30th in the NBA and they allow 41.5.
The Celts were Mazzulla Ball’d.
I’d say the same thing for the Payton Pritchard minutes, especially in the 4th quarter.
Unfortunately, those were nowhere to be found late.
They sort of got away with it in the first half (I guess?)
but the second stint was brutal.
Whatever that experiment was, it failed.
For the first time in A LONG time, the Celtics lost their composure.
Here’s an example of what I mean.
Right after the jump ball and the double techs, the Celts were back on defense down 5.
Let me ask you, how would you grade this defensive effort and execution?
Even before all the techs, how is shit like this even remotely acceptable?
Sorry, this is just bad basketball.
- Which brings me to the next item on my list.
The play of Jaylen Brown.
Offensively, just 7-17 (1-9) with 3 TOs and a -19 in his 36 minutes.
Defensively, well I mean you could see the clips above.
It’s not exactly what I would call….good.
This doesn’t just mean scoring, it also means defending at a high level.
It was one of the few times Jaylen’s -19reallyfelt like a -19.
That simply cannot happen.
THAT is what people say will save the NBA TV ratings.
Call me crazy, but that shit fucking stinks.
This is the anti-Mazzulla Ball approach so no shit it didn’t work.
I don’t care if KP has missed 50 straight 3PA, take the 3.
At some point, you have to make shots.
I know it feels cheap to chalk it up to that, but again, 39/25%.
Part of the game is you know, scoring.
And this wasn’t a night where the Celts only settled for 3PA.
They took 33 FGA in the paint (CHI - 34).
They took 21 FTA.
There was balance offensively.
The problem was when they needed to make an open 3PA, they bricked every single one.
- I can live with off shooting nights.
Every team in the NBA has them.
That is excusable on every level and it’s why the Celtics lost.
Just look at the 4th quarter
Getting outrebounded 18-6??????
Another game of multiple 4th quarter OREB leading to huge 2nd chance points?
Dogshit shooting combined with zero defensive resistance?
No shit you lost this game, that’s losing basketball.
I say it all the time and I truly mean it.
The Celtics might be the worst late game defensive rebounding team in the NBA.
It makes no sense.
All of those OREB came simply off hustle and fight.
The Bulls played harder, played with more energy and effort, and they were rewarded for it.
CHI finished 7-9 in the paint and 5-12 from 3, so where exactly was the defense?
More than enough time to right the ship and lock in, yet the team did the opposite.
The good thing about this team is they don’t really let this throw in of stuff snowball.
It’d also be nice if they hit a shot or two, and something tells me they will.
