Our Boston Celtics struggled from the outset against the Brooklyn Nets, and that was well before Rajon Rondo was ejected for his shoving altercation with Kris Humphries. The loss of Rondo only compounded the problems faced by our fragile and struggling C’s, taking away any backcourt advantage and all but assuring that the bigger, more physical Nets would leave Boston with a W.
So, what gives? Somebody had better put an APB out on our man Jeff Green, because he turned in another stinker of a game and is making life hard on everyone else that that’s trying to pick up his slack. Green (2 points on 1-3 shooting) is struggling to remain relevant and to remain an integral part of Doc Rivers’ rotation. I hate to say it, but Green is playing like a bum – and we’re paying him like a prince.
And Courtney Lee is doing no better – 4 points in 26 minutes of action? Come on, Court – you’ve got to step up and show us mor than that. I understand that there will be some nights when the flow doesn’t suit you, and when everything is harder than it should be…but four points?
At least Brandon Bass is scoring the basketball – but he wasn’t much of a factor on the boards tonight. And it comes as no surprise that our Celtics were outrebounded by the Nets, 50-40, or that they were absolutely owned on the offensive glass 17-8.
Which brings me to this observation – a lot of what ails the Celtics would clear up on its own if only the C’s had better rebounding muscle. That’s the biggest issue facing this team right now, and Doc is really struggling to find a way to cover up this glaring weakness.
There will be nights when it’s easier to hide than others – nights when the Celtics won’t be facing big teams with strong interior defenders. That wasn’t the case tonight. Tonight, the Nets brutalized us. Tonight, the Nets owned us.
And tonight, our man Rondo lost his cool.
Now we wait to see how long the suspension lasts.