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The Boston Celtics are in trouble.

Trailing the Chicago Bulls 2-0 in their first-round series and headed back to the United Center, the Celtics are in danger of one of the more embarrassing losses for a top overall seed in recent memory. All of their flaws — lack of size, rebounding and scoring off the bench — have been thrown into sharp contrast by a Bulls team that is suddenly playing their best basketball of the year.

Is there any reason for optimism? Some, if you look hard enough. There's also reason to believe the Celtics might be done. Let's take a look at both.

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1. The Celtics have a rebounding plan. They just need to execute it.

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The Celtics knew they would be a bad rebounding team before the year began, acquiring Al Horford (a very good player, but a flawed rebounder) and letting Jared Sullinger go (a flawed player, but a very good rebounder).

All season, Brad Stevens has preached the importance of gang rebounding — a strategy in which his big men just focus on the box out while his wings sweep in from the perimeter to crash the glass.

Here's the thing: That strategy hasn't changed, and when the Celtics execute it, they have actually managed to keep Chicago off the offensive glass to a degree. Horford in particular has done a decent job when he focuses on nothing but keeping Lopez at bay. The Celtics run into problems when players like Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley both come up with three rebounds apiece, as they did in Game 2.

Chicago's bigs have been dominant, but the Celtics have ways to at least mitigate the damage. They've shown it all year. They just need to, you know, do it.

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2. The defense on Jimmy Butler has been solid

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This is a good-news/bad-news scenario.

The good news: With the exception of a quarter-and-a-half in Game 1 (the deciding quarter-and-a-half, but still), the Celtics have done a relatively solid job on Butler. His shots have mostly been contested, and Boston's intelligent defenders understand the importance of chasing him hard around screens, which is where he is often deadly both off the catch and off the dribble.

The bad news: Butler has had a lot of shots go in and out, especially in Game 2. That's even with heavy contests from excellent defenders like Bradley and Crowder. Butler had 30 and 22 points in the first two games, so don't be surprised if at some point he explodes for something more.

Anyway, back to optimism...

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

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3. The Bulls were much better, but fluky things happened

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Let's make this crystal clear: The Bulls have won the absolute heck out of the first two games of this series. Chicago has dominated Boston on both ends with its size, speed and shot making.

But the Celtics can take a tiny bit of solace in the fact that a few fluky things have happened. Bobby Portis (!) lit them up in Game 1. Paul Zipser finished with 16 points in Game 2. Robin Lopez is a 44-percent shooter from midrange who shot 6-for-7 in Game 2. Isaiah Thomas got calls in both games, but on Tuesday, the 90.9 percent free-throw shooter missed six, going 7-for-13.

All of those things could reverse direction and break Boston's way, and the Celtics could still easily lose Game 3 given their recent performances (and Chicago's success). But a confluence of factors has helped cost the Celtics in the first two games, and not every one of them is guaranteed to hold.

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

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Marcus Smart flies in for the putback! 💪 pic.twitter.com/dJfL3TWzeU — Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 19, 2017

4. Marcus Smart gives superhuman effort, which is actually sustainable.

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Flipping off a fan is a really bad look, and Smart will be deservedly reprimanded by the league for doing so. But Smart was one of the few players in the second half of Game 2 who appeared to have a real fire in his stomach.

That's because Marcus Smart digests food into lighter fluid, which keeps that fire hot every single game. Outside observers might point out that Smart's energy appeared to be desperation, but he legitimately can crank up his intensity to that level at seemingly a moment's notice.

Smart is strong, versatile and intense. He can create for others off the dribble, and he defends at a very high level. If Boston can pull out Game 3 and turn this back into a competitive series, don't be surprised if the flames burning up Smart's kidneys are a big reason why.

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5. The Celtics are a better 3-point shooting team than this.

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Boston's 3-point percentage isn't as high as it could be this season in part due to the aforementioned Smart (when he flipped off the fan, it seemed as though the fan was criticizing him for shooting a 3-pointer).

