“I don’t think this team is done yet,” said Boston Celtics team president Danny Ainge in one of his frequent appearances on the popular local radio show “Toucher & Rich” after Boston’s Game 4 loss to the Miami Heat
Ainge remained optimistic of his team’s chances in their East Finals series with the Heat despite being down three games to one, sharing that it looked like the players had indeed prepared for the game, but lacked the ability to maintain focus.
Asked if he thought coach Brad Stevens might be partially at fault, the former Celtic shooting guard dismissed the idea flatly.
“I’ve sat on the bench watching one of my players shoot free throws, and thinking, ‘If he makes these free throws I’m a great coach and if he misses I’m a terrible coach,’ and it’s just obviously not the way,” explained Ainge.
Late lapses by Boston’s ‘Best 5’ lineup were the worst vs Heat in Game 4 https://t.co/NKpxARlkUO
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 24, 2020
“That’s just the way that we look at it sometimes,” he added. “If we had squeaked out a win last night we don’t question anything, but when you lose by three points you question everything.”
On the issue of what it was on Miami’s end that was giving Boston such a hard time, the Celtics GM had a few ideas.
“I think that the zone defense has been challenging for us at times,” Ainge offered. “I think we’ve gotten a lot of great shots, we [haven’t] been able to knock them down. We had in the first half last night so many wide open shots that we normally make.”
Another issue may simply be unchangeable aspects of roster composition that are a byproduct of the still-recent rebuild.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 24, 2020
While there are some older players on the roster, such as Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and Brad Wanamaker, most of the team is much closer to 20 than the average age of those three players.
“I don’t know if our guys are at the stage of their career where they can continue to play with the same force defensively, and focus when things aren’t going their way. A lot of that is just maturity. A lot of that is we just have 22 and 23 [year-old players in big roles].”
“I’m not making excuses for age, because our young guys have been through a lot, and had some shining, brilliant moments,” added Ainge.
Whether or not this team simply needs older bodies — or more experience — to advance will be tested and decided on Friday in Game 5.
Whether they do or do not, one thing is certain — this team will go down fighting, no matter what.
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