5 takeaways while embarrassing Danilo Gallinari, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics

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The Boston Celtics ended their roadtrip Wednesday with a devastating loss to the Atlanta Hawks and fell 127-112.

Five takeaways because the Celtics have found a new bottom.

The Celtics had nothing left.

Like it or not, one thing seemed very clear: the Celtics were physically and mentally exhausted. After Atlanta beat a haymaker in the first half, Boston had nothing left in the tank.

Still, as Brad Stevens put it: ‘We might have hit tonight anyway, because sometimes you hit with a flurry of haymakers in the NBA like these guys did us tonight, but we could have been in a better position than we played better. ”

A very short rally in the third quarter fell flat on its face when Atlanta again buried a 3-point series and pushed back the lead. By the fourth quarter, the Celtics banking unit was in. It felt like it would have been an acceptable replacement, perhaps at the moment in the second quarter when Danilo Gallinari drilled a three-pointer near the logo – Trae Young’s usual series.

After Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks, Jayson Tatum sighs wearily.

“I mean, s—, we have a game tomorrow,” he said. ‘Just try to move on to the next one. That’s all you can do. ”

After Wednesday’s match, the same message applies.

Sometimes shooters get hot (and this season decides three points for games).

The gap between wins and losses seems to be breaking down this season in the line of three-point shooters, and Atlanta destroyed Boston behind the arc on Wednesday – the Celtics surpassed 54.8 percent to 25.8 percent.

Young, of course, struck with 33 points on 12-for-23 shooting and led Atlanta’s charge, but the real difference was Gallinari, who hit 10 of his 12 three-point attempts and finished with 38 points.

The Celtics had four starters in double figures (Jaylen Brown, Tristan Thompson, Jeff Teague and Jayson Tatum), but Brown and Tatum finished with 17 and 13 respectively. Against the Hawks’ offensive onslaught, Boston needed much more of its stars. It was a familiar refrain this season.

The youth of Boston still brought energy.

Aaron Nesmith finished with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Rob Williams once again posted some highlights. The Celtics’ youngest players are not ready to help Boston become a good team by being reliable players, but they have delivered some good performances.

What this means in the future is unclear. Nesmith and Williams in particular earned more minutes, but the Celtics could not win. This is a difficult equation to solve.

The calls for change are only going to increase in volume.

Celtics fans are asking for trade, to resign, for anything that could bring the Celtics closer to respect.

The calls will only increase after Wednesday’s debacle, but it is not clear what the Celtics can do exactly. Tatum and Brown are obviously invulnerable. Others on the team can certainly be sent off, but while rookies like Nesmith and Payton Pritchard have shown flashes, and although Rob Williams now looks like a real player, they probably will not offer a distance that could change the fate of Boston this season. not.

Meanwhile, as Grousbeck noted earlier Wednesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Stevens of Ainge would immediately get rid of the best options on the open market. Both are talented in their work, making the team’s current situation all the more confusing and disturbing.

Stevens was asked if his message to players was being conveyed.

“I would say that what I say to you and to everyone is not necessarily what I say in the dressing room,” Stevens said. ‘And how you say it is definitely very important, and I had my moments. Let’s put it this way. That said, I think this team seems to be balancing at the moment to play uncompromisingly and uncertainly with the fact that we had a pair that slipped away. And so the only way to get it back is to dive on the floor, to take costs, to jump in to help your teammates, to fight for every possession. And that’s our charge. …

“Listen, none of us are happy with the work we have done, and I must be on the list where we are in the first place.”

Something’s going on.

We can not say exactly what the Celtics are. Their transgression stood still. Their defense can not stop anyone. Opposing stars come everywhere they want to go and take the shots they want to take.

And yet the Celtics still have a lot of talent. This is a confusing situation that can not be explained really comfortably.

Maybe Jayson Tatum is still working on COVID issues. Maybe Kemba Walker will rally at some point. Maybe none of those things come together and the team continues.

“It can’t get any worse than that,” Kemba Walker said ten days ago after the Celtics lost to the Washington Wizards.

It was clear that Walker was wrong at the time. The matter is that it still cannot be true.