This whole home game thing always irked me a bit since the Russell/Bird era teams were so well-known for being THE dominant home teams. I do like that we play well on the road but the dynamic stresses me out.
What's your theory for why this core is like this? 😅
I honestly don't know...maybe complacency? I do think this era of the team has had a habit of playing up/down to comp too much. So maybe they just think they can autopilot those home games. That + shooting variance.
The Celtics can be such a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience. When they play to their potential, they're almost unbeatable, but then they have quarters or games that defy logic. Shooting variance is part of it, but a lot of it boils down to bad on-court decisions. You wouldn't think this would happen to a team with this much playoff experience. It's mind-boggling.
I can live with losing due to shooting variance; it's part of their offensive system and will bite you 5-10 times per season. That's fine. Annoying, but fine.
It's the random just playing with brain fog that gets me. And I agree, you would think that *this team* with *this much experience* would have figured out how to stay locked in. The fact it's on their home floor makes it such a harder concept to grasp, too -- that's meant to be your fortress, not where you crumble.
To paraphrase former NFL coach Dennis Green: they are who we thought they were.
I can't be the only one who was worried about Boston laying an egg in this game. And they obliged. For whatever reason, both the Celtics players and TD Garden fans were mostly lifeless from the jump. It's not a Joe Mazzulla problem because this isn't just a 4-year trend. If anything, I think they've gotten better at holding leads late in games.
If we're going to point fingers, it has to be at the players who have been there the longest. And yeah, that starts with Tatum and Brown. But also, it's probably a shortcoming you have to try and live with, hoping either they grow out of it or it doesn't rear its ugly head in a spot where it truly hurts. Some people will immediately scream "Brown is terrible...trade him for Giannis!" But Giannis has his own baggage (injuries, age, fit, etc.)
It's like being in a relationship with someone who is perfect in every way...but occasionally snores at night. Sure you can walk away and roll the dice on finding someone even better. Or you keep a pair of earplugs in the nightstand and hope that getting a good night's sleep 9 times out of 10 is good enough.
The earplugs analogy is perfect here! And I do think some of it is just letting go of the rope at times. I have asked myself whether they feel more pressure to produce at home, but given the situations they've played in throughout their careers, I struggle to think that's a viable explanation.
Either way, they have a winning record at home and on the road, and that bodes well. It does mean that things will be more difficult, though, and that can get frustrating (even concerning) as we get deeper into the playoffs.
Thank you for the cliffhanger! I am not sure why we would see such a discrepancy. Perhaps it is that at home the players/coaches subconsciously feel there is a little room for error, whereas on the road they sweat more of the details. But who knows? Until I see a better answer, I'm simply going to blame the refs.
This whole home game thing always irked me a bit since the Russell/Bird era teams were so well-known for being THE dominant home teams. I do like that we play well on the road but the dynamic stresses me out.
What's your theory for why this core is like this? 😅
Even under Brad, they had some solid run as a good home team.
I just don’t get it. The only thing I can think of is that they’re feeling more pressure on their home floor, but I doubt that’s the case.
Other than that, it’s just shitting the bed.
What’s your theory?
I honestly don't know...maybe complacency? I do think this era of the team has had a habit of playing up/down to comp too much. So maybe they just think they can autopilot those home games. That + shooting variance.
The Celtics can be such a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience. When they play to their potential, they're almost unbeatable, but then they have quarters or games that defy logic. Shooting variance is part of it, but a lot of it boils down to bad on-court decisions. You wouldn't think this would happen to a team with this much playoff experience. It's mind-boggling.
I can live with losing due to shooting variance; it's part of their offensive system and will bite you 5-10 times per season. That's fine. Annoying, but fine.
It's the random just playing with brain fog that gets me. And I agree, you would think that *this team* with *this much experience* would have figured out how to stay locked in. The fact it's on their home floor makes it such a harder concept to grasp, too -- that's meant to be your fortress, not where you crumble.
To paraphrase former NFL coach Dennis Green: they are who we thought they were.
I can't be the only one who was worried about Boston laying an egg in this game. And they obliged. For whatever reason, both the Celtics players and TD Garden fans were mostly lifeless from the jump. It's not a Joe Mazzulla problem because this isn't just a 4-year trend. If anything, I think they've gotten better at holding leads late in games.
If we're going to point fingers, it has to be at the players who have been there the longest. And yeah, that starts with Tatum and Brown. But also, it's probably a shortcoming you have to try and live with, hoping either they grow out of it or it doesn't rear its ugly head in a spot where it truly hurts. Some people will immediately scream "Brown is terrible...trade him for Giannis!" But Giannis has his own baggage (injuries, age, fit, etc.)
It's like being in a relationship with someone who is perfect in every way...but occasionally snores at night. Sure you can walk away and roll the dice on finding someone even better. Or you keep a pair of earplugs in the nightstand and hope that getting a good night's sleep 9 times out of 10 is good enough.
The earplugs analogy is perfect here! And I do think some of it is just letting go of the rope at times. I have asked myself whether they feel more pressure to produce at home, but given the situations they've played in throughout their careers, I struggle to think that's a viable explanation.
Either way, they have a winning record at home and on the road, and that bodes well. It does mean that things will be more difficult, though, and that can get frustrating (even concerning) as we get deeper into the playoffs.
Thank you for the cliffhanger! I am not sure why we would see such a discrepancy. Perhaps it is that at home the players/coaches subconsciously feel there is a little room for error, whereas on the road they sweat more of the details. But who knows? Until I see a better answer, I'm simply going to blame the refs.
Blaming the refs is probably the best move! Honestly, though, outside of additional comfort, i'm at a loss for finding a logical reason.