CHARLOTTE – With Boston having lost five of its last seven games, Celtics Nation is getting a little antsy about the team’s playoff push.
The idea of Boston making a lineup change is one that is on the minds of many, including Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
“I think about it all the time,” Stevens said.
But for Stevens, the last thing his team needs right now is another change.
That’s why he will once again go with the same starting lineup tonight in an all-important matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
“There’s no concrete answers because of the way it impacts the way our second unit plays as well,” Stevens said. “We’re going to keep it the way it has been. Those guys have helped us, helped put us in position along with the bench to be competing. Hopefully we can continue to get a little better, and better result.”
A big reason for Boston’s struggles of late has been their play in the first quarter.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics come into tonight’s game having been outscored in each of their last seven games.
However, that stretch of games includes four opponents (Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Clippers) who all rank among the NBA’s top 10 teams in first quarter points scored.
Stevens also pointed out how he usually makes at least one or two substitutions about midway through the quarter with Isaiah Thomas along with Jae Crowder checking into the game.
So to blame the team’s struggles in the first solely on the starters is only part of issue.
“There’s not always an exact correlation,” Stevens said.
The talk among fans about the need for change has been going around for a few weeks, but was muted while Isaiah Thomas was out for eight games with a back injury.
He has since returned and continues to come off the bench for Boston despite being their best scoring option.
And the player he would most likely replace, Marcus Smart, is coming off one of his worst games of the season in Boston’s 116-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The final score did not do justice to how Boston was dominated by Los Angeles which is currently the hottest team in the NBA with seven straight wins.
“I’m not going to over-react to playing a team like yesterday that’s rolling they (Clippers) were,” Stevens said.