Felger & Mazz: Celtics Getting 'Exposed' Vs. Hawks - Including Isaiah Thomas And Brad Stevens
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics knew they couldn't afford another bad first half after going down double-digits in the previous three games, but couldn't avoid it anyway. Not only could they not avoid another bad start, they went all-in on it, delivering the very worst opening quarter by a single team in NBA Playoff history.
Felger & Massarotti opened Wednesday's program addressing the Celtics' embarrassing Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who now have a 2-0 advantage over the Celtics as the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday night at TD Garden. They believe the Celtics' deficiencies at the top end of their roster - and coaching staff - are getting exposed against a better, more experienced team.
Isaiah Thomas, in particular, has struggled - and is proving Tony Massarotti's assertion that he's not really one of the better players in the NBA, like many in Boston want to believe - and is having his weaknesses exposed as much as anyone on the Celtics, who Mazz says have no one who "excels at both ends of the floor."
"We see what happens come playoff time: teams like the Hawks pack it in, Isaiah Thomas goes in there, gets bashed around, doesn't have quite the openings he had before, [it's] more difficult to get his shot off, and he misses," said Massarotti. "And it's not his fault. It's the reality of the league. ... The game changes at playoff time and players' weaknesses get exposed."
Michael Felger also wondered if the Celtics are his favorite F-word, a "fraud" team, and thought Celtics head coach Brad Stevens looked shell-shocked as the game unfolded.
Listen to the full podcast below: