After their third loss out of the last four games, the Celtics are looking a little shaky after the All-Star break. The Hawks came out on top against a Celtics team that has looked better, 114-98. If the trend continues, this could spell disaster for the second half of the season.
In a game that saw two technical fouls and an ejection, the Celtics showed little fight. The Hawks led by 24 points towards the end of the game and the usual stars for Boston weren’t able to hang with Atlanta. Isaiah Thomas’ scoring streak of 20+ was finally stopped as he scored 19 points in Monday’s contest. Even more surprising is that only 2 points came in the 4th quarter. It seemed the Hawks figured out a way to stop Isaiah. He was consistently double and triple teamed, especially when in the paint. They were forcing the rest of the Celtics to make shots, which they couldn’t. It’s not like Boston wasn’t getting open looks, they just weren’t able to convert.
A positive from this game was the return of starting guard Avery Bradley from injury. It seems like he has been out since Christmas, and the Celtics could desperately use his presence. While he doesn’t light it up, he has proven he can be someone who can lighten the load of Isaiah. He is the second leading scorer for the C’s, not to mention his outstanding defense. He is a premier defensive player, and with him and Marcus Smart on the floor, they can wreak havoc on opposing back courts. Even though he played limited minutes, they were promising and hopefully lead to better things down the road.
The Celtics will face a tough Cavaliers squad Wednesday night in a match up of the top two Eastern Conference teams. With the Cavs missing Kevin Love, a home victory would be a big chance for the Celtics to gain a game against King James.
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