Boston Celtics: 3 reasons team wasn’t a lock to make the Finals after all

Lack of Rim Protection

The underreported aspect of the Boston Celtics season was their lacking of a quality center. Al Horford is not a good center. Al Horford is a fantastic member of the team on both ends of the floor, but his true position is power forward.

I understand basketball is moving away from traditional lineups, but against many big men in the league, Al is simply outmatched physically.

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Of the 16 teams that made the NBA playoffs, only the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets averaged fewer rebounds per game than the Celtics during the regular season. That is terrible, and I was surprised they were even that high, as watching Boston Celtics games it felt as if they were constantly allowing offensive rebounds.

I don’t want to knock on Horford too much because he is the heart and soul of the team, but it was clear come playoff time that Danny Ainge made a big mistake by not going after a big man at the trade deadline.

Aaron Baynes was the only member of the roster that could truly box anyone out, but he can be a defensive liability. Baynes plays with high energy but gets exposed constantly for overcommitting to the ball and being flatfooted.

The East is filled with elite rebounders such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embid, and Nikola Vucevic, the Celtics really need someone to contain such players who constantly play excellent against Boston.

Teams would simply bully Boston in the paint, and score at will. The Celtics played a bit undersized, but their lack of physicality really proved to be one of their detriments. Everyone just assumed that the team would be so gifted offensively and be sufficient enough on the defensive end to win, but both proved to be false.

Boston should have paid a much bigger focus on improving rebounding the basketball, limiting second-chance points, and not being exposed in the paint. All were huge reasons for failure, and teams not nearly as talented as the Celtics could simply exploit such flaws and end up beating them.

I am anxiously awaiting what the future holds for the Boston Celtics. I want banner 18 as much as the next person, and want to see the team put themselves in the best position they can to do it.

It just is incomprehensible that the Boston Celtics, a game away from the NBA Finals just a year ago without their two biggest stars, are at least for now, the laughing stock of Boston professional sports.