But when Thomas, Crowder and Avery Bradley finish a combined 5-for-19 from behind the arc, something isn't quite right. A look at the tape would suggest that Chicago's defense hasn't particularly swarmed around the perimeter and that — according to percentages — the Celtics should be shooting better.

The Celtics average 33.4 3-pointers attempted per game, and they've taken 38 and 33 in the first two games respectively. They are getting good looks. They really need to make them.

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

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Stevens says he was encouraged by Terry Rozier and expects him to see some more time. — Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) April 19, 2017

1. Brad Stevens is reaching for rotations

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Terry Rozier gives admirable effort. He's incredibly fast, and he can shoot a little bit both off the catch and off the dribble. He can handle the ball. He can't finish around the rim, but he sure can get there!

Rozier, for all of his good traits, is not the answer to the Celtics' woes. Neither is Jonas Jerebko, another good role player who would likely struggle against Chicago's size if given consistent minutes. If Boston's starters and regular rotation players can't get the job done, even a deep bench isn't likely to help much against this matchup.

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2. When Robin Lopez is contained, the Bulls have options on the glass.

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The Bulls might have very little shooting in their starting lineup, but they have a lot of size. The Celtics muscled Lopez out of the paint on multiple occasions, but Butler, Wade and Rondo are all relatively big for their positions, and all three can grab rebounds when necessary. Gang rebounding will help, if the Celtics can pull it off, but how much it will help (particularly if the wings don't box out) remains to be seen.

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At this time last year, anybody who said Paul Zipser would have 16 in a road playoff win would have been dubbed crazy, and rightfully so. — Derek of House Bodner, First of his Name (@DerekBodnerNBA) April 19, 2017

3. The Bulls MAKE fluky things happen.

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In Game 1, Bobby Portis went off because the Celtics were so occupied elsewhere that they gave him wide open shots on multiple occasions, allowing him to get into a rhythm. In Game 2, Zipser put a lot of pressure on Boston's defense, and the Bulls were able to take advantage, further freeing up Zipser for his 6-for-8 shooting.

Chicago presents a matchup problem for the Celtics, but the Bulls also have a lot of youth and energy — players who are super confident and unafraid of the moment. After dropping the first two games at home, the Celtics have only given them more reason to be confident in Game 3.

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.@RajonRondo was dropping dimes all game long (14 assists) as the @chicagobulls took Game 2, 111-97 on the road! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hXf44YfyHJ — NBA TV (@NBATV) April 19, 2017

4. Rondo isn't assist hunting. He's orchestrating.

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Celtics fans are quite familiar with both sides of Rondo.

Regular Season Rondo often looks bored — slinging the ball around the perimeter and hunting for stats wherever he can find them. Playoff Rondo, however, is a maestro. He lets the offense come to him and plays with beautiful flow. He grabs rebounds and pushes in transition, rewarding teammates who run the floor. He attacks the rim when the defense gives him a lane, finishing in the paint and around big men.

That version of Rondo didn't show up in Dallas, and he never got an opportunity in Sacramento. But Celtics fans who watched the team during Rondo's prime have a sick feeling entering Game 3 and knowing how brilliant Maestro Rondo can be under the brightest lights.

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Another Mirotic 3. This one Olynyk gets caught in the shuffle (seems to think it was a switch with Bradley for some reason?) pic.twitter.com/m3MPDUYhP7 — Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) April 19, 2017

5. Nikola Mirotic still hasn't had a break-out game

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Mirotic hit his first few shots, but he still finished 3-for-9 from 3-point range and 5-for-13 from the floor.

That's not a horrible line — 13 points on 13 shots is the definition of mediocre — but every once in a while, Mirotic goes off for a big game from behind the arc. If he does, watch out. Boston has struggled to contain Chicago inside both on the glass and off the dribble, and if Mirotic is effectively stretching the Celtics out from behind the arc (while also dragging one of Boston's bigs away from rebounding position), things could get ugly.