FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to NBA-best Celtics blowing a 30-point lead in stunning loss to Hawks

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to NBA-best Celtics blowing a 30-point lead in stunning loss to Hawks

The Celtics had their nine-game winning streak snapped and blew a 30-point lead in their first half against the Atlanta Hawks last night following 120 118 crewed up at the moment Tim leger’s in the house Brian windhorse gracing your screen of course that’s Shannon sharp and I’m Molly hi guys uh Shannon what do

You think about this blown lead is it something or nothing oh it’s absolutely something we’ve seen them blow leads of 11 to the Sixers 18 to the horness 12 to the magic 17 to the Warriors 12 to the Nuggets 22 to the Cavaliers and 30 last night to the Hawks without their best

Player in Trey young this is absolutely something because now teams feel like no matter how big a lead you get on them they feel comfortable that knowing that you will mess it up yourselves and give them an opportunity to get back into the ball game now we understand what the

Three-point shot can do but the Celtics got to be embarrassed by a lead of 30 Without A team’s best player it was almost like what we saw last week who uh the Suns when they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks without Giannis to blow a 30-point

Lead and look at all the lead uh they’ve lost 15 times this season I mean eight leads 30 points 22 points 12 points 11 points 17 12 18 11 that’s embarrassing this is absolutely something and I want to see Wendy and legs you know see if

They can do a Houdini and escape this one listen I think there’s two components to this Shannon I think one component is the complacency and distraction component and I think that was part of last night you’re up 30 it’s the Hawks you got the one seed locked up

Huge gap for homecourt Advantage and and they got a little bit sloppy and careless I don’t think that is a pattern with the Boston Celtics but the second part of it is which is this their shot selection at times they take more threes than any team in the league they can

Fall in love with that shot and if they go cold that is the formula to try to get back against the Boston CS I think the numbers I saw this morning they missed 16 straight threes in the last 10 seconds of a shot clock in the last

Three quarters of that game so their offense their execution the quality of looks wasn’t there and if there’s one thing but that I think about with the Celtics and I think about a vulnerability and this is nitpicking a little bit it is their propensity to string together three-point shots

Possession after possession and if you hit a cold streak you can see teams erase big leads look by the way 20o leads in this league don’t mean anything anymore but we see that on a regular basis because of the number of Threes teams take both ways because if you got

A big lead you still take threes you get H cold stretch you’re allowing teams to get back in the game and then the number of Threes that your opponent takes down 20 just do the math on it you’ve got a more likelihood to make up that difference now 30 is a whole another

Story teams were 152 and0 152 and0 up 30 this year going into last night okay that’s the first time we’ve seen it all season so I do think there is something to the style the Celtics play allowing teams back in games because of the way they run their offense I do think it’s

Something to watch for in the postseason okay losing a game in you know late March it’s not that big of a deal especially because Drew holiday and Derek white were out in this game last night here’s what’s a big deal for Boston the way and what happens to their

Offense Under Pressure now there’s been a bunch of games this year guys where the Celtics have had a big lead handled their business and had no problem in Crews they’ve got a lot going for them they’re awesome they got the number one seed but this is a team that has

Repeatedly over the last few years had games in the palm of their hand had playoff series in the palm of their hand or were in great position in playoff series and let it go and they have a propensity for some reason to get distracted it drives their fans crazy I

Have watched it in person Time After Time After Time o in in the playoffs over the last couple of years the end of this game watch this possession this possession is infuriating this team is loaded with Talent Watch What Happens there is nobody moving at all right under if you

Can see underneath the 116 it says two timeouts Joe moula just let this go nothing happens look at the shot that they get if you’re a Celtics fan you’ve seen this play out time and time again there’s a and and it’s it’s not something that you’re say is going to

Hold the team back you know in a game against Atlanta in March but it could screw up a playoff series when you have this happen there’s a stat that I think is very important if you’re looking at the Celtics in the first quarters of games they are top 10 in the league in

Pace they play very very fast in the fourth quarters of games what you saw on that play right there happens all the time they are second from the bottom in Pace they slow to a halt this is a weakness guys there is not many weaknesses with this roster they have a

Ton going for them and when they’re at full power they’re awesome this is a weakness they slow down at the end of games they they they move away from contact we’ve seen Jason Tatum time and time again in clutch situations go to that fallway the the Celtics it’s very

Hard for me to believe that Boston has not getting to the finals but if I’m going to present you a case it’s going to start with their ability to execute and play with Pace in those late game situations but here’s the thing that you guys missed both of you guys could they

Get to the finals yes but the question was is this a problem absolutely legs you laid out because they shooting the three they make the most but they also if you hit a cold spot you allow the team to get back into the ball game so

What happens in the playoffs you get up 20 and all of a sudden you hit that uh that cold stretch where you’re shooting threes and you allow the team to get back into the ball game so to answer Molly’s question both of you guys elaborated and went on and y’all

Filibustered and I’ll allowed you you to do it that was your three four minutes of talking time but this is what legs and Wendy is saying this is absolutely a problem they just went about a wrong way of getting home to tell you that I showed you the highlight of this earlier

