The Boston Celtics were a very intriguing team throughout this season, as there were times when they would look great and other times when they would look bad. That made the first round matchup between the Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks even more interesting because it was hard to know what to expect from Boston.
Through two games, the Celtics have been the bad version of the team that we've seen all year, save for the second half of game one. Boston is down 0-2 as they head back home, and their offense has been a major issue. This Celtics team struggles with spacing and shooting, which the loss of Avery Bradley certainly didn't help, but they have to figure something out fast.
One way for the offense to start playing better would be for All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas to get back on track. Thomas is the Celtics' best offensive player and led the team on that end all season, but he has struggled out of the gate in the playoffs. Thomas is averaging 21.5 points through two games, but he has done it very inefficiently, as he is shooting just 33 percent from the floor. Despite the struggles, Thomas is confident that he is getting good shots and will break out of his funk very soon.
"There's always two guys on me, at least, when I don't have the ball. They're looking in my eyes, they're face-guarding me," Thomas said. "The best players figure it out. That's just a sign of respect from the Hawks, and I just gotta figure it out. Lock in and man, I'm missing easy layups that I usually make. I'm getting midrange shots that I usually knock down."
Thomas is far from the only reason that the Celtics have struggled in the playoffs, though, as they are shooting 34 percent from the field and 25 percent from three as a team, but he is their star and is expected to carry them at points. One of the things that people have said could be this Celtics team's downfall is the fact that they don't have a true star player, and that is proving to be true so far this series. Yes, Thomas was an All-Star this season, but he isn't a superstar, and he needs help if the team is going to be successful.
The injuries to the Celtics have also been a major issue. Bradley is expected to miss the rest of the series with a hamstring injury, and Jae Crowder has been playing through a lot of pain in his ankle, and it has been noticeable. Those are two of the Celtics' best offensive options that are either out or limited, so that puts even more pressure on Thomas to step his game up. The good news is that Thomas believes he will, but we will just have to wait and see if he can do it as the series continues.
