Last night the Celtics had another huge lead which they let slip away. For what feels like the hundredth time this season, the Celtics started a game with the pedal to the metal as they stretched a ten point lead into a 23 point advantage by scoring 13 unanswered points.
Of course, as has been the case this season, the Celtics had several scoring droughts of their own in the second half and left Atlanta with their 5th loss in a row. So, what's the deal with the Celtics not being able to finish?
CELTICS NEED A FINISHER- In case you hadn't noticed, the Celtics lack a go to player down the stretch. While I think they have plenty of nice players on this roster, they do not have a scorer who wants the ball at the end of the game. When watching the end of games you will see a bunch of guys very willing to pass the ball. So willing that they often run out of time on the shot clock and end up just chucking the ball towards the rim. As someone who absolutely loves to make a nice assist, I know that you aren't going to take a very quality shot when you are looking to pass. Although this is obviously a fatal flaw for an NBA team to have, I do think it may be enticing for a star player to come to Boston. While other people think that playing in Boston with Rajon Rondo has scared away free agents, I think Boston is a great landing spot for a big time scorer who wants the ball.
CELTICS NEED A FINISHER- In case you hadn't noticed, the Celtics lack a go to player down the stretch. While I think they have plenty of nice players on this roster, they do not have a scorer who wants the ball at the end of the game. When watching the end of games you will see a bunch of guys very willing to pass the ball. So willing that they often run out of time on the shot clock and end up just chucking the ball towards the rim. As someone who absolutely loves to make a nice assist, I know that you aren't going to take a very quality shot when you are looking to pass. Although this is obviously a fatal flaw for an NBA team to have, I do think it may be enticing for a star player to come to Boston. While other people think that playing in Boston with Rajon Rondo has scared away free agents, I think Boston is a great landing spot for a big time scorer who wants the ball.
WINNING IS A HABIT- Last season a relatively young Celtics team played a full NBA season with the purpose of developing young players and getting a top three pick. Well, the young players did get a chance to develop, but the top three pick didn't exactly pan out. In addition to getting a chance to develop, the Celtics' players got into the habit of playing hard for most of the game and then losing. As Vince Lombardi is famous for saying "....winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." So, while we were pretty happy with the team's effort last season, that "play hard and then lose the game" habit is going to be hard to break.
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