Did the Celtics even want to play game 4?

The Boston Celtics need to improve in the following areas to perform better in game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

Defense: The Mavericks were able to hold the Celtics to their lowest-scoring first quarter of the postseason. The Celtics’ offense in the first quarter was like watching a sloth run a marathon – slow and painful to endure. They must have thought they were playing hide-and-seek with the basket.

Rebounding: The Mavericks outrebounded the Celtics 52-31, resulting in a 16-2 edge in second-chance points. The Celtics were getting out-jumped by players who looked like they were wearing moon boots. It’s as if they thought “rebounding” was a new TikTok dance trend they hadn’t learned yet.

Offense: The Celtics had their worst offensive performance of the season, and they need to find ways to get their offense going again. Watching their offense was like watching a toddler try to solve a Rubik’s cube – a lot of effort with no results. They couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if they were standing inside it.

Intensity: The Celtics lacked intensity in game 4, and they need to come out with more energy and urgency in game 5. They looked like a teenager walking to the bus stop in winter to catch the school bus – half-asleep and completely uninterested. Maybe they thought the game started at halftime.

Rebounding (Again): The Celtics need to do a better job on the glass, as the Mavericks dominated them on the boards. They treated rebounds like they were allergic to the ball, staying as far away as possible. They were playing like they had a “no touching the ball” rule in their contract.

Paint Scoring: The Celtics need to do a better job scoring in the paint, as they were outscored 60-26 in that area in game 4. Their paint scoring was so bad, the paint itself should have filed a missing persons report. They couldn’t find the basket in the paint even if it was lit up like a Christmas tree.

In summary, if the Celtics want to avoid handing the Mavericks the finals on a silver platter, they need to wake up, show up, and stop playing like they’ve been hypnotized into thinking they’re in a game of freeze tag.