ATLANTA — Hit enough bumps in the road, and eventually, the tires will come off their axles. That’s what happened to the Boston Celtics on Monday night. The Atlanta Hawks placed speed bump after speed bump in their way, and eventually, it all fell apart in the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta were both sidelined, and Jaylen Brown wasn’t able to carry the load in the manner he has all season. A quality Luka Garza start was all Boston had to show for its one-night stay in Atlanta when it was all said and done.
But what happened before the car came careening off the road?
1. Jaylen Brown’s terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day
Nothing worked. Every dribble missed his hand on the way up. Every shot bounced off the rim and out. Every drive into traffic ended up in Atlanta’s hands.
At every turn, Brown fumbled and flailed his way into a black hole of nothingness on the offensive end. The Hawks’ defensive pressure got to him, but even when it didn’t, he got to himself.
“I give credit to Atlanta,” Brown said. “That was probably one of my worst games of the season, in my opinion.”
Brown’s performance was unlike anything he’s displayed all season. It’s been an MVP-caliber campaign for the Celtics superstar, but on Monday, he looked like a different guy.
It wasn’t just turnovers. The shots that have become automatic for Brown were completely off. And a lot of the easy ones that he missed eventually turned into transition opportunities for the Hawks, as they grabbed the ball off the rim and ran with it.
Even on this play, Brown still couldn’t convert. Gabe Vincent hits the deck, trying to draw an offensive foul on Brown. That leaves the Celtics star with a wide-open mid-range.
Atlanta got the board and immediately scored in transition, capitalizing on Brown’s whiff in the paint.
This play was a weird one. Maybe Brown was so stunned that the refs didn’t call him for a foul that he was out of rhythm. But it was emblematic of the type of night he was having up to that point.
“I missed a lot of easy shots, but [it was a] very physical game,” Brown said. “Playoff-like atmosphere, and I didn’t think we adjusted quick enough. They came to play, the refs let a lot of stuff go, [and] we didn’t adjust to the physicality. So, good game to learn from.”
Brown’s struggles affected more than just his stat sheet. His inability to find a
