Forsberg: Celtics flirting with danger again after familiar Game 1 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
We’re tired of writing this column. You're sick of reading it.
The Boston Celtics simply cannot get out of their own way. No team in the league is as elite as making their lives more difficult than they need to be. The most consistent trait of this team is their ability to bring inconsistent focus.
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Exhibit 437 came Monday night as Boston gave away Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series to a Joel Embiid-less Sixers team. Yes, James Harden was otherworldly and turned in a vintage scoring performance. But the Celtics did little to make anyone on the Sixers feel uncomfortable and compounded matters with a vintage performance of their own while turning the ball over 16 times.
Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: Harden's 45-point night stuns Celtics as Embiid-less Sixers take Game 1 | Listen & Subscribe
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If you’re doling out blame pie, bring a bunch of plates. There’s enough for everyone. We’re even willing to blame the building because, between the Celtics and Bruins, TD Garden hasn’t seen a 24-hour stretch that depressing in its three decades of existence.
In the ramp up to Monday’s Game 1, the Celtics insisted they would be ready for the Sixers regardless of Embiid’s status. As expected, Embiid got downgraded from doubtful to out. And, as expected, the Celtics were not ready for the Embiid-less Sixers.
Boston’s lack of defensive intensity spoiled a historic first-quarter offensive performance. The Celtics shot a staggering 71.8 percent in the first half overall yet only had a one-possession lead. You still felt encouraged because, of the two teams, Boston was more likely to dig in defensively. Instead, Boston decided to both continue coasting on that end and compounded matters by giving the Sixers easy baskets off repeated live ball turnovers.
Nothing spotlighted Boston’s lack of focus quite like one of two giveaways with under a minute to play. Malcolm Brogdon, after receiving the ball late in the shot clock, improbably elected to drive and after encountering heavy traffic carelessly zipped the ball to Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, who was alone at the top of key with no Boston player within eight feet of him.
Even worse, as Maxey broke out alone, the Celtics simply threw their arms up in protest as the shot clock sounded. Maxey finished an uncontested layup to put the Sixers up 114-113 with 28.9 seconds to go.
Boston got the lead back only for Harden to make a pull-up 3 over a cautious Al Horford with 8.4 seconds to go. Fittingly, Boston fumbled away its last gasp to tie the game.
Will Game 1 cost Boston the series? That might ultimately depend on Embiid’s health and what he’s able to give the Sixers whenever he’s able to return. But the Celtics were looking at a pretty smooth path back to the Finals last week and now they’ve fumbled away home-court advantage in this series. As usual, these Celtics have elected to take a far bumpier path.
If you want to be angry at the coach, we’re not going to stop you. Joe Mazzulla admitted after Monday’s game that he didn’t put his team in position to win. But we'll continue to point out that Boston’s lapses in focus are nothing new. The Celtics’ variable intensity has been a theme for three straight coaches now. Yes, Ime Udoka publicly called his players on their B.S. and they responded in every instance, at least until running out of gas in the Finals last year.
After each of their postseason letdowns this season, the Celtics have tightened up, and Mazzulla has steered this car back on paved ground. It’s still infuriating when they decide to take an unnecessary detour.
The turnovers are the most maddening part. The Celtics worked hard to shore up that trouble spot from last season and finished seventh in the NBA in turnover percentage (13.3 percent) this season. Mazzulla has routinely stressed the margins with turnover percentage -- and the Four Factors in general -- being a favorite topic.
Boston’s 10 live-ball turnovers Monday night were tied for its second most of the postseason. Its four balls lost out of bounds were a season high. There were seven bad-pass turnovers overall. Boston’s 17.8 turnover percentage overall ranked in the 14th percentile for all playoff games this season, per Cleaning the Glass data. The Sixers, by comparison, turned the ball over on only 9 percent of their possessions (95th percentile).
It all comes back to focus.
The Celtics didn’t have enough of it. The Garden distributed T-shirts with a recent Mazzulla quote that reads, "There’s no such thing as too intense," on the front. Well, there is such thing as too little intensity. The Celtics yet again didn’t bring the necessary energy.
So over the next 48 hours you’ll read a whole bunch about how the Celtics need to be ready for Game 2. Brogdon said they have to send a message in that game. Actions speak far louder than words with this team.
Maybe another bump in the road won’t matter. Maybe Harden doesn’t have another big night. Maybe Embiid is never able to truly impact this series.
But the Celtics have done themselves no favors this postseason. They keep flirting with danger. It hasn’t burnt them yet. But last year it caught up to them in the worst possible moment.
And this team hasn’t learned from it yet.
