The Celtics had plenty of chances to beat the Pistons on Monday night, but they were too busy doing the basketball version of the Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes bit to take advantage of the opportunity.
With 4:21 to go and the Celtics gaining momentum after falling behind by 10, Jaylen Brown blocked Caris LeVert’s shot, but was called for a foul. Joe Mazzulla challenged and won, giving Boston the ball and a chance to further erase a now six-point deficit.
Brown immediately turned it over.
The Celtics shook it off. Brown blocked another shot, Derrick White hit a 3, Boston forced a miss, and White hit a fading floater in the lane to cut the lead to just two with 2:46 to go.
Then Brown bit on pump fake, fouled Tobias Harris, and put him to the line for two free points.
No problem. Brown was immediately fouled on the ensuing possession, going to the line for two free throws to make up for the ones he gave up.
He missed both.
Cade Cunningham went into takeover mode, setting up a duel with White, who was on fire. They were each their respective team’s leading scorer in the final quarter, so it was perfect. Cunningham hit a jumper. White answered with a 3. Then Cunningham hit another. And White answered with …
A turnover.
Boston managed to survive that and get the ball back with :42 left in the game. They worked the ball around and found Payton Pritchard wide open for a 3 he makes every night in his sleep.
He missed the rim by a foot.
“Yeah, that's the game,” White said after the loss. “Sometimes everybody's making it, momentum is high. Sometimes everybody's missing. Just kind of the name of the game … but it's part of the season, part of the journey. And keep getting good looks, keep shooting with confidence, and trust one another.”
White’s right. The Celtics might have some issues executing in the fourth quarter, but this was something different. The gaffes were almost absurd, as if they were being pranked by the Harlem Globetrotters, who left behind one of those balls on a string for the Pistons to use down the stretch.
“Some of the turnovers just kind of just lost the ball and they got it, which is kind of weird,” White said. “Some of the shots are wide open and we missed them. That's basketball. Obviously, they're a really good team and playing well this year. Their physicality and pressure kind of makes those happen sometimes, but, sometimes it just is the game.”
For Brown, the slip ups were a little more focus-oriented.
"Especially in the fourth quarter, just some mindset plays,” he said. “Foul. Staying down on the shot fake. Had a turnover in the fourth and then just too many missed free throws. Just mentality-wise, mindset-wise, I needed to be more for my team. I wasn't tonight."
You can tell when Brown’s mind is its own worst enemy when the free throw misses start to pile up. He came into the game shooting 79% for the season and 89% in four December games. He’s known for hitting impossible shots from that distance while on the move and with defenders in his face. To be anything less than automatic from the line when he gets to stand still and focus is a bit confusing.
Shooting 7-14 from the line overshadowed an otherwise beautiful offensive night. He shot 52% from the field, a better percentage than his free throws, on his way to yet another 30-plus point night. He flirted with a triple double, which he might have gotten if a few guys hit shots and a couple of bounces went his way. He blocked three shots. The Celtics never would have sniffed a chance to win this game had he not been on the floor.
“I think that's kind of what makes him special. He had 30-something and still wants to do better for us,” White said. “He's probably his toughest critic, and we know that he's going to bounce back and continue to do special things for us. And so obviously, this loss isn't on him, it's on all of us, and we got his back, but that's just kind of the guy he is in this and why we love playing with him.”
Mazzulla thought the execution was mostly where he wanted it to be, but the Celtics don’t win on nights where things are “mostly” great. You don’t need Miracle Max to tell you that mostly great means slightly terrible, but the Celtics would gladly take one of his treatments to prevent that slightly terrible from happening in the future.
Without that as an option, the Celtics are just going to have to regroup. It won’t take a miracle to fix what’s happening.
"Just the little plays,” Brown said. “Making the right reads. Get another guy some easy shots. Rebounding is big for us. Staying on the glass. Staying in the fight. Then just making the simple plays. All that stuff adds up. Turnovers. Missed free throws. Open shots. All of that little stuff adds up. Tonight wasn't my best night at that, but I take accountability. So that's why we get ready for the next one."