The Boston Celtics took an entire 180-degree flip when coming into the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday evening.
Coming recent off a historic 140-88 blowout win towards the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, the Celtics had been in quest of a twelfth consecutive journey to the win column. And for probably the most half, Boston did every part potential to make sure that would occur. The C’s prolonged their result in 22 factors within the fourth quarter, nevertheless, amid an uncharacteristic, ice-cold capturing hunch on the worst time, the Cavaliers countered and made it out with a 105-104 win.
Fairly than chalking up the loss as some much-needed studying lesson, Jaylen Brown didn’t draw back from the truth of the crew failing to maintain its foot on the gasoline, particularly towards a Donovan Mitchell-less Cavs squad.
“In the present day issues,” Brown advised reporters, in keeping with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “Whether or not everyone needs to throw it away or not, we’ve bought to take a look at the movie and deal with some stuff, as a result of that issues.”
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At first look, a one-point loss after successful 11 in a row whereas additionally nonetheless main the NBA in complete wins (48) doesn’t appear to be something to be apprehensive about. Nonetheless, Boston isn’t in the identical place as the vast majority of groups throughout the league. Jayson Tatum and Brown have confirmed able to main a dominant common season run, however that doesn’t matter.
Boston entered the competition with only one loss whereas main by 10-plus factors at halftime by means of a 60-game span.
It’d be disingenuous to name Tuesday evening’s loss something however what it was: a actuality verify. Certain, for 90-plus-percent of the season, the Celtics have been flawless; offensively, defensively and even second-year head coach Joe Mazzulla has made all the best strikes concerning the rotations. However none of that issues come playoff time and people 48 wins don’t carry over. Boston can nonetheless lose any given evening, even when at full energy and if an opponent doesn’t have its star participant accessible.
Within the fourth quarter, the Celtics didn’t present up. The crew shot 8-of-21 from the ground, together with 0-for-8 from three. Tatum missed the potential game-winning fadeaway jumper over two Cleveland defenders, which initially drew a foul name that was then overturned upon additional evaluate. Then once more, had Boston collectively finished its job and put the Cavs away early by preserving its double-digit lead, no blame would fall on Tatum’s shoulders.
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“Simply hope to bounce again from tonight,” Tatum advised reporters, per NBC Sports activities Boston. “There’s quite a lot of issues that we all know we are able to clear up, and (we) didn’t essentially play like ourselves (in) the second half. And this yr we’ve finished a extremely good job at responding so I stay up for us taking part in higher and responding on Thursday.”
The Celtics, this season greater than another beneath the Tatum-Brown period, want to tread rigorously. Possession and the entrance workplace admittedly had no intensions of bringing again final season’s group after figuring out the previous two seasons as failures of what the group is trying to accomplish.
Boston nonetheless owns the No. 1 seed within the Japanese Convention, it nonetheless holds extra wins than another crew and most significantly, everybody remains to be wholesome. However even regardless of all of that, vulnerabilities could make themselves referred to as probably the most inconvent of instances, and that applies to losses in March to the Cavaliers, and stays prevalent as soon as the playoffs start as nicely.
