Why Can't Boston Celtics' Big 3 Close out Games?

What's eating Gilbert Grape the Boston Celtics?

The C's have gone into the locker room at halftime with the lead on four occasions against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinal.

On three of those occasions, Boston has walked away in defeat.

How is it that a veteran team, the core of which has won a title in two trips to the NBA Finals, can't seem to close out an inexperienced eighth seed that owes its presence in the second round to injuries to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah?

Replace "veteran" with "old," and "inexperienced" with "young," and you'll start to see a clearer picture of what it is that ails these C's.

Boston's Big Three just ain't what it used to be. Rajon Rondo has replaced Ray Allen in Doc Rivers' triumvirate, though not solely as a result of anything Rondo's done.

Because, really, he didn't do much during Boston's 82-75 Game 6 loss.

Rondo's subpar performance in Philly (nine points on 4-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and four turnovers) was stooped only by the play of Allen, who hit just 1-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc on the way to a nine-point evening of his own.

Granted, it's tough to blame Allen for not playing the way we're accustomed to, what with his ankle still giving him trouble and all. At his age (he turns 37 next month) and with his injury, Allen might even be better served coming off the bench as he had been since the latter stages of the regular season.

That is, until Avery Bradley's shoulders would no longer allow him to play, much less start ahead of a future Hall of Famer.

Of course, the Celtics did just fine without Bradley in Game 5, when they blew out the Sixers, 101-85, despite a five-point night from Allen.

Then again, Brandon Bass did plenty to make up for Allen's issues in that game, with a 27-point effort in which he outscored the Sixers in the third quarter (18-16) all by himself.

And what about Game 3, when the C's smacked around the Sixers, 107-91, while Allen hit one shot in 25 minutes?

Let's just say, it didn't hurt that Boston's "new" (or rather, actual) Big Three of Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce combined for 74 points, 31 rebounds and 22 assists.

As for Game 6, the rebounding total (30) was nearly the same, though the points (53) and assists (nine) left much to be desired.

To be honest, it isn't exactly fair to point fingers at KG and Pierce for that. The Big Ticket (24 points, 11 rebounds) and The Truth (24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists) were the only reasons Boston was in the game to begin with.  

Not that they haven't had bad games of their own in this series. Pierce's paltry performance in Game 2 (seven points, five rebounds, five turnovers) played a big part in allowing the Sixers to steal one in Beantown. In Game 4, it was Garnett's poor play (nine points, 11 rebounds, seven turnovers) that fed into a flabbergasting Philly comeback.

Evidently, it was Rondo's turn in Game 6 to take the night off and give the plucky, young Sixers more than just a glint of hope that they can sneak their way into the Eastern Conference final.

In other words, the only way the C's can realistically succeed—in Game 7 and beyond—is if their Big Three plays...well, big.

Because, realistically, who else is going to produce for Boston?

Brandon Bass has had his moments (again, see Game 5), but he's a one-trick pony, and if that trick ain't workin', then he isn't exactly constructive to the cause. Nobody in his or her right mind would ask Mickael Pietrus to carry the scoring load for the bench. And yet, that's exactly what he did at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.

To the tune of five points on 2-of-6 shooting.

The Celtics certainly can't rely on an old, banged-up Ray Allen, either.

Where's the help supposed to come from, if not within the confines of the Big Three? Who else is supposed to wear down and sneak by Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams and Elton Brand and Lavoy Allen on one end? And who's supposed to stay in front of them on the other?

Say what you want about the Sixers' atrocious offense, but their defense has always been good, ranking third in the league in field-goal percentage, adjusted field-goal percentage and points per shot during the regular season.

How are the C's expected to neutralize Philly's suffocating D? Surely, they shouldn't try to push the pace, not with their energy dwindling and their legs crumbling more and more with each passing game.

And not with the Sixers' youth rendering them the faster, more effective team in transition as it is.

This isn't to say that the Celtics are at all doomed to failure; they'll have an extra day of rest to recharge their batteries before Saturday's series finale. Boston's home-court advantage at the TD Garden should be a boon to its efforts as well, providing a modicum of comfort that should embolden role players like Bass, Pietrus, Ryan Hollins and Greg Stiemsma to be something more than dead weight on the court.   

And, in hindsight, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Celtics couldn't close out the Sixers in six. Their record in close-out games on the road now stands at 2-11 since Danny Ainge brought this team together in the summer of 2007.

But if Boston is going to prevail on Saturday (and beyond), it'll need Rondo, Garnett and Pierce to play like the Big Three that they're supposed to be.

A little help from everyone else wouldn't hurt, either.

Because there's only so much that three guys (all in their mid-30s) can do, even if success is contingent on them doing just about everything. 

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