Celtics had a 30 point lead in Atlanta and lost last night bad game or bad sign for the NBA’s best it’s an anomaly but there is something to look for when the Celtics are vulnerable and it is the three-point shot they can go cold for stretches not very often but they missed

16 straight in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock last night ultimately was their demise no Victor wanyama San Antonio still beat Phoenix are the Suns in some trouble a massive trouble number one they’ve got the hardest schedule not only uh for any team remaining they’ve

Got the hardest 10 game stretch coming up that any team has played this season to finish the year and they just lost to the Spurs without Wy and the bucks without Yannis and then Houston beat Portland so now they’re just a half a game the Rockets are behind golden St

Date for the last spot in the play in how live are these Rockets they’re they’re live now their schedule’s pretty tough too they could come down to the April 4th game against Golden State Golden State will have the tiebreaker against them so if they just have a one

Game lead going into that they can beat Houston they pretty much will secure that spot that’s going to be interesting April 4th is the one I’m looking at I mean look at the run that they have made to put themselves right there nine straight wins so they’re just a half a

Game behind Golden State and that brings us back to the Warriors this is a team that when they were eliminated last last year in the second round by the Lakers that coach Steve cerr said this team maxed out we we accomplished everything we were capable of they spent a ton of

Money and I mean a ton of money to put together this year’s team and now here they are they may not even make the play in are we seeing the end is it over this Warriors Dynasty is it over yeah I think the way I would look at that is the

Steph Curry era is that over will Steph Curry have another opportunity to win a championship assuming he does not play for another franchise I don’t think it’s going to happen I just don’t think there’s great answers here on what to do exactly and it’s easy to say oh blow it

Up if they get eliminated they don’t make the play in or they lose one game and they’re out just blow it all up well it’s hard you don’t have the assets to just blow it up and rebuild with the type of players in their Prime around

Steph Curry to go make another run at this you don’t have a choice if Steph Curry’s on your roster each year you’re trying to be competitive you’re not going to take a guy in his mid-30s now that’s had that kind of career and say you know what we’re going to have a two

Or threee plan here to get competitive against just doesn’t work that way you’re going to try to continue to retool around what you have and address weaknesses and address needs because they don’t have the assets greeny to go out and turn this into some super team

Around Steph Curry he’s 36 by the way for those wondering how old Steph is I keep bringing this up the idea of him calling up his good buddy LeBron James and and draymond’s good buddy LeBron James and talking him into taking that flight up from LA to San Francisco for

One season I keep telling you that is a possibility and that could be the one little loophole in this that we’re not seeing that’s going to listen that’s going to stay in the air because it’s such an interesting Dynamic I personally don’t think that would ever

Happen but I understand why you want to stir the pot with that it’s an interesting storyline and it might be yeah the one opportunity Steph Curry would have that that pairing might be the only opportunity they would have and a lot of that would come down to LeBron

James wishes right well look at the end of the day here’s just to finish up the conversation LeBron James and Steph Curry the two historically great players of this generation with all their shs everything they’ve accomplished I as a fan of the game I don’t want to see

Their last few years where they’re both still playing great be played in irrelevance like they may not make the play in the Lakers aren’t a real threat join forces and see if we can make one more run together at least the one thing LeBron has going for him in La is an

Anthony Davis that is still dominant and still in his prime that is something that Steph Curry is looking around that locker room with so many guys on that roster playing below their career Norm at least LeBron has Anthony Davis who is still a guy that can you know take you a

Long way it comes down to what can you put around them Steph doesn’t even have a guy like that to bank on they just bring him too because Steph’s not leaving Golden State well the thing is Steph’s not leaving Golden State right LeBron has been on a lot of different

Think I mean if there’s one guy that will not wear another uniform in his career Steph Curry is that guy and we all know that the Superstar staying with one team his whole career is a thing of the past but there are a few guys that you could see it happening Curry clearly

Defin never play another game in another uniform I age with Kobe Durk they’re rare I I think a guy like joic might be that kind of guy to do that you know who knows Giannis a little bit more uncertain Luke say fore Never forget never forgive First Blood an enemy has been Defeated an enemy has been defeated you have been defeated fantastic [Laughter] variation an enemy has been defeated here we go double kill stepping through you have been [Applause] defeated on slot stick [Applause] around not another Mirage defeated an Enemy an ally has been defeated your tower has been destroyed you have been Defeated an ally has been destroyed defeated double kill my wandering begins a New spee Even if I only the righteous will prevail I’ll remember her smile First Blood rally to me taste my spear an enemy has been defeated an ally has been defeated crumble rally to me you have defeated an enemy enemy has been defeated Victory is for the B the dragon an ally has been defeated

Familiar enemy double kill you have defeated an enemy for the battle rally to tower has been destroyed you have defeated en kill rally to me triple kill around only the rightous will prevail an ally has been defeated enemy double kill dominating let’s fight for a better future only the legendary

Crumble your team has destroyed a tower legendary taste my Spear

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. reacts to NBA-best Celtics blowing a 30-point lead in stunning loss to Hawks