BOSTON – The Boston Celtics made their share of big plays against the Chicago Bulls.
But in each instance the Celtics seemed just around the corner from a comeback, they would run into a red-and-black clad wall that consistently delivered the kind of push back that Boston never seemed capable of responding to.
And now they find themselves in a 2-0 series deficit following Tuesday’s 111-94 Game 2 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
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“We have to get ready to play great on Friday,” said Boston’s Brad Stevens. “We don’t have any other choice that’s what we said in the locker room; that’s it.”
The Celtics will spend the next couple of days not focusing on what went wrong at home, but instead lock in on what they have to do to get a win in this series that has gotten away from them quickly.
Said Al Horford: “That’s all we have, Game 3 is a must-win for us.”
The odds are stacked heavily against the Celtics to move on at this point.
But the Celtics aren’t anywhere close to throwing in the towel in this series.
“It’s not the ideal situation for us,” said Boston’s Jae Crowder. “Definitely don’t want to put yourself down 2-0 at home. It’s not the end of the world for us. We feel we got the unit … to get Game 3. Obviously, it’s not ideal but we feel we can bounce back.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 111-97 Game 2 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
STARS
Robin Lopez
The Celtics continue to have no answer for Lopez and the Bulls’ pick-and-pop game. He lit up the Celtics for 18 points along with eight rebounds on 8-for-11 shooting.
Isaiah Thomas
It was another rough game for Thomas, but he still managed to lead the Celtics with 20 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
Dwyane Wade
Boston Celtics
Big shots in the playoffs is part of the narrative when you talk about Wade. He had 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting with four rebounds.
Jimmy Butler: Butler didn’t dominate the way he did in Game 1 down the stretch, but that doesn’t take away from what was another solid performance for Butler. He had 22 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
STUDS
Rajon Rondo
The former Celtic continues to haunt his old team with some familiar big-time play for the Bulls. He finished with a near triple-double with 11 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.
Marcus Smart
This was one of the few Celtics who played with the kind of fight needed to compete. For the game, he had 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting along with eight rebounds.
DUDS
Celtics free throw shooting
This has been one of the strengths of this team this season. But in Game 2, it was one of the many factors that did not go the Celtics’ way as Boston shot just 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the line.