This season has had its share of tough losses. The sting of defeat does not get less painful over time. The Celtics have had a rough patch since coming back from the All-Star “break” and it seems like this team is inching closer to the play-in tournament. Boston is not in great shape for the playoffs right now. But I have some faith that they will get it together in time. Luka Doncic was unstoppable tonight dropping 36 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Same Old Story

The Dallas Mavericks were able to carve out a 20 point lead in the third quarter and walked into the fourth quarter up big. Boston went on a run and brought the score within striking distance. Late in the fourth, the Celtics were down by eight Jayson Tatum drives hard to the net to quickly cut the lead to six with less than a minute to go. Boston was able to string together some key defensive stops to keep the game close down the wire eventually cutting the lead to just three. But Dallas was able to hold on for the victory. Luka Doncic came up big time. Doncic hit a shot from the Red Auerbach sign to add to the lead late in the fourth.

Dallas shot 49% from the field. 49%! Dallas was lights out tonight hitting what felt like every key shot. Boston was telling the same old story, not much effort until the time is almost up. Boston had a somewhat cold shooting night. They hit 41% of their shots but had an abysmal 23% three-point-percentage. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker each had 20 points in the loss. Hopefully, the new faces will continue making improvements as they get better acclimated to their new surroundings.

I know a lot of teams have dealt with COVID complications this season but it seems like Boston has dealt with a lot of longer-term side-effects.

Troubled Times

I didn’t come into this season with high expectations I knew that last season was not a normal outcome and that the Celtics would probably end their season in about the second round. Now I’m sitting here hoping they make the play-in tournament. This season is not what we thought it would be but we need to take into account that our stars are running on tired legs. I’m excited about the playoffs but I’m looking forward to the offseason to see what moves Danny Ainge and the Celtics will make.

If you want to keep in touch with my positive attitude you can follow me on Twitter here. If you want to read more about the Boston Celtics click here.

About Author

Joe Palencia

Just a kid that grew up watching sports and loves to talk about them. Favorites are hockey and basketball but can talk to you for hours about baseball too. Likes video games, cooking, and writing Dislikes Tony Brothers, all of the New York Franchises, the Lakers, and Kyle Lowry

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