BOSTON — Fourth-quarter collapses have been common occurrences for the Celtics this season. Few were more frustrating than Friday’s.
The Celtics led the Chicago Bulls by as many as 16 points in their post-Thanksgiving matinee at TD Garden, carving up the normally stout Chicago defense for 60 points in the first half and another 31 in the third quarter.
Then, the metaphorical tryptophan kicked in.
Boston managed a mere 11 points over the game’s final 12 minutes and failed to score even one bucket in the final 2:29. The Bulls did not fare much better on their fourth-quarter field goal attempts (7 of 22), but a 10-for-11 showing from the foul line in the final frame was enough to earn them a 109-102 victory.
It was the fifth time this season the Celtics have lost a game after leading by double digits.
“It’s very frustrating, in particular this game,” point guard Rajon Rondo said.”If I make my free throws, I think we win this game.”
Late-game free-throw shooting has been a serious issue for Rondo this season. He missed three foul shots in the final minute of the Celtics’ loss to the Phoenix Suns last week then came up empty Friday on two freebies that would have given the Celtics the lead with 1:04 to play.
Jared Sullinger, who posted a double-double and led all scorers with 23 points, also missed two free throws in the final minute.
Of Boston’s 5-for-26 fourth-quarter shooting mark in the loss, Rondo’s stat line was the most glaring. He took more shots (eight) in the frame than any other player but came up empty on all but one. This slump hit rock bottom in one six-possession stretch, during which he missed three shots and had another two blocked — all with Chicago clinging to a one-possession lead.
Several of those misses came on shots that you wouldn’t exactly describe as high-percentage, but Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game that he didn’t believe execution was his team’s issue late in the game.
“The ball didn’t go in,” Stevens said. “So, I think that sometimes it’s as simple as that — sometimes it’s as difficult as they were making it difficult for us. And it was probably a combination of those two things. But I thought in the last three minutes, especially, we executed pretty well. And obviously would like to have those misses back, but that’s basketball.”
It’s a storyline that’s becoming all too common: Despite all the positives the Celtics can take from the loss (Avery Bradley’s 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting were encouraging after a couple of rough games for the shooting guard, and Brandon Bass again was huge off the bench), another fourth-quarter nosedive assured that it was all for naught.
Stevens still is focusing on the former.
“Hey, we scored 102 points on Chicago, and that’s with an 11-point quarter,” he said. “So we’re doing a lot of good things, but we’ve got to finish. It’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
