Not much can be said about the Boston Celtics that hasn’t been said before. the Miami Heat They outsold, outsold, and outsold the Celtics through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals and if they don’t win tomorrow night, they’ll be out of the playoffs.
But Game 3 was the worst of the bunch. With their effective season on the line, the Celtics were worse than simply disappearing. Instead, they showed up with lackluster efforts on both sides of the ball, clearing Miami’s path to the NBA Finals. literally.
“I don’t even know where to start,” said Gaylene Brown. “I feel like we left our fan base behind [and] down regulation. We let ourselves down. And it was collective. We can point fingers, but in fact, it’s just embarrassing.”
After every disappointing loss this season, the Celtics have vowed to get better. They kept their eyes forward, choosing to focus on the future rather than the past.
For the most part, this is a great strategy. It is useless to frown. But while the Celtics shouldn’t live in the past, they do need to learn from it.
This is what they fail to do.
“As hard as it is, as it was tonight, we just have to try to move on,” said Jason Tatum. “Get ready, get ready, practice, shoot, and stuff for tomorrow. We’re obviously in a tough spot, but we just have to have some pride, bounce back, and better come Tuesday.”
“We just have to be better” was a common Celtics expression after a loss. It has become their motto after every bump in the road.
In theory, this is exactly what needs to be said. There is nothing else the Celtics can say. But they’re no better off, they don’t learn from their mistakes, and they just keep moving forward with the same unexplained lack of effort that brought them down.
After putting together two strong performances in Games 1 and 2, Tatum wilted in Game 3, failing to live up to his star power.
“We’re going to try to prepare our guys for the next game,” Brown said. “And we’ll go out, and we’ll give it our best shot. And at the end of the day, that’s what we have to do. That’s just how I see it. The series isn’t over yet.”
Throughout the history of the NBA, teams have been 0-149 when going down 0-3 in the playoff series. While Brown is technically correct, it ended as the series might have been without meeting the literal requirements of the phrase.
And again, preparing for the next match is only important when one is willing to learn from one’s mistakes.
Brown has set a rotten streak. Game 1 saw him put together an effective night but made countless errors that led to six turnovers. Game 2 was a disastrous effort for him on both sides of the ball, choosing to tunnel vision to the edge and call his number over and over. And in Game 3, it was more of the same.
“I think the most important thing is just staying together,” said Joe Mazzola after the game. “And then I have to be better. I have to put them in better positions. I have to get them ready to play.”
Obviously, it’s crucial for the Celtics to get together, but then again, the “we have to be better” excuse rears its ugly head.
Mazola is not on the field playing. The Celtics need to make the effort in this regard, and they simply haven’t. But the head coach was far from perfect in this series.
From not including Derrick White and Robert Williams in the closing lineups for Game 2 (when they were the second and third best players on the field) to not testing new lineups in Game 3 when pitchers got cold and failed to implement a successful defensive structure, Mazzulla was outplayed by Erik Spoelstra. a mile away.
All we’ll hear from the Celtics is, “We have to be better.” But there is no better future in it anymore. the time now.
More precisely, the time has passed.