Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 108-103 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with BSJ insight and analysis:
IN A NUTSHELL
The Celtics started out shooting 3-3 and it looked like they would take it to the even-harder-hit-by-COVID Minnesota Timberwolves, but then a cold streak kept things close early. An end of first half run gave Boston an 11-point lead going into the third quarter, but the Wolves came out of the half energized. They poured it on in the fourth, with Boston’s defense failing them and the offense unable to score.
HEADLINES
Another fourth-quarter collapse: After a brief portion of the season where the Celtics were actually answering opponent runs, the Celtics have devolved back into the team that just crumbles under the weight of the other team going off.
Greg Freakin’ Monroe?? Monroe woke up in Washington DC and caught a flight to Minnesota to sign an emergency 10-day at the last second. He hadn’t played NBA basketball since 2019, and all he did was drop 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, including 6/5/3 in the fourth quarter. Embarrassing.
TURNING POINT
The Timberwolves opened the fourth quarter on a 14-2 run, building a seven-point lead that they basically held onto the rest of the way.
SECOND GUESSES
The Juancho Hernangomez minutes were pretty bad. I’m not saying Sam Hauser was an entirely better option, but he’s much more likely to at least counterbalance some of the poor defense by making 3-pointers.
Also, Payton Pritchard played 44 minutes. That was way too much. Yes, he’s young and in great shape, but for a guy to go from barely playing to 44 minutes, including the ENTIRE second half, is just rough. It’s no wonder he was short on so many shots.
3.5 UP
Grant Williams: Still a bucket, which is still weird to say. He was 4-7 from the field and 3-5 from deep. He also had a late steal that, under different circumstances, might have helped steal the game.
Al Horford: He was working the ball around early and it’s pretty obvious that having him back helps. He just knows where to get the ball. He also hit half his 3’s and played pretty good defense with a steal and 4 blocks.
Payton Pritchard: I’m not going to hold the clear fatigue against him, though I will say that maybe he shouldn’t have shot 14 3-pointers. Earlier in the game, though, when he had his legs, he was pretty good. Ime Udoka didn’t play him 44 minutes because he sucked.
Romeo Langford’s defense: He had 4 steals and 3 blocks and he was great on the defensive side of the ball, especially early.
2.5 DOWN
Romeo Lanford’s offense: He couldn't hit a thing (minus a couple of really nice cuts, which he always seems to do well). His airball miss of a critical 3-pointer late was especially horrendous.
Jaylen Brown: “The game isn't as hard as I made it tonight and I didn't play the way I know I can play,” Brown said. “That was probably one of my worst games of the season as well. My team needed me to make plays and step up and I turned the ball over too much, I missed easy shots, easy reads and we lost.”
Juancho Hernangomez: I suggested in the offseason that Boston take a flier on this guy. It has gone about as poorly as possible, and he should never see the floor again in a Boston uniform unless Boston is down to an eight-man roster and three guys foul out. Even then, I’d ponder the merits of playing 4-on-5.
TOP PLAY
🔨 @yeahyeah22 🔨 pic.twitter.com/eslhcZV5dt
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 28, 2021
ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
We’ve entered insanity, so something needs to change.
At this point, the Celtics might as well be run by Ned Flanders’ parents.
It doesn’t really matter who is on the floor or who they're facing anymore. They're just going to collapse late in games.
Someone has to do something. Someone has to change the mentality of this locker room.
Is it Al Horford? He’s the veteran with the banked capital to break character and haul off on his teammates in the locker room and get a reaction.
Is it Marcus Smart? He’s not afraid of saying things and maybe a good ol’ fashioned table-throwing argument can help shock some guys into shape.
Is it Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? Tatum’s in COVID protocols now so it would have to be on Jaylen to step into that vocal leadership role.
Is it Joe Johnson? He just got here and he’ll be gone in a few days, so he can drop as many bombs as he wants without fear of retribution. He can be blunt and then basically do the cool movie thing where he slow-motion walks away from an explosion.
Is it Ime Udoka? The rookie head coach is trying to change habits and while the “film session Celtics" didn’t last very long, he’s proven to be unafraid of ruffling feathers. Maybe he needs to take the next step and start benching guys.
Someone has to do something here. Einstein was right when he said “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This is where the Celtics are.
It’s time for someone to do something different, or the person who will make a change will end up being Brad Stevens. And if these guys aren't careful, the change Stevens makes will have to be bigger than anyone originally thought.