Clear Eyes, Full Heart, quit fuckin’ up
Discloser: This is a rant of frustration.
We’re onto Game 4. Celtics have not lost 2 games in a row since 1986, allegedly. So why am I nervous? Because this team can’t help itself. They love to put themselves into worst case scenarios, dig themselves out, and take credit for it.
It’s time to pull up the big boy pants and bring it from the get go. You want the secret to beating the Celtics. Apply pressure. TWENTY THREE turnovers in game 3. Why? Because their start kept pounding the rock into the same situations time and time again. It’s like they completely lose their heads for stretches at a time and when the smoke finally clears you’re down 20. The son of a bitch of it all is they still had a chance to win. It just shows you they are the better team when focused.
I fully expect this team to come out in game 4 and be extremely methodical and careful with the basketball resulting in a victory. Then I expect them all to come into the post game and tell us all about how careful and methodical they were. How about we skip the next part where you put the whole show in the spin cycle, rinse and repeat for game 5. How about you stay focused and close this thing out in 6?
Jaylen Brown summed up exactly how this team takes accountability. They say the words, but also couch it in excuses.
"Just be stronger," Brown said. "Did a s--t job taking care of the basketball. But just being stronger. Driving, I'm going to keep being aggressive, keep getting to the basket, I'm going to keep doing what I do, but just be stronger when I get in there."
Brown also was unhappy with what he considered to be missed foul calls while he drove to the hoop.
"They let a lot of stuff go tonight," he said. "Especially when I feel like I drive and I get to the basket, I feel like it's two hands on me all the time. I never get those hand-checking calls but I don't make excuses. We get better. I did a s--t job taking care of the basketball today. I've got to do better."
Hey Jaylen, figure it out.
And lastly, I am temporarily putting the “budding” back in front of super star for Jayson Tatum. This is a superstar suspension due to the half ass efforts we have seen out of him in this playoff run. When things are not going smoothly and the other team applies pressure he folds. And, the shoulder “injury”? How ever did he return? I thought the medi-vac needed to be called. Mass General, stat! Woof. What a soft ass look. Granted, he comes back the next night and drops 30. However, that’s not a super star. It’s a budding super star. Big boy pants, fellahs. Strap up!