The Celtics lost against the Hornets in overtime due to star’s decisions.

admin | November 21, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

The Celtics’ humiliating loss to the Hornets on Monday night can be attributed to a number of factors.

In the last minute of regulation, Jrue Holiday missed two free throws that could have won the game. At the conclusion of overtime, Jayson Tatum had a chance to tie the game, but he missed a free shot. Without using a timeout, Joe Mazzulla watched the Hornets end regulation on a 9-0 run.

Boston was playing its third game in four days at the end of a long road trip, and they were without two rotation players. It was obvious that tired legs were also a factor. On a night like tonight, though, the process nearly counts more than the outcome when analyzing the ugly nature of Boston’s defeat. The Celtics faced the weakest defensive squad in the NBA and unleashed some of their old demons, blowing a nine-point lead in the last two minutes of regulation. Boston lost the opportunity to win the game and their seventh straight when they were unable to score when it mattered most.

While Holiday and Tatum both struggled with missed layups and free throws in crucial situations, Jaylen Brown’s play during crucial junctures in the defeat was particularly concerning. The All-Star shot just 5-of-17 for the game, missing 11 of his last 13 attempts, including a combined 1-of-6 in overtime and the fourth quarter.

Aside from a scorching first quarter, Brown struggled against the Hornets and was flagged for fouls in the second half. Though his shot was awry, Brown appeared determined to break through the Hornets defense on his own, not to capitalize on the formidable supporting group surrounding him.

A year ago, the Celtics probably wanted Brown taking a lot of those shots in big moments when teams doubled Tatum. Now? There are easy swing passes to be made to the likes of Kristaps Porzingis or Jrue Holiday. On Monday night, there was plenty of tunnel vision from Brown on that front, none more egregious than when he took a contested 3 in overtime with 35 seconds left in a tie game rather than passing the ball to an open Porzingis in the paint.

Those are the types of plays that will likely cause Joe Mazzulla to lose some sleep when watching the film, rather than the missed free throws or blown layups. Against a bad defense like the Hornets, the Celtics making the simple play or pass will lead to points more often than not. Reverting back to isolation tendencies is a roll of the dice that simply isn’t necessary anymore against most opponents with this level of talent.

Brown went 2-of-9 in the second half against Charlotte, with four of those attempts coming on midrange jump shots. On a night when Boston had a 98 percent probability chance to win the game with two minutes remaining in regulation, Brown’s isolation mentality loomed large. The sooner Brown quits trying to do too much for the Celtics offensively in these moments, the better off they will be.