In what is becoming a worrying trend, the Boston Celtics fell to yet another late collapse, this time losing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day.
We’ve seen this story before. Celtics jumped out to an early lead, played an enjoyable basketball brand, and looked to be on course for a notable victory. And then, a switch turns off. The quick decisions become ponderous, decisive execution quickly devolves into timid probing around the perimeter, and a stout defense is now a turnstile on every possession.
Big leads don’t mean much in the NBA, especially in the modern era where teams run the floor at breakneck speeds and hit threes as if they’re layups. Yet, the Celtics continue to get overconfident down the stretch but don’t seem to be learning their lesson.
“We’re learning how we’re going to finish games … Now we’re growing and then eventually, we’ll get good at that area and be able to take care of it.”
The loss to Milwaukee sees Boston drop to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, with 17 losses to their name. A conservative estimate would be that Boston has gifted eight of those losses due to either early struggles. The team didn’t begin a game with the right mentality or late collapses, with the November 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls being the most notable.
Ime Udoka Believes Celtics Have to Trust Each Other
It’s fair to say that Ime Udoka hasn’t encountered a fairytale start to his tenure as head coach of the Celtics, primarily due to the team’s inability to control games when they’re ahead.
Speaking to the media after his team’s latest loss, Udoka noted how the Celtics need to begin trusting each other if they wish to resolve one of their more prominent issues.
“Settling at times, instead of attacking the basket when we can. It felt like, even last game against Cleveland, when we give up a lead, it starts to snowball. It’s not just one guy or two guys who will try to do it on their own a little bit, so we’ve got to trust our guys.
I think we did that tonight. With the wide-open looks we got, we couldn’t ask for better shots than those late, but you gotta knock those down. And teams are going to try and take it out of Jaylen and Jayson’s hands, so we have to understand that and confidently move the ball and knock it down,” Udoka said.
Despite the loss, Udoka believes that his team is closing in on a winning formula but noted that it’s on the entire team, coaching staff included, to figure out ways to maintain leads down the stretch.
“The message is, we’re very close. A game we felt we played well enough except for a stretch in the third quarter. Even with that, we still have a chance to win it but have a turnover or two and miss some wide-open shots. Something we need to figure out, and the endings, a lot of these games we feel like we’re giving away that can get a little frustrating for sure,” Udoka explained when discussing Boston’s struggles throughout the first quarter of the season.
Boston is…
1-8 in games decided by 5 or fewer 15-9 in games decided by 6 or more
5-11 in games decided by 9 or fewer 11-6 in games decided by 10 or more
Payton Pritchard Looks for Silver Lining
Payton Pritchard has found himself thrust into more playing time lately, mainly due to the Celtics battling the Coronavirus outbreak around the league. The second-year guard has been fantastic in a more significant role, providing spacing, playmaking, and reliable three-point shooting. However, despite a 16 point outing against the Bucks, Pritchard could not help the Celtics stem the bleeding down the stretch.
“I think it’s similar to the Philly game. We just can’t give them easy buckets. We gave Giannis two rebounds and a putback, but looking at it, I think we can only go up from here. We’re learning how we’re going to finish games. For us, we’ve got to take it as a good thing, we’re growing, and eventually, we’ll get good at that area and be able to take care of it,” Pritchard told the media after the Celtics loss on Christmas Day.
The Celtics will get another chance to work on their game management on Monday, December 27, when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Until then, let’s hope they’re back in the lab, watching film and learning where they went wrong.
Celtics Wrestle With Season’s Biggest Weakness: ‘We’re Still Learning’