BOSTON – As the final seconds ticked away in Toronto on Wednesday night, the Celtics found themselves in what’s becoming an all-too familiar spot: on the losing end of a close game that came down to the wire.
“We had our opportunities again, we’re right there in every game,” said Kelly Olynyk. “We have to make sure we get over the hump.”
That’s proving easier – a lot easier – said than done for the Celtics.
There are some who will chalk it up to growing pains, the kind of losses that will only mentally toughen up a squad that came into the season as the NBA’s fifth-youngest team.
Others will see it as validation that the Celtics are a borderline playoff team that hasn’t made nearly as much progress from a year ago as some have indicated.
More than anything else, it serves as a reminder of just how small Boston’s margin of error is in order to be successful.
Regardless, the Celtics (22-21) have to become better at closing out games, which will be one of the many challenges they face tonight against the Chicago Bulls, who will be looking to get on track after having lost five of their past seven games.
If this game is anything like the first two this season, there’s a very good chance that the outcome won’t be determined until the closing minutes of play.
And that’s not a good thing for Boston; at least it hasn’t been most of this season.
In games decided by five points or less, Boston is just 4-9 with losses in five of their past six such games.
Meanwhile, the Bulls (24-17) are at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to pulling out tightly contested games.
When the final margin is five points or less, Chicago has a solid 11-6 record.
However, one of those six losses did come at the TD Garden on Dec. 9 when Boston won, 105-100.
Certainly one of the differences has to do with their respective rosters.
Chicago has not one but two All-Stars in the backcourt with Jimmy Butler and former league MVP Derrick Rose. And if that’s not enough, Chicago also boasts Pau Gasol, another All-Star, in the frontcourt.
Isaiah Thomas has been good for the Celtics, as well as Jae Crowder.
But neither has shown the kind of consistent, clutch play down the stretch that a team on the rise has to have from its best players on a nightly basis.
Mistakes are going to happen, regardless of time of game or the level of experience.
Thomas believes the Celtics need to play more with a “next-play mentality” to be successful.
“Easier said than done but that’s what we need to have,” he said. “Whether good or bad, miss or make, turnover or not, we have to turn the page. We’re so worried about what happened in the past. As a group we have to get better at that. If we get better at that, that’ll lower our mistakes and we won’t worry about stuff that happened already. The best teams have the shortest memory, whether good or bad.”