Who is to blame for the Celtics struggles?
The Celtics continue to lose close games, and are now just 1 and 5 on the season. It’s clear that the team has talent and ability, yet they continue to fall short on a regular basis. Even when they win, they “win ugly” in the eyes of most fans and media. The question that want to know from those who visit the site is this…
Who is to blame for the Celtics struggles?
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While some fans are calling for Doc’s removal as head coach, others are upset with the moves that Ainge has made to the roster. Others still will blame players like Paul Pierce for trying to do too much a times and ignoring his teammates. Finally, some feel the blame should fall on the shoulders of Wyc Grousbeck for allowing the losing mentality to soak in too long on the young players.
So I’m putting the question out to everyone here… Who’s to blame for the Celtics lack of performance and continuing struggles?
Is There a (Real) Doctor in the House?
It’s an off day for the Celtics, so there’s no games to preview, no coverage to watch, and no reasons to get excited. For those that bleed green, today is a perfect day to wonder — Is there a real doctor in the house?
Despite Danny Ainge telling everyone from Hickman and Gilroy, to everyone over at WEEI — for Celtics fans, it’s time to make a coaching change. Doc Rivers needs to go. After losing last night’s game to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite having a 25 point lead in the fourth quarter — Celtics fans and folks in the media are ready to see a change made.
I’m not going to sit here and rattle off my thoughts because I frankly know too little about basketball to do it well. Therefore, I’ll leave it up to fellow bloggers and writers:
Jeff Clark from CelticsBlog.com had warned us a couple days ago that his thoughts on Doc Rivers were on their way. Earlier today, his piece “History Repeating” was unveiled and is a must read.
Green17, also from the CelticsBlog.com in the Cheap Seats had his letter to Glenn Rivers, Dear Doc - Redux a few days ago. This post is another must read.
Steve Bulpett of the Herald describe last night’s game perfectly in his article today, Celts wilt, suffer nightmarish loss.
And finally, Shira Springer of the Globe simply states it in her piece, “Celtics collapse completely“.
Hang in there Celtics fans… It’s not a lost cause yet, but you do have to ask the question of how long these trends can continue before major changes are made.
Colossal Collapse in Cleveland
In what fans recognize now as typical Celtics fashion, the C’s blew an enormous lead and handed a sure win over to the Cavaliers last night. Think I’m kidding? The score at the end of one quarter of play was 23 - 6 in favor of the Celtics.
When all was said and done, the Cavs had won 94-93 on the heroic efforts of LeBron James and the stellar collapse of Doc Rivers’ squad. The Celtics were forced to start the game off smaller than normal when it was announced that both Theo Ratliff and Wally Szczerbiak were forced out of the game with back soreness.
Delonte West took the start at the SG position with Sebastian Telfair starting at the point. With a short roster, West ended up playing 39 minutes while shooting 5 for 11 including 2 for 4 from behind the three point line. On the night, West finished with four rebounds, five assists, one block and 12 points. West was one of five Celtics players in double digits. Kendrick Perkins had a double-double on the night with his 11 rebounds and 12 points.
Boston Celtics Hit the Road to Face Cavaliers
The Boston Celtics are on the road tonight for the first time this year as they look to earn a tough win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland is 3-2 on the season while the Celtics are 1-4. While the Celtics have lost their last five games against the Cavaliers, they hope to end that streak tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Little is known at this point in terms of who will be playing the PG spot for the Celtics. After being taken to a Boston area hospital last night following shortness of breath, starting PG Sebastian Telfair was said to be traveling with the team.
If Telfair is unable to make the start tonight, expect to see Delonte West as the starting PG with rookie Rajon Rondo with the second unit. Last night in Boston the Celtics showed great offensive abilities when they paired Rondo as the one guard and Delonte as the two. Fans tuning into tonight’s game are certainly hoping to see more of that combination on the court.
Coverage of tonight’s game is available on FSN New England at 7:30PM ET. For more on tonight’s game, please refer to CelticsBlog.com’s Game Preview from HomeRunBaker as well as tonight’s official game thread.
Celtics Lose to Jazz 107-100
Delonte West played 24 minutes for the Boston Celtics in Friday’s loss to the Utah Jazz in Boston. West scored 10 points on 4 for 10 shooting and added 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block to finish his night. Despite outscoring the Jazz 30-25 in the final quarter of play, the Celtics failed to produce enough points to keep the game competitive. Paul Pierce scored 30 points to lead the Celtics while Deron Williams scored 26 to lead the Jazz.
Delonte West played most of the first half as the first unit point guard after Sebastian Telfair suffered shortness of breath and was taken to an area hospital. Rookie PG Rajon Rondo played 24 minutes in the game scoring 13 points to go along with his 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. With the loss, the Celtics drop to 1-4 on the season. They return to action tomorrow night on the road in Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in a 7:30 PM ET game.