Are we surprised that the Boston Celtics are dead-last in the NBA for point-margin in the fourth quarter? Yes, dead-last! That is 30th out of 30 teams! It became evident once again in Boston's 117-109 loss to the Utah Jazz. View NBA.com's Kyle Hightower's article headline below:
Jazz pull away from Celtics in fourth
The Celtics average point-margin in the fourth quarter thus far stands at minus-2.1. The Suns, Lakers and Raptors share the number-one spot at plus-2.1.
How about last night, you may ask. The Green had a 4th-quarter margin of minus-8.0. They scored 30 4th-quarter points to Utah's 38. This trend does not bode well for the Celtics post-season.
What are the Celtics missing? I will keep this simple. Part of the answer is that they are obviously missing Mister Fourth Quarter, otherwise known as Isaiah Thomas. Yes, I realize IT is not the complete cure, but why do we not see him back on the parquet (per Boston.com's Brian Robb from the 2016-17 season)?
Isaiah Thomas has become one of the biggest stories in the first half of the 2016-17 season, largely due to his fourth quarter heroics. He’s leading the NBA by averaging 10.1 points per game in the game’s final frame, a number that has helped put him in the mix to be an Eastern Conference All-Star starter next month.
“He’s been playing well,” Hornets guard Kemba Walker said Monday’s loss in Boston. “He’s been playing better than anyone in our league [in the fourth quarter]. He’s playing with great confidence and making the plays for his team to win games. He’s been great.”
There you have it - from Boston's own Kemba Walker. If this article appears to have a bit of exasperation to it, there is a reason. There are no excuses for this Celtics crew to perform so poorly with games on the line. Youth? Injuries? COVID? Please! All three factors pervade the NBA landscape. Realizing it is only part of the solution, it may be time to bring back Mister Fourth Quarter into the fold. Fans nay want to see those 4th-quarter heroics once again.
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