The 2019 Clover Report: Week 14
It always seems like this year when the Celtics take a step forward, they take two steps back.
This was one of the most up and down weeks in the Brad Stevens era so let’s just get this started.
Starting off their road trip in Miami, the Celtics were blown out by the Heat 115–99. Kyrie Irving led the team in scoring with 22 points and Dwyane Wade led the way for the Heat with 19.
During a timeout, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris got into of a scuffle which went viral on Twitter. Both players didn’t make a big deal of it after the game but it definitely wasn’t a good start on the road.
Next up, the Celtics moved up the state to face the Orlando Magic. While the Celtics started out well, they choked down the stretch and lost 105–103.
Jayson Tatum missed a game-ending fade away shot that had Kyrie Irving yelling at both Brad Stevens and Gordon Hayward as he clearly didn’t agree with the play call. It didn’t stop there as Kyrie basically called out the young players for lack of effort and execution.
To end the road-trip, the Celtics traveled to Brooklyn to take on the Nets.
Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart were both out due to injury. While the Celtics played well in the first half, they threw up on themselves in the third as the Nets scored 44 points in that quarter.
The Celtics couldn’t make up the difference and lost once again 109–102. After losing 3 road games in which the Celtics were the clear better team, their road record dropped to 10-13 on the year. Not something that a championship team does.
Finally to close out this week, the Celtics hosted a huge game against the best team in basketball with the Toronto Raptors.
Everyone was healthy for the Celtics including the return of Aaron Baynes. This was a hyped game going into the match-up and it lived up to it.
Similar to the game in December, this was a back and forth game to the bitter end. But Kyrie Irving just went off and the Celtics won 117–108 in what may have been a season saving win. Kyrie finished with 27 points and a CAREER HIGH 18 assists.
While this was a great win, the Celtics still have a lot of problems. Is it a role issue, is it a coaching issue, or is it just a home vs road issue? Whatever it is the Celtics are not out of the woods but they’re not dead. They’re still here. 26–18.
Steve Santoro (SVS_1993)
You love fantasy sports but getting tired of the same thing every year? Stop it. Join ThriveFantasy today where you bet on only the top tier players and gain points based on prop bets. Sign up today using the Couch Guy Sports link NOW & get in on the action. (Must deposit a minimum of $10 upon signup and ThriveFantasy will MATCH that $10)
