Forsberg: ‘It’s concerning’ that the Celtics are repeating past mistakes originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics can’t get out of their way.
The first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers were eerily similar to the first round series against the Miami Heat. After dominating Game 1, the Celtics were overcome at home in Game 2.
The difference? Miami broke out with a franchise playoff record 23 3-pointers in its victory over Boston. On Thursday, the Celtics were simply outplayed and outworked on both ends of the court.
It was not what they lost, it was as they lost. The 24-point loss marked the second-largest margin of defeat all season. They shot just 22.9 percent from 3-point range — the second-lowest mark of the campaign — while allowing an impressive 60 points from the paint. Cleveland also shot 13 of 28 from beyond the arc, including 7 of 10 in the third quarter when Boston missed all eight of its attempts.
Our Chris Forsberg left perplexed for the way the Celtics continue to lose focus on the playoffs. At Fridays Arbella Early Edition, he explained why even though their Game 2 loss to Cleveland didn’t cost anything, their performance made him cautious about the rest of the postseason.
“You saw the last round, right? I lost my mind after Game 2. What do they do? They come back, win three in a row. Everyone’s like, ‘Look, you idiot. You lost your mind for no reason.’ Maybe I’ll do the same here, but it’s worrying to me that we keep coming back to this, that there has to be a discussion every two games,” Forsberg said.
“I don’t know why they keep facing the same speed bumps on the road, why they can’t learn from some of their past transgressions. And the one thing I keep trying to tell people is that it didn’t hurt when it happened. against Miami. It might not have hurt when it happened against Cleveland. It will hurt at some point.
“Go back to 22, ran out of gas in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Go back to 23 (in the Eastern Conference Finals), put yourself in a Game 7 situation where Jayson Tatum sprains an ankle and now you’re missing that one. It can come up and sneak up on you, and at the worst possible time. So I just hope they understand that there is value in staying locked in, which, ironically, was the case for much of the regular season. . And yet, here it is in the playoffs.
Maybe this year’s Celtics team will be different. They were an NBA-best 64-18 in the regular season, their fourth-best record in franchise history. They are arguably the most talented group of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era.
But until they can stop “unacceptable” efforts like Thursday’s, there will be valid questions about whether they are built to withstand the wear and tear of the postseason.
The Celtics will look to bounce back in Game 3 as the series shifts to Cleveland. The tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. with Celtics pregame live on NBC Sports Boston.
Watch the full “Early Edition” segment below:
