Close loss for C's but it should have never come to that
Too much isolation basketball once again killed the Celtics' chances at a win that would have brought their record back to .500 and match the longest winning streak of the season.
So close.
That’s how the Celtics will reflect on their 99-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, a game in which they came up with an improbable steal in the game’s closing seconds that led to a Jaylen Brown lay-up attempt that rose up to the cup of the rim, but not enough to drop through the net.
Yes, it would have forced overtime which more times than not, favors the home team.
But this loss like so many others for the Celtics this season, should not have come down to the wire.
The Celtics continue to be the ultimate tease to their fanbase.
They do enough good things to let you know that they’re not a crappy team, but not enough to get over the hump and join the Eastern Conference’s front-of-the-pack squads.
Against the San Antonio Spurs, Boston opened the game with ball movement at the forefront of their thoughts and actions.
But that blueprint was soon scrapped, and replaced with the usual isolation game that generates a few highlights and pads the stat sheet for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
You know what else it pads?
The team’s loss column, which serves as a reminder of how head-scratching this team has been and until we see otherwise, will continue to be going forward.
They have been at their best when the ball is moving from side to side, and players are steadily on the move.
We saw that in the game’s first couple of minutes, and the result was the Celtics opening the game by scoring five of the first seven points.
But a focus on passing up good shots for great ones was once again lost on the Celtics after the game’s first 90 or so seconds.
And that killed Boston’s hopes of getting back to playing .500 basketball with the Spurs putting the brakes on the Celtics’ quest to win three games in a row for just the second time this season.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 99-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs
STARS
Dejounte Murray: Once again, Dejounte Murray finds himself in the conversation to be an All-Star in what’s shaping up to once again be a very congested Western Conference full of top-shelf guards. The Celtics saw first-hand just how versatile the 6-foot-4 Murray can be. He would finish with a near triple-double of 22 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds.
Jaylen Brown: Coming off a career-high 50 point performance, Brown delivered yet another high-scoring, highly efficient game on Wednesday. He led the Celtics with 30 points in addition to grabbing six rebounds.
STUDS
Devin Vassell: He was the top scorer for the Spurs most of the first half, blending in drives to the basket with open 3’s. He would finish with 17 points along with six rebounds.
DUD
Jayson Tatum: Of course, there will be those who will explain Tatum’s bad shooting night was about him having just gotten off the league’s health and safety protocol list. But here’s the thing. Tatum is an All-Star, the face of the franchise. He is one of the league’s best scorers who will continue to get better with time. But the area that he continues to be hit and miss at, is finding ways to contribute when it doesn’t involve making shots. He was solid as a defender and a rebounder, but he has to find another gear to get to in areas besides scoring when his shot isn’t falling. Until he does that, he’ll be a very good player with the promise of greatness who consistently falls short of transforming that into a steady stream of proven work.