What’s Wrong with the Green?

After starting the season 27-2, an NBA record, and rolling to a 19-game winning streak, the once-invincible Celtics are playing below-average basketball. Starting with Boston’s loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day, the C’s have gone 2-5, losing to the likes of the Charlotte Bobcats and New York Knicks. They have gone 1-5 on the road during this stretch, which is a troubling sign because of the woes on the road during the Playoffs last season. The Celtics are repeating the same trends that were evident in that losing streak. Ray Allen is missing open shots at the end of close games, Rajon Rondo is not attacking the rim like he does in Boston, and the bench is virtually invisible. The big concern for the Celtics going into the season was bench play, especially because of the departures of James Posey and P.J. Brown. And now, it has become the Achilles’ heel for the Celtics going into their 37th game. The C’s are in desperate need of both a backup point guard and a backup center.

It is quite clear that when Rondo struggles, the team struggles as well. During the 19-game winning streak, he constantly finished at the rim when guarded by single coverage or found the open man when doubled. Kevin Garnett was able to release his 15-foot jumper with ease because of the havoc Rondo was creating, Paul Pierce was able to attack the basket or take his mid-range jumpers  because of the defenders Rondo attracted, and Allen was able to find his touch behind the three-point line because his man would double off him to cover Rondo. Even Kendrick Perkins had an easier time picking up offensive rebounds and put-back dunks because Rondo was penetrating constantly. However, ever since Christmas Day against the Lakers, where Rondo did not attack the rim aggressively, the Celtics’ offense has struggled. LA simply doubled off Rondo to cover the other Celtics. Ray Allen could not find his outside touch (shooting 5-14 for the game) and both Pierce and Garnett were forced to create their own shots on every possession. Now, the Celtics have lost 5 of their last 7, primarily because of Rondo’s old weakneases resurfacing.

In terms of the bench, the guards for the Celtics coming off the bench have not been able to provide a scoring punch when in, which puts tremendous pressure on Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to shoot the ball impeccably most nights. Eddie House plays the role of backup point guard, but he is a catch-and-shoot guy who is unable to make plays for others on a consistent basis. The other problem with House as of right now is that his three-point percentage is down to 36% from 39% last season and the majority of his shots have come in garbage time. Tony Allen is inconsistent as well. In some games he can penetrate at will and carry the scoring load off the bench. In others, he does not seem to be mentally involved at all, shying away from the ball and arriving late on defensive rotations.

Leon Powe and Glen “Big Baby” Davis are starting to realize how important size truly is in the NBA. Both Powe, listed at 6-8, and Davis, listed at 6-9, are forwards often playing as undersized centers. In most games, and especially during this losing stretch, this has not been successful. The two can grab rebounds at times, but they struggle to score consistently, due to the taller post players in the league who contest their shots. In the case of Leon Powe, the problem can be resolved if Rondo pushes the ball up the court instead of waiting to set up a half-court set, where Powe struggles. Dating back to Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Powe’s 21-point performance in 15 minutes, he was extremely successful running the floor and catching feeds from Rondo in transition. In the case of “Big Baby”, the problem can be resolved if he consistently makes his mid-range jumper when open. This will force teams to respect his game and it will open up the floor for Pierce and others slashing to the rim.

All in all, it has not been the defense that has failed Boston, but the offense. The defensive numbers during the 19-game winning streak and during this current slid are virtually identical. The number that tells the tale on offense is this: when the Celtics have scored over 100 points in a game, they are 18-1. When they haven’t, they are 11-6. This is a significant statistic because it shows how difficult Boston is to beat when its offense is clicking on all cylinders. One of the problems is that it has not been clicking on all cylinders consistently. So, although the players and the coaching staff preach a defense-first mentality like a broken record, they better get the ‘O’ in order if they want home-court advantage throughout the Playoffs, the same advantage that was so valuable last time around.