Boston Celtics: Backs Against the Wall Heading Into Game 3

The Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, set a franchise record in the first quarter with a lone 7 points, the fewest amount in any quarter a team in Celtics green has scored in franchise history.

The Boston Celtics dropped an 89-72 scorcher against the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Series.

The C’s shot a little under 32%, as their offense was a complete no-show in Game 2. Celtic’s star Isaiah Thomas had 16 points and only shot 4 for 15 from the field. The offensive game of the Celtics took a hit when guard Avery Bradley suffered a tragic hamstring injury on Saturday that will keep him sidelined for at least the first round of the playoffs.

Also, forward Kelly Olynyk was a game-time decision Tuesday night, and was ruled out because of a sore shoulder. The Celtics are hoping Olynyk will be back for Friday’s Game 3 in Boston.

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With two straight losses on the road for the Celtics, Game 3 Friday night will without a doubt be the biggest game of the year. They cannot afford to go down 3-0, a deficit no team in NBA history has ever came back from.

Luckily for the green, they showed some great shades of defense Tuesday night only allowing Atlanta to shoot 39%. Without that defensive presence you may have seen a 40 point route by the Hawks.

An x-factor who led the Hawks in Game 2 was 13-year veteran Kyle Korver, who put on an absolute clinic with his three point shooting. The three-point specialist shot 5 for 7 from the three with a team-high 17 points and with the Celtics missing Bradley it opened up the perimeter for shooters such as Korver, Jeff Teague, and even Center Al Horford (3-4 3pt).

As I made known in my last article, the X-factor for the Celtics was ultimately going to be a big man that could control the tempo, and I rightfully went with Forward Amir Johnson. Johnson on Tuesday, had the best playoff game of his career, despite a 17-point defeat on the road.

The 6-9 veteran shot 6 for 11 from the field (14 pts) and also grabbed 8 boards. He shot 6-for-7 from the field from the 7:50 mark of the second quarter to the 10:51 mark of the third quarter.“I thought when he went back in in the second quarter and then in the third quarter he was really, really, really good,” Coach Brad Stevens recognized.

On the dark side of things, Johnson was the only one who fit that suit. While he made half a dozen shots during that nine-minute span, the rest of the C’s made just one. He ended up as Boston’s only starter to shoot above 40 percent from the field, as the other four shot a combined 8-of-40.

"I was aggressive on a couple of plays. I took it to the basket, tried to get guys open, set screens and rolling and they were able to find me. Just playing hard overall, and that’s what we gotta do to win games, especially in the first half. – Amir Johnson on his performance"

With the Celtics back’s against the wall, the bright side of this is that they are going back to TD Garden for Game 3, and they are 28-13 in their home building this season. Hopefully they will have 3-point assassin Forward Kelly Olynyk (40% from 3-pt this season) back on Friday, as the green could use the rest to get back on the right track.

Ultimately, the Celtics are on the right track when it comes to defense. As they had great showings from Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Marcus Smart on Tuesday night. The biggest challenge for this team will be on offense, as they need that second factor to come through if top scorer Isaiah Thomas is off like he was in Game 2. Normally it would be Bradley, but with him injured a player like Crowder, Evan Turner, or even Marcus Smart needs to be that “IT” factor to give the C’s a chance in this series.

Next: Celtics in Desperation Mode

Someone once told me, a real NBA Playoff series doesn’t begin until someone wins on someone else’s home-court, and that has yet to happen. Come 8 o’clock Friday night in Boston, hopefully some things can change for the green that could ultimately change this series for the better.

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