But we didn’t know the Celtics’ emotional response would be quite this damaging, and we didn’t know it would be the driving force behind a 99-90 loss Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics shot only 42.7 percent on Sunday at American Airlines Arena in Miami, they gave the Heat 23 points off of turnovers, and they watched helplessly as their entire bench was outscored by James Jones. And yet they still had multiple opportunities late to go on a run and win the ballgame.
But they didn’t, and there’s a simple explanation: They were too overcome by frustration to play with poise and professionalism down the stretch. The Celtics — the veteran-laden, championship-proven Celtics, led by a trio of Hall of Famers — lost a game to their own emotions.
“I thought as a whole, we were the retaliating team tonight,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We were never the first-hit team.”
The Celtics were hit first plenty of times, most notably twice midway through the fourth quarter in what would eventually be their undoing. Paul Pierce, the C’s captain and 13-year veteran, was called for two technicals within the span of a single minute — both double technicals, both for jawing a little too much at an opposing player after a hard foul.
Rivers thought both incidents — one where James Jones grabbed Pierce by the head with 7:58 left, and the second at the 7:00 mark where he collided with Dwyane Wade — should have been flagrant fouls against the Heat. He lodged multiple complaints in his postgame presser about the way those plays were officiated. But at the same time, he blamed his own players, especially Pierce, for losing their composure at a critical juncture. That’s not the Celtic way.
“It’s tough,” Rivers admitted. “It’s so easy for me in a suit and tie. I do remember when I played, I kind of lost my cool a couple times and was in these things as well.
“But you knew it was coming. All they did was talk about being physical. And instead of walking away like you have to, we reacted, and that’s exactly what they wanted us to do. We have to be better than that.”
Pierce got the automatic ejection for the second technical at the seven-minute mark. The Celtics were down 87-74 at that point, and while they made a couple of late attempts to come back, they never got over the hump.
But here’s a question: Was the game lost in that messy fourth quarter, or did the Celtics blow it earlier?
After all, they trailed by double digits for most of the fourth. They also let it slip away earlier. They scored only 14 points in the first quarter, allowing the Heat to control the tempo early by running the floor.
Pierce didn’t speak to the media after Sunday’s loss. He left the building in a hurry. But Ray Allen was happy to give his opinion.
“I’m just thinking about the way we started the first quarter,” Allen said. “I’m thinking about our first couple possessions. We didn’t have any patience. The things we talked about with this team were not allowing them to get into transition, taking those easy baskets away from them, and limiting their 3s. And just the simple fact that we didn’t have patience offensively gave them everything that they wanted. That gave them confidence. We didn’t set the tone, and we walked off the floor realizing that. When you give a team like that early, you’re in for a long night.”
Sunday was plenty long for the Celtics. After an undefeated first round of the playoffs, they got a rude awakening in Miami. Now they’re down 1-0, and they’ve got to regroup.
The key, their coach says, is to avoid thinking that losing Game 1 has any greater meaning.
“A loss,” Rivers said. “That’s it. We’ll learn from this, we’ll watch film. It’s only one game. They just outplayed us tonight.”
