The Boston Celtics sit in the 27th spot - 4th from last - as far as wins and losses in the last five minutes of a game in which the point differential is 5 or less. In 26 games in which The Green found themselves in "clutch time", they show nine wins and 17 losses for a .346 record. Only the Spurs, Magic and Pacers have worse records. Here's the breakdown.
Is it shooting accuracy? Yup! Celtics rank 19th in field goal accuracy at the end of close games and 14th in 3-point marksmanship (.416 and .299, respectively).
Don't they shoot enough with the game on the line? Not the problem. They rank first in that category, throwing up 8.0 shots in that 5-minute span. The trouble is that most of the shots don't go in.
What else goes amiss? Rebounds (5th), assists (11th), steals (1st) and blocks (3rd) are not the problem in clutch time for Boston. But they foul a lot (30th, dead last) and turn the ball over (27th) far too much. In other words, the Celtics fall apart at that critical juncture - lose their cool. That needs to be corrected - either by changes within the current organization or by changes in the roster and/or management.
Look for my upcoming article on which Celtics players are contributing to the "clutch time" issue and which are not.
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