5 thoughts on the end of the Celtics' 16-game winning streak

Scattered thoughts on the state of the Celtics after their historic 16-game run came to an end on Wednesday night. 

1. The Celtics have a first half scoring problem: The offense has gone through regular lulls during the C’s 16-game winning streak, but the majority of those issues keep happening in the first half. Whether it’s slow starts by the starters or the bench (it was both on Wednesday night) the holes are being dug with regularity by this group. Boston’s first-half offensive rating is 94.3 points per 100 possessions on the year, which puts them at 28th in the NBA just ahead of the lowly Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. They also rank 28th in field goal percentage (40.9 percent) and 3-point shooting (31.9 percent) before intermission and it finally came back to bite them in South Beach against a Heat team that played well for the better part of 48 minutes. The bench unit is the biggest issue within these numbers, so Brad Stevens has to figure something out here to get his offense on track before his team trails by double digits every night.

2. Wayne Ellington would be a nice potential fit for the DPE: As evidenced by item one, the Celtics could use some additional outside shooting, particularly with their bench unit. If the Heat flounder and are looking to dump some payroll in February, Ellington could be a nice veteran chip for the C’s to target. He’s an elite 3-point shooter (41 percent) and makes reasonable money ($6.2 million), so he likely could be had for a second-round pick later in the season if Pat Riley goes into sell mode. Boston pretty much knows what it has now with this roster and it’s painfully evident they could use another bench scorer, if only to prevent Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier from taking so many shots. Speaking of that...

3. Smart and Rozier need to be reeled in: I know it’s important to have confidence in your players so Brad Stevens is never going to say anything publicly to throw these guys under the bus. However, behind the scenes, I would hope he’s making a point of critiquing their shot selection. Both guys took at least three bad shots in a six-minute sequence during the second quarter between contested 3s, long 3s early in the shot clock and out-of-control drives. Smart’s been struggling with his jumper all year long and Rozier has taken a nosedive in recent weeks as well. Both guys are trying to do too much offensively when they are the lead dogs on the second unit, so something has to change so they don’t put it on themselves to take so many ill advised shots.

4. Jayson Tatum remains a stud: The rookie hit several big shots in the fourth quarter of the C’s near-comeback and scored in double digits for the seventh-straight game (18 points on 5-of-11 FG). He added seven rebounds and four assists in the defeat and continues to be a force against smaller wing defenders when given the chance. Unlike Al Horford, who has cooled off in recent weeks, Tatum is still red-hot from 3-point range (48 percent on season). Stevens has been pushing the No. 3 overall pick to shoot more all year, but with the offense struggling a lot early, he needs to get that shot total up (only 10 attempts per game). He's too much of a weapon to only take 10 shots for a team that's struggling a lot offensively.

5. The streak may be over but the winning will continue: The Celtics are heading home to Boston now and will host six of their next seven games at the TD Garden, all games they will be favored in. The Heat had to play one of their best games of the season to beat the C’s so I don’t expect much of a letdown in the coming weeks. Despite its warts, this group should only be adding to its four-game lead on the rest of the Eastern Conference as we head into December.