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Celtics Need To Avoid Any Potential Identity Crisis

  The 2018/19 Boston Celtics have been a victim of inconsistency. Poor shooting from the field has the Celtics hovering in third place in the NBA East. Despite coming off an eight winning streak the team can’t find an identity. In this post, we will examine three reasons why the Celtics Need to Avoid any potential identity crisis.                                                                                                                                                                      

Celtics Need To  Avoid Any Potential Identity Crisis                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dominant Kyrie Irving; Considering the fact that the Celtics rank 10th in the league the offensive category they still lack a balanced attack from both the first and second units. Irving has been averaging 16 points per game followed by Jayson Tatum 16points and Marcus Morris 15 points per game.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Recently, head coach Brad Stevens announced that Jaylen Brown has been demoted to the second unit. Brown has also suffered injuries sustained from an early season concussion. Brown has been criticized heavily by the Boston media for not playing up to his potential. If the club expects to move ahead of Philadelphia and Toronto then Brown needs to step up his game.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Inconsistency from the field;  Anybody who has been watching the Celtics knows that they’ve been terribly inconsistent from the field. Some nights their either hot and other nights their ice cold. Especially from the three_ point area the Celtics have struggled and lost games due to poor shooting.  Terry Rozier the team’s leader off the bench has only been averaging 10 points per game  and has been complaining about his lack of minutes. Last season for, example Rozier took over for the injured Kyrie Irving and was a major factor in the teams post _ season success.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A Rash of Injuries; One of the reasons that Brad Stevens is one of the leagues best coaches is how he utilizes his players. Injuries are part of every sport. This season the Celtics have seen their share. Injuries to Aron Baynes,  Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown. Gordon Hayward is still working his way back into form,   from season_ ending last season. If the organization hopes to reach the finals a healthy Celtics team is a must.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Looking Ahead; If the Celtics expect to make a run for the Finals they need to make a statement now. Third place in the East is a far cry from last seasons first_place finish. Before they have any hopes of the Finals they need to overcome Philadelphia and Toronto, first.                                                                                                                                                                              

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Bruins Farm System Failing To Produce NHL Calibre Players

The 2018 Boston Bruins find themselves struggling to maintain a playoff spot. Injuries have plagued the 2018 roster and fans are observing a team without an identity. Currently, the club has injuries to Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller and others. As it stands now, the organization is in fourth place at 14-10 24 points and four overtime losses. In this post, we will examine three issues concerning why the farm system is failing to produce NHL calibre players so far this season.

.                                                                                                                             Bruins Farm System Failing To Produce NHL Calibre Players                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Rash Of injuries;   So far this season the Bruins have suffered serious injuries to their star players. Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller, and Charlie McAvoy have all missed significant time due to severe injuries. McAvoy, for example, has suffered a serious concussion due to a hard hit in mid _October.                                                                                                                                                                                In his absence, the team has had to count on callups Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton, and Jeremy Lauzon to makeup for Chara, and McAvoys minutes. Since their promotion, from Providence, none have factored in the offense.

Lack of Scoring;   With injuries to Patrice Bergeron the Bruins first line has been nonexistent. Only David Pastrnak has been a critical player in scoring with 20 goals. His linemate Brad Marchand has been decent with seven goals but has spent most of his time in the penalty box.

Since Bergeron went on the injured list, the club has had to rely on its younger players. Forwards Sean Kuraly, Jakob Forsbackas Karlsson, Noel Acciari, have produced minimal in Bergeron’s absences.  Second _year player Danton Heinen has played in 26 games and only has 2 goals and 3 assists to show for his efforts. Last season, for example, Heinen played in30 games and scored 16 goals and a plus_ minus the ratio of 10 before his injury Third _year player Jake DeBrusk has also missed time due a neck injury. Since his return, DeBrusk has 10 goals 2 assists while playing on the second line with center David Krejci.

Respectable Goaltending; Despite the disappointing performance so far goaltending has been one area that has been respectable. Head coach Bruce Cassidy has been platooning Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Both players have kept the team in the playoff hunt with Halek showing a 932 save percentage and Rask showing a 914 save percentage

Looking Ahead; With the team struggling to hold on to, fourth place scoring must become the clubs top priority. If the young players so not cash in then General Manager Don Sweeney may have to pull the trigger on a major deal.