The Celtics aren't good in close games

Down the stretch of close games, good teams find a way to pull out a victory.

People may be on the fence about whether or not the Celtics should be considered a "good team" right now, but their performance in these types of contests isn't helping their cause.

In a tweet from ESPN's Chris Forsberg, he pointed out that the C's are only 5-7 this year in "clutch games" (+/- 5 points in the final 5 minutes).

One reason for this is their lack of a reliable one-on-one scorer who you can count on for buckets during crunch time.

Some would argue that Isaiah Thomas is that guy, but that hasn't exactly been the case. 

Don't get me wrong, IT is having an incredible season offensively and is putting up all-star numbers in a league that most 5'9" guys could only dream of playing in. I have the utmost respect for his game, so it pains me to say anything remotely negative about him.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that when teams really need to lock down a guy who's a foot shorter than half their roster, they can find a way to do so. Thomas has struggled this year to get to the basket when the game is on the line.

Besides Isaiah, Evan Turner is really the only other Celtics scorer who is capable of creating his own shot and getting into the paint. And we all know how sporadic ET's production can be, so leaning on him in the fourth quarter is a bit of a crap shoot.

For the record, I do consider the Celtics to be a good team.  But they're a couple pieces away from being better than good.  And clutch scoring is one area where they appear to be lacking.


Follow Jack Bardsley on Twitter @BostonsBigFour

Photo Credit: Jason Getz/USA Today via NESN.com