Celtics Show Some Fight, Not Enough in the End

Well the Celtics showed that they still have some fight in them, but unfortunately it was not enough. When Humphries came crashing down on Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo immediately came to his defense. Then a bench clearing brawl ensued—a rarity in basketball. Whether or not Rondo should have done what he did is a different story. Some could say that he was a great teammate and a defender; others could say that his ejection cost the game (it certainly ended his streak). Either way, the problems that have plagued the Boston Celtics this season still persisted on Wednesday night. The problems with the Celtics were on both sides of the court: offense and defense. The Brooklyn Nets have been very good this season, posting a 10-4 record—good for 1st in the Atlantic Division. On Wednesday they showed us how they got there. The game started out evenly enough, but things quickly went downhill for the Celtics. By halftime the Nets had a 51-38 lead, and the Celtics lost one of their best players. The problems weren’t as simple as the fact that the Celtics were missing their shots, or had so many holes in their defense that Shaq could easily slide through—the main problem on the court was the fact that the Nets worked together and the Celtics did not. The Nets were not that good Wednesday. They shot 37% from the field, and only managed to scrape up 76 points. The Celtics’ inability to work together proved to hurt them in the end though. The Celtics could have easily beaten this team, but as the events of the game unfolded their chances of winning fell apart. Of the five main starters, three are 35 or older. This is an old team, with a lot of young players who still need to acclimate to the league and learn to play together. The Nets worked as a team, the Celtics still need to all get on the same page with each other if they want to compete with the best in the NBA. This is still a very talented team as far as individual players goes, but until they can all get on the same page they won’t be able to compete at a high level. Paul Pierce and KG are facing the end of their long and great careers, now is the time for the news guys to step up and take charge. At the age of 26, Rondo is one of those younger guys with the experience to lead the team; while defending his teammate was a good thing, his ejection may have cost the game for the Celtics. The post Celtics Show Some Fight, Not Enough in the End appeared first on Boston Sports Nut.